On the Line with...

In the series wrap-up, Marcy LaRont discusses with CTO Kirk Thompson the turning point facing the PCB industry as innovation speeds up. With increasing data rates, power density, AI infrastructure, flexible electronics, photonics, and chiplet integration, traditional material assumptions are no longer enough. Kirk explains how advanced materials now enable higher speeds, better thermal management, and more precise dimensional control, while balancing manufacturability. The merging of PCBs and advanced packaging is both exciting and challenging, requiring substrate-like precision at scale. In the end, early collaboration across the ecosystem and smarter, more integrated materials will shape the next generation of cutting-edge PCBs.

Lessons learned from recent global supply chain disruptions. Drawing on recent events to shed light on current issues, Jim explains that many supply chain weaknesses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic were structural, as geographic and supplier-base efficiency had been prioritized over resilience. However, achieving true resilience requires diversification, scenario planning, strategic inventory, and strong partnerships. Jim states that supply chain volatility is now constant, and companies must institutionalize lessons learned to stay prepared.

Marcy LaRont speaks with Laura Martin, Director of Strategic Markets at Isola, about PCB reliability in harsh environments across aerospace, automotive, and defense applications. Martin explains that reliability under pressure involves managing cyclic strain within composite materials—not just meeting temperature limits. Thermal cycling, Z-axis expansion, moisture under bias, and anisotropic behavior all contribute to long-term fatigue and failure. Common failure mechanisms such as plated through-hole cracking and interfacial delamination are discussed, highlighting the increasing importance of material selection based on strain management rather than just Tg. The conversation emphasizes designing for real-world stress factors to ensure long-term durability and performance.

As each area of electronics and manufacturing take a more serious look at sustainability and end product circularity, the base material of the PCB should in central in that discussion. In this episode of On the Line with, Isola’s Kirk Thompson explains the “green circuit,” new directions in materials and engineering that address important environmental impact issues such as the amount of energy it takes to process a particular material type, or how much copper is wasted in the process. As engineers seek materials that minimize VOC emissions or are designed for cleaner fabrication, there are many factors to consider. From halogen-free to PFAS to simply avoiding unnecessary extra layers in your board, Kirk has a lot of information you will want to hear.

It's no surprise to anyone that AI is transforming the rules of electronics, demanding speed, power, and frequency performance beyond what traditional electronics offer. Is AI rendering yesterday’s materials obsolete? In this episode of On the Line With, Isola's Drew Delaney offers a firsthand look at the materials science quietly powering everything from hyperscale AI data centers to 5G antennas and rugged edge devices. From ultra-low-loss laminates measured in thousandths of a decimal to PCBs designed to withstand liquid cooling, desert heat, and a decade of use without maintenance, what properties must these materials have to thrive in a world rushing toward high-speed performance beyond 400G? Drew Delaney has the details.

The base laminate of a printed circuit board is its literal and functional foundation. Making the right material choice for your build is key to manufacturing success and product reliability. In this episode of On the Line With, Sean Mirshafiei from Isola talks about the critical role of PCB base material has played, and continues to play, in electronics manufacturing. As today's technology demands drive the development of new material solutions, Sean also discussed Isola's role in the electronics manufacturing ecosystem and the material suites they are bringing to the market today to address these challenging demands, especially in terms of reliability in harsh environments, signal integrity, and power considerations.

Remtec president, Brian Buyea, leads us through ceramic as a board substrate, including a discussion of the ideal applications, technical advantages, and a customer story or two. Remtec's 35 years of manufacturing experience, along with a staff of qualified engineers, creates a deeply collaborative relationship with their customers.

In this episode, John Johnson wraps up this series with some frequently asked engineering questions about UHDI adoption and gives some tips on when it's the right time to look at UHDI as a manufacturing solution.

So, what's in the future for UHDI? John Johnson imagines how UHDI technologies will change PCBs, fabrication, and the tools available to OEM designers.

Possibly the most life-critical application sector is medical devices. John Johnson explains how UHDI can not only improve reliability, but deliver multiple new sets of functionality to the medical instrumentation field.

Inspection systems continue to find themselves at the center of the EMS manufacturing equipment evolution. Joel Scutchfield shines a three-dimensional light on what's driving the market, and a spotlight on Koh Young's latest companion guide to Brent Fischthal's book, "The Printed Circuit Assembler's Guide to SMT Inspection."

High reliability and sustainability are of increasing importance in the products we design and manufacture. How does Ultra High Definition Interconnect deliver on these key design constraints?

In this episode of Voices of the Industry, Marcy LaRont sits down with Satoshi Konagai of Elephantech to spotlight the cutting-edge technology behind their early success. Konagai shares how the company’s unique additive manufacturing process is redefining PCB production—dramatically reducing material waste, lowering energy use, and minimizing environmental impact. And beyond sustainability, Elephantech’s process delivers high-quality, high-performance results for advanced manufacturing. They are looking to transform the global electronics manufacturing landscape and set a new standard for innovation and environmental responsibility.

Materials are the surface upon which all the interconnects are placed. If the material specification cannot accommodate UHDI, the boards will not be successful. John Johnson explains the implications of material choices for UHDI.

Adhesives and coatings are responding to changing industry requirements in innovative ways. Doug Katze delivers a master class on adhesive technologies, their individual appeal in electronics manufacturing, and the market needs driving all this innovation.

Solder mask: So easy to just gloss over this step but when UHDI is involved, you'd best not. John Johnson explains the crucial adjustments to be made even with solder mask in order to open up UHDI's full potential.

Circuit test, inspection, and failure analysis are enjoying a rapid increase in capabilities and sophistication. Test companies, such as Datest, are capable of testing methods we could only dream of ten years ago. Learn how Datest uses their expertise to not only perform high-quality failure analysis, but also to become a valuable DFT resource for the design team.

Continuing our discussion with ASC's John Johnson, we explore the pluses and minuses of copper plating microvias from the perspective of the fabricator and the designer.

Nolan Johnson and ASC's John Johnson explore the implications of UHDI on via from a designer's perspective. The metallurgy, chemistry, mechanics, and stackup reduction mean that designers have fewer constraints with UHDI.

Solder joint reliability is essential to product performance and longevity in electronics. Failures can lead to costly repairs, dissatisfied customers, or even catastrophic loss, depending on the application. In this Voices of the Industry episode, Marcy LaRont talks with Shantanu Joshi of KOKI America about how advanced materials—such as crack-free fluxes and zero-flux-residue solder pastes—are helping address challenges like voiding, heat dissipation, and reliability in demanding environments.

John Johnson continues this series, outlining UHDI's contributions to reduced SWaP—size, weight and power—considerations.

In a thoughtful conclusion to the series, Kuldip Johal connects the key themes, examining market drivers, the technological implications of semiconductor advances, and strategies for aligning PCB production with evolving market demands.

American Standard Circuits' John Johnson details how the new capabilities in UHDI can fundamentally change what it means to design for manufacturability.

Because solder formulations have been enjoying rapid development in the low-temperature solder arena, co-author Pritha Choudhury, senior R&D scientist with MacDermid Alpha, joins Nolan Johnson to discuss the update to The Printed Circuit Assembler's Guide to Low- temperature Soldering. Topics covered include details on key performance traits in low-temperature solder, and Choudhury shares her recommended low-temperature soldering solution.

John Johnson leads the way straight into UHDI's benefits to RF style design.

To launch this series, ASC's John Johnson introduces us to ultra-high-density interconnect. Johnson sets the agenda for further discussion by sharing practical reasons why UHDI could be key to your next design challenge, and why both designers and the manufacturing chain are excited by UHDI's potential.

Patrick Brooks discusses the role of wet processes—in conjunction with laser systems—in delivering on the “Optimize the Interconnect” idea. One example is Bondfilm, a unique coating that allows CO2 lasers to more effectively ablate copper than ever before.

Laser via drilling is a critical process window for MKS's Optimize the Interconnect concepts. Casey Kruger joins the podcast to explain exactly how the CO2 laser technology has been harnessed to create more accurate vias, faster, and in a smaller, more energy-efficient footprint.

MKS' Atotech's Frank Bruening and Roger Massey join us to discuss the emerging complexities in achieving optimal interconnect, and the key role chemistry plays. Their examples of the interplay between laser drilling, the chemical makeup of the substrate layers, and the plating process are worth a listen.

We continue our conversation with Chris Ryder on the Optimize the Interconnect(SM) concept. Chris shares some specific examples and details how and why industry leaders are adopting the OTI approach.

Beth Turner joins the podcast to discuss her book, The Printed Circuit Assembler's Guide to Encapsulating Sustainability for Electronics. The conversation ranges from the most common encapsulation materials used, to when and why to use them. Turner points out that encapsulation materials are also experiencing a creative time with respect to both performance and sustainability. A must-read for anyone with a role in specifying or applying encapsulation materials.

OTI, or "optimize the interconnect," is a concept approach to producing higher quality, higher complexity PCB products. Chris Ryder, MKS Director of Business Development, introduces the concept and sets the stage for a more detailed discussion.

Martyn Gaudion spills the tea on his third book, sharing more secrets for successful high-speed design.

We continue our conversation with Ryan Miller, and we get practical about design and manufacturing techniques to manage thermal effects, including such structures as via farms, insulated metal substrates, coin technology, and copper pedestals.

Ryan Miller takes Nolan Johnson through strategies for managing heat that can be applied during the design planning and specification phases. Prevention means there is less to mitigate.

In this kickoff episode, Ryan Miller makes the case for why thermal management needs to be on the minds of the designers. But what are the main causes of excess heat in our designs today? Join us as we start by defining the problems, then turn to the array of solutions.

Scott Miller and Brian White join host Nolan Johnson to discuss Miller's book, The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to Executing Complex PCBs. Miller and White add insight to the seven key disciplines required by designers to successfully design complex PCBs. Of course, in this fast-moving industry, they also provide updated perspectives.

In this episode, my guests are Julie Cliche-Dubois, product manager at Cogiscan, and Andres Luna, general manager at Univertools. Univertools represents Cogiscan in Mexico. Julie is the author of the recently published book, "The Printed Circuit Assembler's Guide to Factory Analytics.” In this episode, we're discussing the evolving role of data analytics, with an eye toward how analytics is driving meaningful action throughout the electronics manufacturing industry in Mexico and the rest of the Americas.

The panel full of circuit boards has completed the manufacturing process. We end this journey by routing the panel into individual boards, performing a final inspection, and packaging for shipment.

Nearly finished, phase two of the wrap-up is to apply surface finish to protect that copper from oxidation and to facilitate soldering the components to the board.

By this point, we have a functioning PCB, but there is still more to do in order to keep the board safe from environmental effects, and also document the circuit components. In this episode, we cover the topics solder mask and silkscreen.

At this stage in the process, we have a panel comprised of all the internal layers laminated together, through-holes are drilled, and the outer layer copper features have been covered with a protective layer of tin. Join us as Matt Stevenson walks us through the process sequence for outer layer strip, etch, and strip.

Our series on Intelligent System Design continues with a discussion on integrating board data with mechanical data. Cadence's Vince DiLello joins us to remove the mystery of connecting PCB and mechanical design flows. DiLello explains the current state and describes what he sees in the future.

This is where fabrication gets wild—pattern plate. All the prep work has set up the board to receive the copper traces, pads, and other elements as specified by the designers in the original CAD design. Here, Matt Stevenson describes not only the process but many of the constraints in the chemistries that must be managed to deliver the customer's exacting manufacturing tolerances.

Product engineering expert Mark Hepburn joins the podcast to discuss the value of collaboration in the printed circuit board design and manufacturing cycle. Hepburn shares his views on how the latest data infrastructures are changing and enabling greater—and safer—data sharing.

Each circuit board is composed of a one-of-a-kind pattern of metal connections representing the specific design for that circuit. So, how do those unique features get mapped onto the board? Find out in this episode as Matt Stevenson paints a picture of the outer layer imaging process.

In this episode, we continue the theme of bringing more decision-making power to the design process. This time, we're talking with Supreeth Mannava about bringing more "power" (and "signal") to the electrical engineer.

Now it's time to start getting into the chemistry! In this episode, Matt Stevenson describes the first key step in turning design data into physical reality - preparing the circuit board substrate material for fabrication. It's not as straightforward as you might think.

Cadence's Brad Griffin joins us in this episode where we discuss how an intelligent system design methodology can move some signal and power integrity decision making into the physical design space, offering real-time feedback.

Nolan Johnson and Matt Stevenson continue down the manufacturing process, this time focusing on the post-lamination drilling process for PCBs. Matt and Nolan delve into the intricacies of the PCB drilling process, highlighting the importance of hole quality, drill parameters, and design optimization to ensure smooth manufacturing. The conversation covers topics such as drill bit sizes, aspect ratios, vias, challenges in drilling, and ways to enhance efficiency in the drilling department. The discussion also covers the critical relationship between design choices and manufacturing capabilities. Finally, they touch upon the subsequent steps of metalizing the drilled holes through an electrolysis process.