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22 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2024 One difference between engineering and pure science is that engineers (in most situa- tions) are looking for cost-effectiveness. ey do so by designing the most appropriate level of technology to maximize profitability with acceptable levels of application functionality. One area that is oen overlooked is the energy cost of PCB production. At a recent EIPC conference, Dr. Maarten Cauwe of IMEC in Belgium presented a combined study of the lifecycle impact (LCI) of electronics sys- tems and subassemblies 1 . e study looked at the supply chain as well as the energy impact of HDIs, the power consumption of repeated Commonsense Cost Cutting plating cycles, and the energy impacts of dif- ferent metal finishings. One side point was the move to lead-free sol- dering, which has raised energy consumption across the board. I wonder if legislators will hear this message and, at some point, cause a U-turn in the industry where the lead-free project, once deemed worthy, no longer seems like a good idea. Half a century ago, CFCs were miracle chemicals. Now, not so much. Chang- ing times and emphasis, with effects that take decades to emerge, mean that ideas that once seemed sensible can, with the benefit of hind- sight, seem not so good. e study is interesting The Pulse Feature Column by Martyn Gaudion, POLAR INSTRUMENTS