Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1530269
34 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2024 Even the "larger" 0201-sized chips are still considered advanced packag- ing by some EMS suppliers. ey con- tinue to cause head- aches and lower profit margins due to processing issues relating to their scale. On another front, how are those advanced, automated PCB DFM-checking tools working for us when we don't even know the capabilities of the suppliers who will build the boards? Why is it so easy for an experienced manufacturing engineer to catch glaring DFM issues on a design aer the CAM data has been run through an automated audit? As an EMS stakeholder who liaises between PCB design and global manufacturing suppliers, I can tell you that there is still much room for improve- ment. Supplier requests for DFM changes for outside designs continue nonstop. Regarding using AI to design and lay out a circuit board, it's not that it can't happen. But I've learned that I need to be in touch with the context of feasibility when considering the implementation of something so advanced. Before redirecting any of my time or resources away from a workflow paradigm for which the wheels are already well-greased, I must be cer- tain of the advantages. In sales and marketing, adding "advanced" to your products or capa- bilities can get them more attention. Potential customers will presume they must be "better" while still offering availability and manufactur- ability, though maybe with a higher price tag. As cliché as it sounds, "cutting edge" has traditionally indicated a condition better than advanced; the product or service slices through all the peripheral BS. It implies direct contact and exposure to a problem at hand so a definitive solution can be implemented. As most of us know, when the marketing hype reaches "bleeding edge" status, there is at least an admission from the technology marketers that the product or service may hurt until fully implemented. Deep-pocketed visionaries who can afford to bleed for a while get in early on, but this class of advancement can be risky. ere is no guar- antee that competitors won't have caught up, even aer the initial wounds heal and the pro- cess smooths out. Understanding the Technology Development Hype Phases If you are an informed, DFM-savvy PCB designer or engineer consider- ing advanced technology, you must understand what happens throughout the development phases of a product or service. e Gartner hype cycle1 depicts the five phases of maturity for emerging technologies. Gartner Inc. actively tracks technologies to examine and report on their advancements using graphic milestones. is chart concept is an effective tool for the PCB design and manufacturing indus- tries to evaluate which phase of an advanced technology makes the most sense to dive in. Advanced scale chips. Simplified Gartner hype cycle chart.