92: Everybody Behave, Please
James Lane Neal, founder of Osh Park, explains how he transformed a local DorkbotPDX community effort into a scalable PCB manufacturing business by panelizing orders from diverse users to reduce costs. He details the technical challenges of his panelization algorithm, specifically the shift from simple space-filling to managing copper coverage balance to prevent etching defects, and discusses the importance of open-source tools like KiCad. Neal also reflects on the operational hurdles of hiring, bootstrapping, and providing fanatical customer service to compete with large manufacturers.