Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/703122
72 The PCB Design Magazine • July 2016 all the money into materials or process time. Meaning, you can make a board on the best RF materials and be very successful, but what we're trying to do is balance the trade-offs. What can we do to reduce the costs while still achieving the results you're looking for? I believe that this objective has to be the goal of the fabricator as well? Matties: From a technical point-of-view, where do you see the market headed? Bushie: We see it headed to lower and lower cost materials. We see higher levels of integration, and I almost always use that when I have these types of interviews, but the reality is everybody wants their package to do more. They want to put more stuff in a smaller box. Ultimately, that means we're bringing various circuit aspects together, or system aspects together into one combined technology. Matties: What's your background? Bushie: My background is actually from the cir- cuit board world. I started out at a fabricator, but quickly moved into the low-loss RF PTFE- based materials. I worked for a laminate sup- plier for many years, and then ended up getting back into the circuit board world to do what I enjoy, which is working with engineers devel- oping these types of interesting products. Matties: Is there anything that we haven't talked about that we should share with designers? Bushie: Get us involved as soon as possible. Meaning, the earlier in the design stage that you can begin working with your fabricator, the better. Because they can help you realize or find pitfalls in a design before you get too far along in the prototyping or initial design stages. Matties: Great advice. We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. Thank you so much. Bushie: Thank you very much. PCBDESIGN DESIGNING FOR PROFITABILITY: DON'T OVER-MATERIALIZE