Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/836472
8 The PCB Design Magazine • June 2017 I've been hearing about embedded technol- ogy the entire time I've been in this industry, which somehow equates to almost two decades. When I first started covering PCB design in the 1990s, a lot of my new friends in the industry predicted that embedded components would soon be an everyday occurrence. Some future-thinking technologists even imagined that eventually, all boards would fea- ture embedded technology, with no compo- nents on the outside of the board. That would be one reliable board. Embedded technology has become more prevalent over the years, especially for high- reliability applications. More fabricators than ever before can process embedded passives, and some even embed active components. Big-name players like NASA and the Jet Propulsion Labo- ratory have conducted years of R&D focused on embedded passive design and manufacturing. Now, embedded components have their own IPC standard, IPC-7092, "Design and Assembly Process Implementation for Embedded Compo- nents," which is being continually revised and amended. Still, I wouldn't say embedded technology has spread like wildfire. Even now, I have a tough time finding more than a handful of PCB designers who have experience with embedded technology. A few designers I spoke with ques- tioned the value of the whole process. "Why would anyone ever want to spend thousands of by Andy Shaughnessy I-CONNECT007 Embedded Technology: An Idea Whose Time Has Come THE SHAUGHNESSY REPORT