90 PCB007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2024
Standing up a new
"high-tech" PCB
fab facility capable
of becoming quali-
fied for aerospace
and defense work typically takes a mini-
mum investment of $50 million. However,
Alex Stepinski says entering the defense
and aerospace markets with a new PCB
fabrication start-up facility far under this
prohibitive cost benchmark is possible
when good partnerships, innovation, and
sound engineering design enter from the
beginning. In this article.
Anaya Vardya
joined Ameri-
can Standard
Circuits in 2007,
and his leader-
ship strategy
has focused
on teamwork,
technological advancement, and a strong mar-
keting strategy. Anaya champions a manage-
ment style rooted in trust, empowerment, and
change readiness, ensuring continuous growth
and innovation in the competitive PCB manu-
facturing sector.
Laminate materials are the building blocks on which printed circuit
boards are manufactured. Circuit board designers rely on the critical
electrical properties of the materials to design the interconnects, and
with the drive toward IoT (internet of things), autonomous driving, and
virtual and augmented reality, material properties take on a very high
level of importance. The crux of the issue is quite simple: Designers
are looking for electrical performance. Printed board fabricators are
concerned with manufacturability and yields.
The Chemical Connection: Chemical and Equipment
Control of High-density Circuits
As line and space requirements and specifications get increasingly tighter, it is
obvious that at some point you must consider tightening the controls on the chem-
ical and equipment parameters (temperature, specific gravity, conveyor speed,
etc.) of your production lines to meet those requirements. For the purposes of this
discussion, let's consider line and space requirements of 75 µm (0.003") or less with tolerances of
±5% as the tipping point for serious consideration of tighter chemistry and equipment control.
Are You Ready to Thrive?
Keep an Open Mind
A Less Expensive PCB
Startup
Trouble in Your Tank:
Materials for PWB Fabrication—Drillability and Metallization
TOP TEN
EDITOR'S
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Don Ball