Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1538269
18 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2025 in a high-temperature furnace, often exceeding 1,700°C. This molten glass is then extruded through fine nozzles to form continuous threads, which are rapidly cooled to maintain their structural properties. These threads are bundled into filaments, which are woven into uniform fabric on high-speed looms to meet stringent PCB laminate requirements. Once woven, the glass fabric undergoes cleaning and a chemical treatment process to enhance resin adhesion, ensuring compatibility with the resin sys- tems used in PCB manufacturing. The treated fab- ric is then wound onto rolls, ready for shipment to laminate manufacturers. From raw materials to fin- ished rolls, this process can take several days and requires significant energy consumption for heating, cooling, and weaving, as well as substantial capi- tal investment in advanced equipment. Additionally, the need for highly skilled operators adds to its cost. Given the energy intensity and costs associ- ated with woven glass production, waste due to poor PCB design has an amplified environmental impact. Every additional drill structure required due to design inefficiencies, such as poorly optimized stackups or overly complicated HDI structures, drives up the consumption of manpower, energy, water, and other materials. Similarly, remakes caused by design flaws compound this waste, squandering the energy and resources already invested in producing the PCB. The electronics industry can take a significant step toward sustainability by addressing these design inefficiencies. Advanced design tools and adherence to IPC standards can optimize layer stackups and ensure effective use of materials, reducing unneces- sary demand for woven glass. Furthermore, leverag- ing historical data on factory yields and project-spe- cific simulations can help engineers predict and plan for realistic overages, rather than defaulting to exces- sive safety margins that double material usage. The environmental and cost benefits of such optimiza- tions are profound, helping to align the industry with sustainable manufacturing practices. Overages: A Sustainability Challenge Another challenge stemming from poor design is the need for overages. When a design has inher- ent risks for yield loss, manufacturers must compen- sate by producing excess quantities to ensure the required volume is met. While this may mitigate the risk of delivery shortfalls, it comes at the expense of material waste and increased energy consumption. Overages also extend beyond materials. Every additional board produced requires power for imaging, drilling, plating, and testing. Even small overages can lead to significant environmental impacts when multiplied across high-volume pro- duction runs. With modern tools that can identify design issues and historical factory yield data, it is possi- ble to project anticipated yields and plan for real- istic overages. Yet, in many cases, overages are still planned at levels as high as 100%. When these excessive overages are executed, the industry pri- oritizes expedience over sustainability. This is a decision we can no longer afford to make. New Tools to Predict Sustainability One of the most promising advancements in sus- tainable PCB manufacturing is the introduction of tools that can predict the environmental impact of a design. Avishtech, a PCB simulation and model- ing software company, recently released a prod- uct capable of calculating the carbon footprint of a PCB design. This groundbreaking tool evalu- ates a design's complexity, expected manufactur- ing yields, and even the environmental impact of the power grids used in production. By incorporat- ing these factors, the tool provides a holistic view of a design's sustainability profile before it ever reaches the manufacturing floor. This capability is a game-changer for the indus- try. For the first time, engineers can quantify the environmental impact of their design decisions in real time, allowing them to make informed choices that balance performance, cost, and sustainabil- ity. For example, if a highly complex design is pro- jected to have low yields, the tool can highlight the increased carbon footprint from wasted mate- rials, energy, and remakes. Similarly, the impact of regional power grids—some of which rely on coal, One of the most promising advancements in sustainable PCB manufacturing is the introduction of tools that can predict the environmental impact of a design. " "