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Author: rscasny
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Poll: What PCB Technologies Will Impact Your Designs or Projects Most in the Next 5 Years?

PCBs have changed over the last century to keep pace with the latest technological advancements, including the introduction of SMT (Surface-Mount Technology) and through-hole components. The late 20th century and the early 21st saw advancements in cheap, powerful components, such as microcontrollers and connected devices. This led to a revolution in how PCBs were designed and manufactured to accommodate the latest technologies.

 

Poll Question: What PCB Technologies Will Impact Your Designs or Projects Most in the Next 5 Years?

Anonymous

  • While I would like it to be 3D printed circuit boards - customized at an affordable price, I voted for flexible PCBs.  To use a flexible PCB, I would have to convert to all SMD and master working under the microscope - or at least a really powerful magnifier.  That would be a big change.

  • I tend to keep my PCB need simple and I try to target the sweet spot between the lowest cost and the best possible service/quality.  Most of the above mentioned advances and a little to much "bleeding edge" for me.

  • The biodegradable/eco friendly should feature significantly over the coming years but I feel it won't as the impact isn't really noticed in many countries. Manufacturers are striving against their competition to produce better and more capable devices and such a move may come with a performance loss which would make their product less attractive to many and result in failure. However should governments step in with legislation then it becomes an even playing-field and manufacturers would develop and adopt those greener solutions (e.g. Pb-free as an example)

  • Perhaps closely linked to the PCB question is the push by manufacturers towards BGA components, which are more difficult to assemble in a semi-professional way - if they are attempted then a double layer board often is insufficient to draw out all the connections; 4-layer or more is therefore likely to become the normal standard.

  • For me as a home hobbyist, affordability, convenience, and speed will always remain key. So if Amazon starts providing overnight PCBs created and shipped to my door I might do a lot more of it. Right now the shipping cost and time is still a big blocker.

  • 3D printing revolutionized the way I build prototypes and this is true generally for others as well.

    I expect the same thing to happen with printing planar prototype PCBs for my own PCB designs with my own PCB printer.

    It may not be a general revolution for others because a machine that can build a PCB and assemble it with 0201 components and 16 layers will be very expensive for the foreseeable future. My prototypes would have much lower requirements and such machines are already economical.

     

    3D printed circuits are a whole other thing. I think it will take significant time for the industry to accept the new concept and adjust their design philosophies. Designers will need to be much more highly trained and skilled to handle mechanical design at the same time as electronic design. They will need the equivalent of 3 university degrees, (electronic design, mechanical design and industrial design) plus a high level of aptitude.

    And CAD systems have a long way to go to ease the task.