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On this episode of the OnTrack Podcast, we welcome Phil Marcoux, Advisor to the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA). Phil is gearing up for a fascinating webinar on AI in the electronics industry, so we thought we'd chat with him about what sees as the most potentially transformative aspects of this revolution in the electronics space. Listen/watch to discover how Innovations in AI are transforming the electronics industry, reshaping everything from design to production. Phil and host, Tech Consultant Zach Peterson, explore real-world applications, the importance of data for AI's success, and how the industry is moving towards a more interconnected and intelligent (pun intended) future.   Key Highlights AI & Electronics Design: Explores the symbiotic relationship between artificial intelligence and electronics design, highlighting how AI is revolutionizing the field. Are We in an AI Bubble?: Raises critical inquiry into whether the current surge in AI development constitutes a bubble, prompting reflection on the sustainability and potential pitfalls of AI advancement. AI Can't Read Your Mind: Discusses the inherent limitations of AI in deciphering human thoughts and intentions, emphasizing the distinction between AI capabilities and human cognition. Trends from the Early Days of AI: Examines trends emerging from the early stages of AI development, providing valuable insights into its evolution and predicting potential future trajectories. A Potential Role for AI: Speculates on the future landscape of electronics design with AI integration, envisioning potential applications and transformative impacts on the industry. Further Resources Sign up for Phil's FREE Webinar Connect with Phil Marcoux Check out more episodes of the OnTrack Podcast Take advantage of exclusive 15 Days Free Altium Designer Access

Today we're diving head-first into Altium's New Constraint Manager with Andy Critcher, Director at Total Board Solutions. This revolutionary feature is designed to streamline and optimize the process of applying design constraints across multiple nets, making it easier and more intuitive than ever.   If you're dealing with high-voltage designs, complex multi-layer boards, or simply looking to enhance productivity, the new Constraint Manager offers a suite of tools that promise to elevate your design workflow.   Join Andy and host Tech Consultant Zach Peterson as they chat the ins and outs of this innovative feature, including industry responses, practical applications, and a detailed exploration of how it can simplify your design process.   Key Highlights: Andy's Background: Insight into Andy's experience and expertise in the industry. Advice for Young People Entering the Industry: Key advice for newcomers navigating the field. Fusion of EE and PCB Layout Positions? Discussion on the evolving roles within the industry. Eye-Opening Fab Facility Visits: Experiences and revelations from visiting fabrication facilities. Altium Designer's New Constraint Manager Overview: Overview and benefits of Altium Designer's Constraint Manager update. Links & Resources: Follow Andy on LinkedIn Learn more about Altium Designer's New Constraint Manager Interested in becoming a PCB designer? Read this article to learn more about entering the field. PCB Library Management from Total Board Solutions 

In this episode of the OnTrack Podcast, we chat with Dr. Preeya Kuray, a renowned material scientist at AGC Multi Materials. Dr. Kuray and Tech Consultant Zach Peterson explore some of the latest developments in the PCB industry, as well as a few material science innovations. Dr. Kuray shares her insights on the evolving landscape of printed circuit boards and the groundbreaking material science developments shaping the future of electronics.  From discussing AGC's pioneering work in low-loss copper-clad laminates and RF materials to exploring the potential of glass in chip packaging, this episode offers a glimpse of where the industry is headed.  Check out this episode for discussions on the synergy between PCB design and material science, the impact of legislative measures like the CHIPS Act on the industry, and the future projects AGC is spearheading to drive technological advancements. 

Scott McMorrow, Strategic Technologist for Signal Integrity Products at Samtec Inc. who's well-renowned for his expertise in signal integrity, discusses revolutionary techniques in PCB design on this episode of the Altium OnTrack podcast.   We delve into Scott's journey in the electronics industry, his approach to overcoming complex PCB layout challenges, and his predictions for the future of signal integrity in PCBs. Learn how Scott's methods are transforming the way designers approach PCB layouts, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.   Join host Zach Peterson as they explore Scott's influential work at Samtec, his experience in consulting, and the innovative strategies that earned him a nomination for Engineer of the Year at DesignCon.  

In this episode of the OnTrack Podcast, we explore the innovative BOM Portal in Altium 365, a cutting-edge tool transforming PCB design and electronic development. Tech Consultant Zach Peterson sits down with Ananth Avva, General Manager at Altium's Cloud Platform, and Damir Khayrutdinov, Product Manager at Altium, to discuss the tool.  Altium's BOM Portal, compared to ActiveBOM, offers a seamless and efficient approach to managing bill of materials (BOM) throughout the product lifecycle. We dive deep into the capabilities and features of the BOM Portal, including its integration with various CAD tools and its role in streamlining design-to-realization processes. Learn from our guests about the trends and challenges in electronics development and how Altium Designer 24's BOM Portal addresses these issues.  Key Highlights Discussion on trends in electronics development Reasons for building the BOM Portal on Altium 365 Challenges in BOM management and how the BOM Portal addresses them Insights into the relationship between ActiveBOM and the BOM Portal, how it works, customer response, future developments, multi-board systems, and the future vision for Altium 365 Resources and Links Follow Ananth Avva and Damir Khayrutdinov on LinkedIn Learn More about BOM Portal Here How to 'Shift Left' and Connect Procurement and Engineering? Altium 365 BOM Portal Step-by-Step BOM Portal Webinar Transcript Zach:  Some of the features that you just mentioned sounds a bit like ActiveBOM in Altium Designer and I think the more experienced Altium Designer users out there will notice this. So, how exactly does this new tool compare with ActiveBOM? Does it replace it or does it complement it? Damir Khayrutdinov: Yeah, it's a good question. ActiveBOM is a BOM tool what was designed to help engineering team release design BOMs with all needed information and capabilities such as adding alternates, line numbers, custom lines, et cetera. And seems it works well based on level of adoption and user feedback. However, it's embedded into the design tool, Altium Designer. Zach: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Altium OnTrack podcast. I'm your host, Zach Peterson. Today, we're talking with Ananth Avva, General Manager of Altium's cloud business and Damir Khayrutdinov, Product Manager at Altium. We're gonna be discussing one of the new features in Altium Designer 24 and that feature is the BOM Portal. I got to see a short demo of it before this episode and so I'm very excited about this new feature and I hope all of you will be as well. Damir and Ananth, thank you so much for joining me today. Ananth Avva: Yeah, likewise. Great to be here, Zach. Zach: So, what are some of the trends and problems that you're seeing in the electronics development space, Ananth? Ananth Avva: Yeah. So, I think the common root cause is the velocity of the actual development process continues to accelerate and the proliferation of electronics as everyone probably listening to the podcast, they're no stranger to that. But I think that's the root cause but the symptoms show up and I would say in three different areas. The first one is, sort of, mapping requirements and intent to the actual design. So, when you start going from functional to physical to actually the layout, are you actually bringing those requirements all the way through, right? The second one, while in the post Covid era, we've seen supply chain, et cetera, settle down. Supply chain, and also just compliance for components 'cause that's still about 40% to 70% of what you're building is a big area of focus especially as we're getting into whether it be geopolitical tensions in the Red Sea, all the way to trying to understand your actual full traceability of where the components coming from down to the fabrication plant. So, that's a very big area of focus, especially for our aero military customers. The third area, I would say, is getting into some of these emerging themes like sustainability and gettin

In a captivating 2023 year-end review, Zach Peterson hosts a compelling discussion with Gene Weiner, President of Weiner International Associates, exploring the dynamic landscapes of manufacturing in Mexico, India, and the burgeoning field of Ultra High-Density Interconnects (UHDI). Discover the nuances of electronics manufacturing in China, where resources seamlessly integrate into the supply chain, contrasted with Mexico's DIY approach and India's promising advancements fueled by resolutions and government backing, ultimately surpassing Mexico in certain aspects.   Key Highlights: Insights into Trade and Manufacturing in Mexico: Delve into the intricate details of Mexico's manufacturing landscape, exploring the unique challenges and opportunities in this key region. Exploring Broader Trends in India: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the evolving trends shaping the electronics manufacturing sector in India, highlighting key developments and advancements. Comparing India's Model to Chinese and Mexican Approaches: Analyze the positioning of India in the global manufacturing landscape, drawing parallels and distinctions between the Chinese and Mexican models. Unraveling the Challenges Faced by Chinese PCB Countries: Investigate the factors contributing to the challenges faced by Chinese PCB countries and the implications for the broader electronics manufacturing industry. Insights into M&A Activity and Future Trends: Explore the dynamics of mergers and acquisitions in the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) sector, with a forward-looking perspective on continued consolidation and vertical integration in the industry.

Listen to the latest episode of OnTrack to hear a round up of the key PCB design trends from 2023. Explore themes such as evolving manufacturing dynamics, including shifts closer to the United States and Europe, influencing future innovations. Dive into the world of packaging design advancements and emerging trends such as robotic vision and new tools shaping the future of PCB design and the broader electronics market.

Explore the world of harness design with Michał Topolski, product manager at Altium, in this episode of the Altium OnTrack podcast. Learn about the two main aspects of harness design—multi-board and harness design itself—and how they are interconnected. Michał delves into the integration with MCAD tools, the importance of data integrity, and the positive user reactions during the open beta phase. Discover the features and improvements in harness design and get a sneak peek into what the future holds for this tool.   Key Highlights: Multi-Board & Harness Design: Explore the synergy between multi-board and harness design, unraveling the interconnected world of these crucial aspects. Harness Design Overview: Gain insights into the fundamentals of harness design, delving into the significance of BOM and the development rationale. Hands-On with Harness Design: Take a closer look at the practical aspects of harness design, understanding its physical dimensions and the seamless integration with Altium Designer. Altium Designer Harness Design Integration: Discover the efficiency gains by eliminating back-and-forth processes through Altium Designer's integrated harness design features. User Reaction and Workflow Improvements: Hear about the overwhelmingly positive user reactions during the open beta phase and explore the workflow improvements that redefine the design experience. Transcript Zach Peterson: So with a harness design, I think people might think of that as like probably two possible things. One might be like a custom cable assembly, one might be a custom connector housing or maybe an off-the-shelf housing that has custom wiring that is built into it. Maybe it's hand assembled, maybe it's factory assembled. But you probably have a bunch of wires spanning between two or more connectors. And then you need to integrate that into the project somehow. Is that correct? Michał Topolski: Yes, that's precisely it. And we support both of these ways. So you can just have a off-the-Shelf cable connection and you can have it listed in BOM as a single item or you can have your own harnessing wiring drawn and have have it manufactured custom. Zach Peterson: Hello, everyone and welcome to the Altium OnTrack podcast. I'm your host Zach Peterson. Today I'm talking with Michal Topolski, the product manager here at Altium. As I said in a previous episode, it is that time of the year where AD is coming out with a new version and we get to learn about all the cool new features that are gonna be in the latest version of Altium Designer. So I'm very happy to have Michal with us here today. Thanks for joining us. Michał Topolski: Yeah, hello. Thank you. Thank you for a brief introduction. Hello to everybody. Yes, yes, as you mentioned, we are now launching briefly AD 24, which is obviously the next version, the next big version count and that's always a good moment to have new features introduced. Zach Peterson: So one of the themes I've been noticing with the new group of features has been really twofold. One is collaboration and then another is in kind of multi-disciplinary design and really I guess focusing more on product design. And you're working more in the second area. So maybe tell us which feature it is you're overseeing. Michał Topolski: Yes, thank you for this introduction. So yes, I'm working on electronic product design and part of this of it is a multi-board and the other part is harness design. And these two are very much correlated. So as I believe every electronic engineer knows, there are many elements to the electronic product and obviously, PCBs are the base of it, but then you have to have connect them somehow. So that's when the harnessing comes in. So that's wiring, cabling. We have different names and they obviously mean some other things for some people, but we generally, we call it in Altium Designer, we call it harness design. Zach Peterson:  So with a harness design, I think people might think of that as l

Explore the transformative world of 3D MID design in the OnTrack Podcast as Altium's Jack Henriques and Harting's Michael Mross discuss Altium's cutting-edge 3D routing tool. Gain insights into the vast potential of molded interconnect devices (MIDs) across industries and stay updated on the future of PCB design.

Dive into the future of collaborative PCB design with Altium's latest feature, the PCB CoDesign tool in AD24! In this exciting episode of the Altium OnTrack Podcast, our host, Zach Peterson, sits down with Wojciech Łaś, Product Manager at Altium, to explore the ins and outs of this innovative tool. Discover how the PCB CoDesign tool allows multiple designers to work on the same PCB layout simultaneously, extending Altium's version control system. Learn about the compare and merge tool, a game-changer for detecting, comparing, and resolving conflicts in PCB layout files. Wojciech shares insights into the challenges of coordinating work among multiple designers and strategies to optimize the collaborative workflow. Get a sneak peek into the future roadmap, including upcoming features like merge requests and improved conflict prevention. Find out how Altium's approach differs from real-time collaboration tools and the advantages of asynchronous collaboration. Whether you're a seasoned Altium user or exploring the world of collaborative PCB design, this podcast provides valuable insights and a glimpse into the future of electronic design. Show highlights: PCB CoDesigner Overview Unique Features of the PCB CoDesigner Tool Strategies for Collaborative Design Layer-Stack Locking and Rules System Future Developments: Merge Requests and On-Premise Availability Links and Resources: Learn more about PCB CoDesign Coming Soon in Altium Designer 24

In this episode of the Altium OnTrack Podcast, join host Zach Peterson as he sits down with Lorenzo Conti, Founder and Managing Director of Crover. Discover how Crover is making waves in agriculture with their pioneering locomotion technology in granular materials.  From swimming through bulk solids to monitoring grain storage conditions, Lorenzo sheds light on how Crover's robot is transforming the grain storage market. Learn about the social and environmental impact, reducing losses, preventing infestations, and improving the overall efficiency of the grain supply chain. If you're interested in the intersection of robotics, hardware, and agritech, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to explore the future of sustainable agriculture and the exciting innovations happening at Crover.  Watch this episode here Show Highlights: 0:00 Intro 0:59 What Crover Does 2:33 Background in Farming? 3:48 Why Pursue Robotics in This Area? 6:11 Bad Storage and Losses 7:50 Other Markets and Food Products 8:58 Huge Potential 9:26 Larger Items? 11:15 How Do Farmers Receive Data? 13:21 What the Data Attempts to Predict 15:04 How Farmers Use the Data 16:37 How Technical Do the Users Want the Data? 18:27 Smaller Farmers? 19:38 Farmers in Developing Countries? 21:36 Working with Government or Nonprofits? 22:39 Overall User and Investor Response? 24:23 Scaling Challenges 27:14 Investor Relations 30:09 Cost of Deploying in Developing Countries 32:48 Where Does Crover Go Next? 35:03 Outro

Join us on this episode of the Altium OnTrack Podcast as we sit down with David Schild, Executive Director of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America (PCBAA). In this insightful conversation, David shares the mission of PCBAA, its role in advocating for domestic printed circuit board manufacturers, and the unique challenges and opportunities in the industry. Discover the fascinating world of printed circuit boards and substrates as David talks about the diverse members of PCBAA, ranging from woven glass producers to drilling equipment manufacturers. Get a glimpse into the innovative world of PCBAA through David's discussion of the association's impactful business cards and the importance of physical materials in conveying industry priorities. Explore the conversation about the state of the industry, workforce challenges, and the need for sustainable growth. David sheds light on the role of automation in manufacturing facilities and the vital connection between education, advocacy, and legislation in shaping the future of the electronics industry. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just curious about the world of printed circuit boards, this podcast provides valuable insights into the heartbeat of modern electronics. Tune in to learn more about the industry's past, present, and the exciting possibilities that lie ahead. Don't miss out on this engaging discussion that brings the world of electronics to life. Watch the video on YouTube to see the impressive business cards and gain a visual understanding of the technology driving innovation in the electronics manufacturing sector. If you're passionate about technology, manufacturing, or simply intrigued by the inner workings of the devices we use every day, this podcast is a must-watch! Watch this episode here Show Highlights: Intro What David Does for PCBAA David's Background What Should the US Market Share in Microelectronics Manufacturing Be? Government Subsidies & a Race to the Bottom What Role Does Automation Play in Price Competition? Encouraging Young People to Get Into the Industry Electronics & Popular Awareness Is the Messaging Getting Through? How to Educate the Masses about Microelectronics PCB-7? It's Going to Take Time Impressions about PCB West Increased Visibility at Trade Shows Learn More about PCEA & PCBAA