Exploring the Dynamics of PCB Manufacturing with Markus Leitgeb, Head of R&D at AT&S

EMS@C-LEVEL · 19 Jan 2024 · 6m

What this episode covers

Markus Leitgeb, Head of R&D at AT&S, discusses the company's global PCB and IC substrate manufacturing strategy, spanning facilities in Austria, China, India, Korea, and Malaysia. He explains how AT&S leverages European technological leadership and university partnerships to compete with Asian cost structures, focusing on high-end products for automotive, medical, and computing industries. The conversation highlights the operational shift from copying Shanghai's technology to developing new IC substrate processes in Austria before rolling them out to global sites like Chongqing and Kulim.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 17m

    An Interview with Laen - Purple PCB Philosophy

    Lane (James Neal), founder of OSHPark, explains how his PCB fabrication service evolved from a volunteer effort for the Dorkbot PDX hobbyist group into a full-time business. He details the technical challenges of panelization software, the critical importance of US-based fabs for quality and speed compared to Chinese alternatives, and the strategic decision to use a distinctive purple solder mask to ensure brand consistency across multiple factories. Lane also discusses the shift in CAD software dominance from Eagle to KiCad, the complexities of international shipping, and his plans for future features like open-source hardware sharing and assembly services.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 01m

    407: Boards Are Like Sandwiches

    Mihir Shah, CEO of Royal Circuits and former CEO of InspectAR, explains the complex, labor-intensive manufacturing process of printed circuit boards (PCBs), detailing how they are built from the inside out using lithography and chemical etching. He discusses the consolidation of the US PCB industry, noting that high capital expenditures for equipment have driven out smaller shops, leaving a fragmented market dominated by a few large players. Shah also outlines Royal Circuits' corporate venture strategy, investing in early-stage hardware and software startups like SnapEDA and Illuminant Surgical to support the engineering community.

  • OnTrack · 51m

    The Future of PCB Manufacturing: Tariffs, Supply Chains & More

    Greg Papandrew, Managing Director of DirectPCB, discusses the impact of tariffs and supply chain shifts on PCB manufacturing, explaining why China remains the preferred source despite geopolitical tensions due to capacity and lead times. He highlights the critical importance of Design for Manufacturing (DFM), noting that designers often over-engineer boards with unnecessary sequential laminations and gold plating, which drives up costs and limits vendor options. Papandrew also addresses the challenges of export controls, proprietary data protection, and the lack of domestic US capacity to absorb offshore production, suggesting that private sector joint ventures might be necessary to scale advanced PCB production in the US.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 26m

    An Interview with Jonathan Hirschman of PCB:NG

    Jonathan Hirschman, founder of PCB:NG, explains his mission to automate PCB assembly by building proprietary software and hardware, aiming to make ordering assembled boards as easy as printing a business card. He details the technical challenges of parsing diverse CAD outputs, managing multiple board vendors to ensure quality, and developing custom pick-and-place automation to reduce setup times. Hirschman also discusses his bootstrapped funding model, derived from selling his previous product, the Paste Press, and his strategy of offering transparent, flat-rate pricing to cut through industry opacity.

  • OnTrack · 38m

    PCB Industry Evolution: From Mom & Pop Shops to Consolidation

    Dan Beaulieu, founder and president of DB Management Group, discusses the consolidation of the North American PCB manufacturing industry, noting a drop from 1,300 shops in 2005 to roughly 130 today, with 90 under $5 million in revenue. He highlights the rise of substrate fabrication as a key growth area, citing RemTech and Brian Bullier, and explores the potential for captive manufacturing models similar to those seen with Elon Musk’s Texas facility. Beaulieu also emphasizes that superior customer service and meaningful training are critical differentiators for surviving small shops in a consolidating market.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by EMS@C-LEVEL. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.