PCB007 Magazine

76 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2024 Materials such as plywood, OSB (oriented strand board), MDF (medium-density fiber- board), and drywall generally come in 4-foot- by-8-foot sheets. Dimensional lumber comes in 2-foot-long increments, so a 16-foot-long wall will have far less scrap than a 17-foot-long wall since 16 is divisible by 2, 4, and 8. e 17-foot wall will inherently require material to be trimmed off and scrapped. is is much the same in the flexible circuit industry: Manufac- turers build their facilities around a few "stan- dard" panel sizes and widths. Sizing your parts to optimize panel density will keep scrap to a Mustaches and Automation in Flexible PCB Fabrication Feature Article by Chris Clark FLEXIBLE CIRCUIT TECHNOLOGY In any manufactured product, whether a house or a flexible circuit, there is always a raw material component in the overall cost. In the flexible circuit, flexible heater, and rigid- flex industry, sheet materials can account for 20–60% of the overall price. Admittedly, this is a very broad range, but factors, such as how common the materials are in the region where they are made, can cause this to swing one way or the other. Your actions as an engineer or sourcing agent have an impact on overall cost, which I'll illus- trate through the example of building a house.

• Cover
• Featured Content — Materials Management
• Additional Content
• Column — All Things Material
• Feature Interview — The Critical Role of Materials
• Feature Interview — Beyond Prepreg: The 'Glassless Revolution'
• Feature Column — Materials for PWB Fabrication: Drillability and Metallization
• Feature Interview — Non-RF High-Speed Materials Continue to Advance
• Short — An Ink for 3D-printing Flexible Devices Without Mechanical Joints
• Interview — Overcoming Workforce Challenges from Onboarding to Upskilling
• Short — Lighting Up the Future
• Interview — Shane Whiteside Appointed as New PCBAA Chair
• Feature Article — Expansion and Growth: You Can't Do It Alone
• Short — Quantum Breakthrough: Engineering the World's Purest Silicon
• MilAero007 Highlights
• Column — Changing Leadership and Three Years of Advocacy in D.C.
• Feature Article — Building Resilient Supply Chains
• Short — How a Tiny Device Could Lead to Big Physics Discoveries and Better Lasers
• Feature Column — Chemical and Equipment Control of High-density Circuits
• Short — A New, Low-cost, High-efficiency Photonic Integrated Circuit
• Interview — Tom Edman Leads IPC Board of Directors
• Feature Article — Mustaches and Automation in Flexible PCB Fabrication
• Article — Pushing the Limits of PCB Impedance Control
• Column — The Analog Computer
• Top Ten Editor's Picks
• Career Opportunities
• Educational Resources
• Advertiser Index and Masthead
• Problems Solved — Subscribe to Our Magazines