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While automobile makers have been the ones to deal with this problem, there is also the possibility of the global chip shortage affecting other industries. For this reason, it is essential to understand the chip shortage and how its effects could spread. Fortunately, there are several ways that electronic manufacturers can avoid the microchip shortage from 2020.

With the need to transmit data to get a printed circuit board built, there is always the chance that the sensitive data included in the PCB design could be at risk. Worse yet is when design data or actual hardware is copied or reverse engineered to steal intellectual property. Let’s look at some tips for protecting your PCB intellectual property and keeping valuable designs safe.

Many circuit boards end up costing more than they should because of the money spent on design or as a result of poor design decisions. Some design groups have older work-flows that need updating or forced design decisions that no longer apply. Let’s look at the four main areas where you can reduce the expenses of printed circuit board development; fabrication, assembly, components, and the initial PCB design process.

With all of its activity, a circuit board can be a hostile environment for sensitive digital and analog signals. It is critical for the overall performance of the board to provide functional partitioning in the PCB design. Here are some ideas on how this can be done in your next circuit board layout.

Manufacturing a printed circuit board is a complicated process. From fabrication through assembly, there are many different points during manufacturing that must be verified before the board can pass to the next step. This validation can be done in several ways, from manual inspections to advanced X-ray analysis. Another standard validation method is the different automated optical inspection (AOI) systems used to examine PCBs.

Many variables can affect how much it will cost to have a raw circuit board fab built, and those prices can also change depending on which vendor you use. We’re going to look at some of these variables and how you can control PCB fabrication methods to reduce supply chain costs.