Faster Board Speeds Demand Constraint-Driven Design

June 19, 2018 | Ralf Bruening, Zuken

Using powerful constraint techniques can be a double-edged sword. While the design process is made much safer by including constraints, it is all too easy to over-constrain the design and make it impossible to complete routing and placement. Even paper design guidelines can make products uneconomic to produce unless a great deal of engineering knowledge is applied during the design.

APCT Moves into Rigid-Flex with Cartel, Cirtech Acquisition

June 18, 2018 | Andy Shaughnessy

When I spoke with APCT President Steve Robinson a year ago, he said he was interested in adding flex and rigid-flex capabilities, and working closely with designers and engineers. With the recent acquisition of Cartel and their subsidiary Cirtech, APCT now has a flex and rigidflex facility, along with military and aerospace certifications. At DesignCon 2018, I asked Steve to discuss these acquisitions and what they mean for APCT and their customers.

Lightning Speed Laminates: Not all PTFE Laminates are the Same

May 11, 2018 | John Coonrod, Rogers Corporation

The first attempt to make PTFE friendlier to the PCB fabrication process was to have it reinforced with layers of woven-glass fabric. Over time, there have been other improvements. For instance, adding ceramic filler was a really good...