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26 The PCB Design Magazine • January 2017 by Andy Shaughnessy I-CONNECT007 When the topic of DFM techniques came up, I knew I had to talk with Gary Ferrari of FTG Corp. Gary has been involved with design- ing and manufacturing PCBs for decades, and he's the past co-founder and executive director of the IPC Designers Council. I caught up with Gary between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we conducted the following interview via email. Andy Shaughnessy: Give us a quick background on yourself and your role at FTG. Gary Ferrari: I have been in this industry for more than 50 years. The major portion of this time has been spent in PCB design and manu- facturing. I have spent some time in assembly, industrial robotics, and nuclear and fossil pow- er plant controls systems design. I serve as the Director – Technical Support for FTG Circuits. My main function has many facets. First is to work with our customer base during the design phase of their products. I help them design for manufacture, which in- cludes fabrication, as- sembly, repair, reliability, and field service. This in- cludes end-product per- formance, both electri- cally and mechanically. It sounds like a lot, and it is. To meet today's ad- vanced products within short design cycles, one must consider all these areas when select- ing materials, components, etc. Second is to represent them within the stan- dards develop committees of IPC. Many cur- rent-day issues are discussed during the devel- opment meetings, which affect both our com- pany and our industry. There are so many new, advanced technologies cropping up constantly. One must stay on top of them if one expects to survive in this industry. I also provide IPC designer certification through EPTAC, an IPC licensed training cen- ter. These courses are quite extensive, exposing the attendees to many of the issues affecting successful designs. IN DEEP: The Art and Science of DFM with Gary Ferrari Gary Ferrari FEATURE