Month: February 2019

Time to start getting over Brexit?

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Chris Wootton, CEO, Chemigraphic

Times are changing for the UK and its place in manufacturing, globally. Whilst it is unclear what the exact nature and repercussions of Brexit will be, it’s clear that OEMs and the EMS industry as a whole is taking urgent steps to mitigate risks. Whatever the deal (or no deal) it’s almost inconceivable that there’s not going to be any disruption. So what can we do about it? How can we get over it?

View the situation from all angles

To protect their customers, EMS providers are having to take a highly, proactive global outlook by seeing the situation from all angles and mitigating risk and disruption wherever possible. Some are better set-up to cope with this change. At Chemigraphic, we are the only UK EMS with a Business Continuity Management System that is aligned to the international standard ISO22301. This is a “whole of company” BCMS that risk-assesses and drives mitigation into literally every aspect of business resilience – not just the obvious things such as facilities and services incidents. By default, this means that we are exceptionally resilient and well-placed to endure any external pressures.

Anticipate the extra material demands – and act!

We are noticing an increase in customer demand to mitigate the risk of supply shortage, which further absorbs more materials, and we understand this is true of wider industry. EMS companies are carrying more stock than they traditionally would which is creating unnaturally high demand for materials. We’re seeing that customers who have already reviewed their requirements with regards to Brexit have modified their forecasts and taken increased call-off offers to build their buffer stocks. When all the customers ask for more stock the net effect is that EMS companies get very busy! However, we are telling customers there is still time to create some contingency. While this will not be in the form of Finished Goods Stock, although time is running out we can still protect the supply of materials to get parts landed into the UK. We are doing whatever we can for customers who share this information, but it may be very difficult to find materials for project without upfront visibility.

Ensure your supply chain has landed UK stock

Bringing it into the UK is one of the easiest things they can do, providing they have space. Most of the big distributors and manufacturers are happy to do that. We say to them that we anticipate using X amount of material and they’ll build this into their planning and UK stock-holding. Typically, they will not demand a full commercial obligation.

Look ahead through the supply chain

Any products that are sourced from central Europe will suffer transportation problems, but who’s to say what the knock-on effects will be if ports are locked up? What if distribution centres come to a standstill because of the European content? When this happens, it won’t matter whether it’s been sourced through the US, Asia or Europe, so we remain cautious. We’re looking at scheduled deliveries of materials and making sure we’ve got the right sort of commitment from the supply chain. It’s about being intelligent and doing the appropriate thing. If a customer placed a significant order or an underwriting agreement, we could go out and secure all that stock and have it provisioned. However, this is dependent on the types of materials, value, volume and lead times. It may also be necessary to have an SLA (Service Level Agreement) and Brexit contingency plan with the supplier. The key is to proactively stay ahead of supply chain issues; a good EMS partner should be doing that.

Consider expediting new development projects and consolidate stock

It is more prudent to accelerate timescales rather than defer decisions; building robust solutions and supply chains is best done now. Delaying new projects sacrifices precious time in advance of an unknown situation. Bulking together new and existing projects also offers scalable costs benefits.

Look into Customs Clarifications

We are already considering what this change could do for the price of parts and components. Identifying custom clarifications, checking the World Trade Organisation (WTO) tariffs and potential EU import tariffs can give an idea of what is to come. In a no-deal Brexit, in time the UK will be able to move away from EU regulations, creating the potential to reduce and change them. With this in mind, we are looking at pricing arrangements to see if prices are fixed or if they can be reviewed. UK-based suppliers may be more competitive due to a weak pound and we can enter into trade agreements with new international markets.

Be sensible!

Above all, the general precaution is to have some kind of contingency plan, engage with the supply chain, and start talking about taking some sensible decisions. If you have an absolutely critical process, you need to build in contingency, safety stocks and have a plan. A lot of our customers started doing that at the tail-end of last year but we’ve also heard of companies who only began doing this in February this year!

Best practice in managing a product’s end of life

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Apple’s announcement in November 2018 that is was to cease the reporting of iPhone sales volumes really worried investors. A flattening of sales, combined with doubts over Apple’s projected innovation, impacted on its stock price. Around the same time, Chinese tech giant, Huawei, beat it into third place on smartphone sales and even set their sights on surpassing the leader, Samsung, with promises of foldable screens and artificial intelligence. Technology pundits began suggesting the unspeakable: the very beginnings of the iPhone’s end of life.

foldable phone

Source: World’s first foldable smartphone unveiled

OEMs can sometimes struggle to manage product end of life effectively. Instead of managing the process from an early stage, they focus all their attention on maintaining sales. History shows that even Apple can be caught off guard.

The iPod – From 1000 songs in your pocket to none

Apple introduced the first-generation iPod in October 2001 with the slogan “1,000 songs in your pocket”. Second, third, fourth and fifth generations followed until September 2007 when Steve Jobs unveiled the 6th Gen iPod “Classic” with a new, thinner chassis and a better battery life. The last hardware update occurred in 2009, and then in September 2014, it was finally discontinued. Apple CEO Tim Cook told us one of the reasons at the 2014 WSJD Live event: “We couldn’t get the parts anymore, not anywhere on Earth”. Even Apple, the first US company to achieve a $1,000,000,000,000 market value is subject to the same pressures as every other large electronics manufacturer.

ipod classic

There are many reasons that a product may enter an EOL process: component shortages, technology barriers, functional redundancy, competitor activity and a lack of investment that causes old or worn tooling can cause and accelerate product decline. It remains a truism that all good things must come to an end; what makes a difference is how you manage it.

Best practices and strategies for managing EOL

Since product decline is inevitable, lifecycle support is an essential service that an EMS partner should provide to its customers. Different solutions can be applied to end-of-life situations: some products get superseded by newer models or versions, meaning only slight tweaks to the manufacturing and sourcing procedures. Other products may simply need support as they dwindle, which can involve investing in enough stock and parts to last the predicted period before obsolescence. Sometimes it’s necessary to re-invest in alternatives. We can advise our customers, ensuring money and resources are not wasted. 

Manage EOL early within a Product Lifecycle Plan

Every product goes through a similar Product Life Cycle (PLC) – introduction into the market, growth, maturity, and then a decline with EOL. Products should, therefore, be managed within a Product Lifecycle Plan, covering all aspects of the product development, from conception to the disposal of the product and components. Start-up manufacturers often overlook this critical aspect but a skilled EMS partner will be able to help develop such a plan.

 Product Life Cycle Curve

Allow products to evolve

Although the iPod was eventually doomed by component shortages and alternative technologies, Apple foresaw the trajectory of the smartphone and rightly predicted how the iPod would become all but redundant. Is that possible with the iPhone too? Ask most tech companies which product is likely to replace the smartphone and the most probable answer will be something “wearable”. The Apple Watch is likely to see many evolutions, as it changes in shape, size, and functionality to communicate with a plethora of smaller IoT devices that are likely to surround us in the future. In an ever-changing global landscape, agile lifecycle support for products is critical. An EMS manufacturing partner can help you make the evolutions from one generation to the next.

Manage component shortages by investing in stock to guarantee a lifespan

As we saw in the iPod example, component shortages can accelerate product decline and in extreme cases force an OEM into sudden and radical design changes. An EMS partner can assist during times of shortage by staying on top of these issues and combining financial leverage to secure large amounts of stock on behalf of clients as well as buffering to provide uninterrupted supply. Chemigraphic operates a demand-based MRP (Material Requirements Planning) system, which ensures on-time delivery, material presentation requirements, stock accuracy and component batch traceability.

Change management

New regulatory requirements, responses to field performance issues and specification adjustments can all drive the need for design and process changes. Following the introduction of RoHS compliance, for instance, many components became unavailable available, due either to the rationalisation of component manufacturers’ production lines, or to have had their part numbers changed. To assist our customers – many of whom are exempt but have stringent approval criteria to meet – we have introduced a fully comprehensive process to verify that the RoHS approved alternative is acceptable before offering it to our customer for their approval. An experienced EMS partner provides flexible and responsive change management to ensure cut-in is effective, controlled and pain-free.

Don’t overlook the value of returns, repairs, and warranty.

Customers may choose their EMS partner to manage aspects of their returns procedures, typically for in- and out-of-warranty support, root cause analysis; or to repair/refurb products to sell as used. Revenue can be gained through these channels that may influence a decision to maintain or discontinue a product. Chemigraphic frequently takes on aspects of this process, since we have access to the components as well as testing experience to rectify product faults, plus the automation and logistics skill to make this process as efficient as possible.

Communicate clearly to customers

Customers will be more critical of businesses that cannot smoothly manage the transition from older products to new versions. Some customers will not upgrade, so it remains particularly important to clearly communicate when and what is being eliminated and help them find a solution.

Six degrees of preparation: The six life stages of every product

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Every product we own, desire or leave on the shelf has its own story. From being a mere twinkle in its designer’s eye to the sad day when its parts are being recycled for newer, more exciting models, there is always a myriad of processes and considerations that go into creating that product.

But what’s actually involved in making a product?

Here’s our step-by-step guide to the six stages involved in every product’s lifecycle, from concept to obsolescence and how choosing the right manufacturing partner can make these steps easier to manage.

1. Design: Defining the idea

DesignDesigning a product is never simple.  When that product contains complex electronic circuits and components, the design process is even more complicated, needing to take into account the following considerations:

  •  Component selection. It is easy to default to known, and previously used, families of parts but the market is volatile and subject to change. It’s vital to determine whether selections are truly optimal for sustainable supply across the entire product lifecycle.
  • Which materials can withstand the conditions the product will be used in, for example hostile, hazardous or security sensitive environments.
  • The design will meet functionality requirements, but is the construction design effective and facilitate use of the latest manufacturing automation?
  • How the product can deliver both optimal function AND cost-efficiency

Using a manufacturing partner skilled in Design for Manufacture (DfM) will help to ensure that whatever solution is chosen will be cost-effective and adhere to the Bill of Materials (BoM)

However, it’s also important to incorporate processes that will enable a smooth manufacturing operation. Influencing the design while it is still fluid is crucial so difficult and costly decisions don’t need to be taken later in the process.

An EMS partner can work with customer teams to devise design packages and create documentation such as Gerber data, or take developed packages and get them ready for the the later stages of manufacturing.

Whatever stage they become involved at, the NPI engineers’ priority will be to take a customer’s concept and turn it into a tangible plan for volume manufacture.

2. New Product Introduction (NPI): Turning plans into process

NPINPI is arguably not a single step on its own, but rather an enabler for the rest of the manufacturing process, but it deserves the number 2 spot in this list as what comes next in the product lifecycle cannot be achieved without it.

It is at the NPI stage that the ideas that were developed and shaped during the design stage can be turned into workable processes. The initial plans are transformed into the building blocks for the manufacture itself, paving the way for the physical build of the product.

As supply chains get tighter, processes get stricter and timescales get shorter, global manufacturers are competing to satisfy the requirements of savvier, more demanding consumers.

Meeting these challenges head on is crucial to the NPI process, which demands a smooth transition from the design phase, into manufacturing and finally out to market.

The NPI engineering team will collaborate with customers on any aspect of data translation, documentation, design, assembly and test to create an optimal package, with stages formally validated at each gate.

3. Rapid Prototyping: Enabling a smooth transition to manufacture

Rapid prototypingEvery new electronic product needs to be tried and tested before being launched to market. Rapid prototyping is the quickest and most seamless way to reduce the speed to ramp, while maintaining product quality and lowering costs.

Product and circuitry tests conducted early in the manufacturing journey are not only better for our customers, but mean that products can be modified quicker and out to market faster.

Software development is often delayed until a working hardware platform becomes available, so the prototypes are needed beforehand.

Rapid prototyping doesn’t just benefit customers who need a working version of their product to validate that the circuits function perfectly; it also shows design teams that the circuits fit into the size and space required, which then can be vigorously tested and qualified to meet regulatory requirements.

It’s best to use the same equipment for prototyping that you will use for volume production, so you can check the product’s readiness for large scale manufacturing and pave the way for a smooth transition.

4. Supply Chain Management: Establishing sustainable sourcing procedures

Supply chain managementSetting up a supply chain that will guarantee on-time delivery, cost savings and sustainability of components is crucial when preparing any product for a smooth route to market.

Once prototypes have been approved and testing is complete, establishing the correct sourcing solutions is a vital step in the product lifecycle. From choosing the best suppliers for each component to auditing each supplier and testing their capabilities, it’s hugely important to make these preparations before volume manufacturing can begin.

EMS partners need to understand the following before they can start to establish the best sourcing options for each product and customer:

  • Product lifecycles
  • Timeframes
  • Urgency
  • Quantities required

Additionally, it’s important to know if products need to meet certain standards, for example, if they have to be built to military grades or other strict regulations. Market conditions and current component stocks will also affect where and when you begin your sourcing journey.

5. Volume manufacturing: Combining intelligent solutions with optimal process

Volume manufacturingThe ‘manufacturing’ part of the process only comes when the previous steps have been taken: managing the actual production lines and taking the product through to fulfilment and shipping is (almost) the final piece of the puzzle.

The ins and outs of the manufacturing process itself are countless, from specific techniques involved such as surface mount and through hole assembly and specialised services such as conformal coating and complex solderwork.

Each customer and each product requires a different combination of processes, techniques, testing and analysis throughout the manufacturing stage to ensure it is fit for the end-user.

Once sub-assembly build is complete, systems integration stages such as box build, electro-mechanical assembly, wiring, firmware programming/software upload, test, configuration and encapsulation can then take place to “create” an actual product.

Before shipping, comprehensive inspection and packaging is applied to ensure products are ready to be delivered to their ultimate destination.

6. Legacy products

Legacy ProductsManaging the end of life of a product is an essential part of the wider lifecycle support system that an EMS partner will provide its customers, from concept to the legacy stage.

Lifecycle support also includes crucial services such as returns management, repairs and warranty management, all of which can be undertaken or overseen by an EMS partner.

Managing a product decline can be tricky, as volumes start to reduce and materials become difficult to source, especially if the product is an older model using components which may now be bulky, outdated or simply hard to get hold of.

It’s not just the components either; older tooling and equipment may wear down over time and if fewer products require their use, it can be costly and ineffective to replace them.

Different solutions can be applied to end of life situations: some products get superseded by newer models or versions, meaning only slight tweaks to the manufacturing and sourcing procedures.

Other products may simply need support as they dwindle, which can involve investing in enough stock and parts to last the predicted period before they are withdrawn from the market.

It’s vital that all parties understand the market and technological dynamics that can lead to physical parts being renumbered following a change in supplier or manufacturer. Once again this requires in-depth knowledge and monitoring of the entire supply chain.

By working with a manufacturing partner which is dedicated to monitoring the market for signs of change and has the knowledge to react to this and find suitable alternative routes, this process can be managed effectively without compromising timescales or cost.

Four critical questions to ask your EMS provider about your data’s security

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We live in a connected world.

The Internet of Things (IoT), the ubiquity of data and the Fourth Industrial Revolution deliver gains in productivity and efficiency through connections across the manufacturing sector.

Yet the same connections that strengthen us could also weaken us: as our shared data becomes more powerful it could prove to be our Achilles heel.

And it’s the weak link in the chain that hackers are increasingly keen to exploit.

The importance of security for electronic manufacturing

Recent concerns have highlighted how security threats could derail the application and uptake of IoT.

A study released by Hewlett-Packard discovered that 70% of the most commonly used IoT devices contain at least some vulnerabilities.

A review of these breaches led a contributor to New Electronics to bemoan that ‘vendors are repeatedly failing to apply simple security best practise and are exposing their customers to attack.’

The article goes on to list ten common security breaches, among which it includes issues with the hardware itself.

  • Unnecessary functions such as debug ports are left in place creating potential routes in for hackers.
  • Devices are under-utilising security mechanisms such as BGA (Ball Grid Array) packages which, when combined with good PCB design, make it harder to tap into signals.

But these concerns about security are not just about the end-products but can be found in the manufacturing process itself.

Here are some of the stories that have hit the headlines in the last few years:

  • Electronics manufacturer Foxconn was breached by a hacktivist group that released every employee’s login information.
  • Boeing was compromised repeatedly for four years by foreign nationalists trying to steal defence program manufacturing plans.
  • In Japan, Korea and Germany manufacturers have been targeted by hackers, believed to be from China, trying to access IP data, trade secrets and blueprints.

And here’s a story that did not make quite such a big splash but is even more alarming.

  • 48% of UK manufacturers have been subject to a cyber-attack – and half of these businesses suffered either financial loss or disruption to business as a result.
  • Manufacturing is now the third-most targeted sector for attacks by hackers.

These shocking statistics are from a report on cyber-security for manufacturers, published by EEF and AIG and carried out by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

It goes on to suggest that this threat will only deepen with increasing digitisation – and notes that 91% of manufacturers are investing in digital technologies.

The report also found that across the manufacturing sector cyber security maturity levels are ‘highly varied’ both in terms of awareness of the cyber security challenge and the implementation of appropriate risk mitigation measures.

Which suggests there are many weak links in the supply chain out there.

Critical questions to ask your EMS provider

The good news for electronic manufacturers is that GDPR has helped to focus minds. Manufacturers are increasingly willing to question their suppliers to ensure adequate security procedures are in place.

The EFF/AIG report found that 58% of manufacturers have been asked to demonstrate or guarantee the robustness of their cyber-security processes by a business within their own supply chain.

Worryingly, 42% haven’t.

And of even more concern is that 37% of manufacturers admitted they would be unable to do this if asked today.

If you are looking for an EMS provider to partner with here are four critical questions you should ask about their security arrangements.

(We’ve provided our own answers after each one.)

1/ How do you ensure the security of your customer’s product data?

  • Our data is stored in a protected area that has restricted access.
  • Data is only ever distributed on a need to know basis.
  • Our network has strict access controls, with verification required at each level of security.
  • We do not outsource any area of your PCB assembly – to ensure there is no risk of compromise from this.
  • We manage our supply chain robustly, establishing long-term relationships and always ensuring Non-Disclosure Agreements are in place where needed.

2/ How do you ensure security on-site?

  • Our site has controlled access – this extends to each facility and internal area.
  • We carefully manage any contractors on site – access to customer data is never granted to anyone not employed by Chemigraphic.
  • The data itself is stored in a vault storage.
  • We have access-controlled IT server rooms.

3/ How do you manage your supply chain to ensure data security?

  • As the outsourced manufacturing partner to our customers, we take full responsibility for the entire manufacturing process and the management of any suppliers and materials within it.
  • We source excellent materials using only reputable partners.
  • We have enhanced inspection and qualification procedures for new parts to minimise the risk of counterfeit parts with security feature defects or malicious designs.
  • We undertake supplier site security audits if necessary – especially for overseas suppliers.
  • All employees and contractors are thoroughly screened.
  • If you prefer, we can work only from UK sources.
  • We discretely manage customer information, including the restriction of signage and non-publicity clauses etc.
  • We offer segregated materials storage and build areas – and we can provide a dedicated restricted-access area for security-conscious customers.

4/ Can you show me an example of a project of yours that had high security requirements?

Sure.

This case study of our work with a cyber-security sector customer is just one example of a project we’ve delivered where customer data and through processes were highly important.

Ask us about your data’s security with us

Everything we do is governed by robust processes. These are designed to meet exacting standards of security while delivering optimal efficiency and consistently excellent results.

We believe that through intelligent planning, proper process and strict control, anything can be achieved.

If you’d like to know more about how we ensure your data is safe and secure with us, don’t hesitate to ask or take a look at why we stand out from the crowd.

From art to science – the development of the PCB

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We recently outlined the evolution of the PCB after it emerged to replace point to point connections on a chassis in the years following World War II.

Here we’d like to trace the key moments in recent years that our brief history did not allow us space for.

As we chart how the manufacture of PCBs transformed from an art to a highly-specialised science we pinpoint five decisive moments that have kick-started their development in recent decades.

In the beginning

The earliest PCBs were very much works of art.

Etched by hand, they owed more to technology from artwork reproduction than to high tech.

To create these circuits copper-clad boards were used. The artwork was hand-drawn, and once the track layout was defined, it was printed onto the board as an etch-resist mask. Acid was next used to etch away the exposed copper before another chemical removed the etch resist.

Although we would still recognise the circuit board produced today, the process of producing it had its roots squarely in methods that had long been used in printing and artwork reproduction.

These processes have changed much since the tech breakthroughs and the manufacturing and electronic development that came to a head in the 1990s.

Here are just five of the ways that PCB manufacture was transformed from an art to a science.

The multilayer breakthrough thanks to via

It was in the 1990s that the use of multilayer surface boards became more frequent, allowing for greater complexity and speed.

The inevitable reduction in size of PCBs allowed them to be incorporated into a wider range of designs and devices.

What  the introduction of blind via and buried via permitted was connection on different layers through copper-plated holes functioning as an electrical tunnel through the insulating substrate. In the past connection through layers had been allowed using plated thru-barrels, but these created an obstacle to connections to every other layer.

The result, following the introduction of via technology in 1995, was the production of High-Density Interconnect (HDI) PCBs.

These could accommodate a much denser design on the PCB and allowed the use of significantly smaller components. With multilayer HDI PCBs reliability is enhanced in all conditions, which is why the most common applications for HDI technology are computer, mobile phone components, medical equipment and military communication devices.

Via have continued to evolve, with the recent emergence of micro-via, a specific type of small via which is used on particularly high-layer-count, densely populated PCBs, which are typically performing some form of high-speed number crunching.

Leadless components and the shrinking PCB

As we’ve seen PCBs really started to shrink in the 1990s (and they haven’t stopped since). Alongside the use of micro-vias we also saw the advent of leadless component designs, such as BGAs, uBGAs, chip-scale packages and so on.

These paved the way for integrated circuits with more gates which ushered in the start of successfully embedding memories and Systems on Chip (SoC) together.

Leadless packages save space by keeping the contact points in a matrix underneath the component instead of squeezed side-by-side around their perimeter. This extra space is crucial for applications like mobile devices, tablets and wearables, where every millimetre counts.

However, leadless packages also have a great deal of mechanical strength, so they don’t separate from PCBs as easily. This is thanks to their high contact area to package ratio which allows them to withstand a great deal of pulling and shear forces.

Since leadless devices are suspended on a matrix of underside solder spheres rather that soldered pins around the perimeter, manufacturing and inspection techniques need to be much more sophisticated, but the space-efficiency and reliability benefits are compelling.

Flexible circuits transform PCB designs

It was, again, in the 1990s that flexible circuits really made their presence felt, although their history can be traced all the way back to the birth of the PCB itself.

With the first PCB manufactured by Paul Eisler less than a decade old, we find a published exploration by Cledo Brunetti and Roger W. Curtis in 1947 of creating circuits on flexible insulating materials. Indeed, by the 1950s Victor Dahlgren and Royden Sanders had already made significant advances in actually developing processes that could print and etch flat conductors on flexible base materials.

Today, flexible circuits are produced by mounting electronic devices on flexible plastic substrates (such as polyimide, PEEK or transparent conductive polyester film) or by screen printing silver circuits on polyester.

They offer several advantages for many applications. These include their potential to replace multiple rigid boards, their suitability for dynamic and high-flex applications and their ability to be stacked in various configurations.

You will find them in:

  • Tightly assembled electronic packages, where electrical connections are required in three axes, such as cameras.
  • Electrical connections where the assembly is required to flex, such as folding mobile phones and laptop screen hinges.
  • Connections between sub-assemblies to replace the bulky and heavy wire harness, such as in cars, laptops, rockets and satellites.
  • Electrical connections where board thickness, weight or space constraints are important factors.

The finishes that created new beginnings for the PCB

The range of finishes that have been introduced into PCB manufacture over the last 20 years has also greatly enhanced their suitability for use in a number of applications.

The finish is applied to ensure solderability and to create the base of electronic connection between board and device. But, the correct surface finish selection can also affect PCB reliability – and the introduction of new finishes has greatly enhanced their reliability under a number of different conditions.

  • HASL

The traditional finish is Hot Air Solder Levelling (HASL) but this is now increasingly being replaced by lead-free HASL.

All HASL finishes prevent oxidation from the underlying copper but the process causes high stress on the PCB and this can diminish its long-term reliability. The process is also not suitable for HDI PCBs.

  • ENIG

ENIG (Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold) offers a great alternative – but one that comes with a price tag.

Ideal for fine pitch, flat surfaces, ENIG perfectly suits the modern-day HDI PCB. It can, however, carry undesirable magnetic properties and is prone to a build-up of phosphorous that may cause faulty connections and fractured surfaces.

  • OSP

OSP (Organic Solderability Preservative) is a finish that can be considered for fine pitches, BGA and small components. In addition, it is less expensive than ENIG and highly repairable, but it is difficult to test and has a limited shelf life of six months.

The rise of the exotic substrate

PCB manufacture has over the years gradually settled on the glass epoxy laminate of FR-4 as its preferred material.

There is good reason for this – in terms of performance and affordability – but we have, in recent times, seen the introduction of a number of alternatives. These ceramic and metallic substrates are often suited to specialist applications, such as those requiring performance in conditions of high temperature and high power.

They include:

  • Aluminium
    Used for parts requiring significant cooling, such as power switches and LEDs.
  • Kapton
    A polyimide foil used for flexible printed circuits that is resistant to high temperatures.
  • FR-5
    Woven fiberglass and epoxy offering high strength at higher temperatures.
  • G-10
    Woven glass and epoxy offering high insulation resistance, low moisture absorption and very high bond strength.
  • G-11
    Woven glass and epoxy offering high resistance to solvents as well as high flexural strength retention at high temperatures.
  • RF-35
    Fiberglass-reinforced ceramics-filled PTFE (Teflon) offering good mechanical and high-frequency properties.
  • Polyimide
    A high-temperature polymer offering excellent performance that can be used from cryogenic temperatures to over 260 °C.

The return of the art of the PCB

The diversity of today’s PCB technology requires an artist to create the perfect board for each device, application and customer.

Chemigraphic has the broad expertise and capability in each specialist area to understand and decide which technology and processes will create the right PCB for your requirements and budget.