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December 2016 • The PCB Design Magazine 39 Wasserzug: Flex circuits as a commercial prod- uct, in my view, are exiting their adolescence and entering adulthood. This is evidenced by the broad acceptance and recognition of flex circuits and the amount of support products, consumables and equipment available, specifi- cally for their manufacture. When I first worked with flex circuits in the early 1980s at Hughes Aircraft Company, the marketer needed to of- ten explain what the product was and why one would want to use it. Today, nearly everyone knows what a flex circuit is and the benefits it brings. With flex circuit adulthood comes a mat- uration of the economics and the industry structure. The product will move even more towards a "commodity sale" than a "technical sale." Price erosion will continue due to mostly to overcapacity, including pressure from over- seas, and lack of supplier differentiation. And finally, adulthood will bring more consolida- tion amongst flex circuit companies, especially those who offer only flex circuit products. Shaughnessy: Thank you, Al. Wasserzug: Thanks, Andy. PCBDESIGN FLEX AND RIGID SALES AND MARKETING WITH AL WASSERZUG The growing volume of computer-generated data and calculations makes it possible to quickly develop new energy materials. A re - cently published screening focuses on materials with a light-absorbing effect. Two researchers from The Villum Center for the Science of Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals at DTU Physics were recently asked to write a perspective for the journal Science. Researchers do not receive such requests or such recognition every day. This was the result of their work on the calculation of atomic structures and the structure of materials. "The findings of innumerable laboratory ex - periments have been published and compiled in databases in recent decades, and thousands of computer-based calculations have been run using this data. The available knowledge is vast, and our perspective suggests that, despite the great chal- lenges presented by the large volumes of data— which are not directly comparable and compat- ible—some very promising opportunities do also present themselves," explains Professor Karsten W. Jacobsen. In their research, Jacobsen and Professor Kristian S. Thygesen found that an interesting development is taking place. "At DTU Physics, we have created our own da - tabases with computer- based calculations, and we participate in the big inter- national NoMaD database. Both of these activities are based on DFT , Density Functional Theor y, which provides information on the properties of a mate - rial by calculating its electronic structure. The chal- lenge has been the use of common standards, so that all researchers work in identical file formats and can therefore incorporate and build on others' results. This is where there is currently an exciting move towards a level of conformity that is opening up new opportunities," Jacobsen continues. The two researchers' work at the Villum Center for the Science of Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals involves developing better materials for light ab- sorption for use in photoelectrochemistry—and ultimately fuels. Alternatives to oil for aviation, for example, are one of the two major challenges in connection with phasing out fossil fuels on which the Center is working, and the development of bet- ter catalytic converters is also part of the solution. Screening of Databases is the Basis for Developing New Energy Materials