SEPTEMBER 2024 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 95
Front-end engi-
neers are the gate-
keepers of factories
and a cornerstone
of successful fab-
rication. Since factory engineers are not
often in the public eye, many people do
not understand the wealth of knowledge
they have. I encourage you to develop a
good relationship with the engineers at
your favorite supplier.
Newer board designers often
forget one factor crucial to a
PCB's performance and reli-
ability, namely board parasit-
ics, which usually refers to an
unintended electrical effect
in electronic components and
interconnections. This can often lead to signifi-
cant changes in the physical characteristics of the
layout of the PCB. Typically, in board design, para-
sitics look similar to the length of a trace or a wire.
There have been so many events and trade
shows in the past few months, and with them,
many important announcements and demon-
strations and processes. Whether there are
too many trade shows today, these shows and
events do allow companies to showcase their
truly remarkable technologies, processes, and
devices. I've dedicated much of my column
space to covering some of these shows and
the advances we've learned about at these
shows.
My three favorite sensors for wet
process control are process concen-
trations with specific gravity, plating
replenishment based on ampere-
hours, and active concentrations with
color indicators. To start enrolling in
wet process control, I advise doing
a process audit with a real time ana-
lyzer, which is a conductivity probe
and a thermometer.
You've just sold your pharmaceuti-
cal business and have a lot of extra
cash. Where would you spend it?
"On a new 45,000-square-foot fac-
tory to manufacture high-tech printed
circuit boards," said one man. Meet
Prashant Patel, one of the industry's
newest PCB fabricators.
In my June column, I dis-
cussed how much control
was needed for high-den-
sity circuits rather than what
was thought necessary.
I concentrated on cupric
chloride and alkaline etch issues and equipment,
since the etching step in the circuit board manufac-
turing process is one of the most critical areas.
For the latest news and information, visit PCB007.com
The New Chapter: The Impact of
Parasitics on PCB Design
From Concept to Reality:
Building Alpha Circuit
Happy's Tech Talk #32: Three
Simple Ways to Manage and
Control Wet Processes
The Chemical Connection:
Chemical and Equipment Control
of High-density Circuits, Part 2
Fresh PCB Concepts: The Vital
Role of Front-end Engineers
Fein-Lines: AI, Big Data, and A Lot
of Trade Shows
