Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1525004
AUGUST 2024 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 9 Andy Shaughnessy is manag- ing editor of Design007 Magazine. He has been covering PCB design for 23 years. To read past columns, click here. Fortunately, cost adders can be kept at bay: Designers can employ hundreds of tips, tricks, and techniques to keep costs down. In this month's issue, our expert con- tributors explain the impact of cost drivers on PCB designs and the need to consider a design budget. ey discuss the myriad design cycle cost adders—hidden and not so hidden—and ways to add value. When every decision has ramifications down- stream, the more you know, the better. Here's the updated and edited text: We start with Jen Kolar's article on com- mon design errors, especially DFM mis- cues, that can have a bigger impact on cost than you might think. Cherie Litson details areas where she oen discovers cost adders hiding, and which teams seem to be con- stant targets of these troublemakers. Col- umnist Martyn Gaudion offers "common- sense" tips for adding value to the design cycle. Kelly Dack provides "anti-venom" for PCB design cost adders, and he points out some of the dens where cost adders oen lurk, waiting to drive up your manufactur- ing costs. Michael Marshall has a paper on design cost drivers, which covers dozens of ways designers can add cost into the design cycle, oen without realizing it. Rounding out our features is a column by Istvan Novak on the evolution of PCB design costs. We also have columns by Matt Steven- son and Joe Fjelstad, and articles by Dan Beeker, Erik Pedersen and Richard Koens- gen, and Anaya Vardya, as well as an excerpt from Anaya's brand-new book, e Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to DFM Essentials. I hope you're having a relaxing summer. You've earned a vacation. DESIGN007 To continue reading this column click here. GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP The Nexus of Chinese and American Business Relations by Tom Yang, CEE PCB Many people I talk to feel there are very few similarities between how Americans and Chinese do business. However, I believe that's not true. That's why I researched the similarities between our cultures for this second column on global citi- zenship. Americans Built the Chinese PCB Industry Remember, it was American companies that taught China how to manufacture circuit boards. Our factories have your fingerprints all over them. So, it should come as no surprise that Chinese and American business practices—while shaped by distinct cultural, historical, and socio-economic factors—nevertheless share several similarities. We still mostly use Western-made equipment and follow IPC standards developed in North America and Europe. As we have grown more independent in recent years, for example, in manufacturing our equip- ment and laminates, our commonalities are becoming more relevant as globalization and technological advancements intertwine the econ- omies of both nations. Understanding these simi- larities can foster better communication, collabo- ration, and mutual respect between Chinese and American business professionals.