NIST Industrial ImpactJoint Research Yields Big Payoffs for U.S. Printed Wiring Board IndustryPrinted wiring boards (PWBs) were once the underappreciated performers on the electronics stage, at least in the United States. Although these thin, laminated boards form the backbone and nervous system of virtually every electronic product, from computers to air-traffic control systems to industrial sensors, they got no respect. Silicon seemed to get all the credit. But today the spotlight shines on U.S.-made PWBs, which are likely to be both higher in quality and less expensive--a benefit to consumers--as a result of a collaborative industry research project co-funded by NIST's Advanced Technology Program (ATP). In addition to focusing much-needed attention on improving the science underlying PWB technology, the five-year project generated broad-based benefits for the U.S. economy by enhancing the competitiveness of this $7 billion domestic industry. For example:
"Without ATP funding the program, I don't think any of this would have happened," says Wyckham Seelig, who was AT&T's vice president of global manufacturing during the ATP project and is now vice president of advanced manufacturing programs at NCMS in Michigan. The NCMS convened and coordinated the ATP project, which was a joint effort to overcome a host of technical deficiencies in PWBs blamed in part on cutbacks in corporate research and development. Since the early 1980s, American companies had been losing their grip on the world PWB market, the U.S. market share fell from 42 percent to a low of 26 percent in the early 1990s. In 1991, a Council on Competitiveness report on technology leadership rated the U.S. PWB industry as "losing badly or lost." PWBs provide a surface for mounting and interconnecting electrical components. Boards can have a conductive pattern on one or both sides. The U.S. industry makes mostly rigid PWBs, reinforced with woven glass, which are used in subassemblies that contain heavy components. Most of these are multilayered boards consisting of conducting and insulating materials bonded together. U.S. companies also make some flexible boards out of thin-film materials, typically polyimide. The infusion of funds from ATP and the synergistic efforts of six companies and a federal laboratory, coordinated by the NCMS, led to numerous technical advances, including the development of a new, dimensionally stable thin film that outperforms any other material used in the industry; improved test methods and data that led to commercialization of a superior surface treatment for PWBs; and improved imaging technology that increases manufacturing yield substantially (e.g., from 30 percent to greater than 98 percent for features of certain dimensions). The ATP funding accelerated progress on 32 research tasks by at least a year, according to a case study by Albert Link, professor of economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. This is an important factor in an industry where timing is critical. "From the point of view of the engineers in the shop," says ATP project manager Tom Lettieri, "time to market means the most in improving competitiveness." As part of his study, Link asked member companies to compare their investment in the joint venture to what they might have spent if doing this research on their own. By sharing information and avoiding duplication of effort, the participants saved $24.7 million in labor costs, $3.3 million in testing materials and machine time, and $7.5 million in other research costs, the study found. What's more, the ATP funding enabled the participants to pursue 30 research tasks they would not have otherwise attempted, establishing a whole new set of technical capabilities, according to the Link study. A technical paper on one of these advances, alternative surface finishes, won a "best paper award" at a premier industry conference, an indication of the widespread appreciation of the research. Research advances achieved during the project already have led to substantial productivity gains, Link found. One participating firm reported saving at least $3 million annually by converting from two sheets of thin laminate to one sheet of thicker material. Another firm reported saving more than $1.4 million annually by using a new model for predicting PWB layer shrinkage that reduces scrap. A third firm credited improved coating and soldering techniques for reducing solder joint defects by 50 percent. "And, given that the PWB joint venture's research has just completed, future productivity gains will, in the opinion of some team leaders, increase exponentially," the Link report adds. All this success has led project participants to feel more competitive in certain market segments, including computing, the fastest-growing segment of the PWB industry. Indeed, the U.S. industry as a whole appears to be gaining strength. Seelig notes that its market share climbed back to 31 percent in 1996. Other analysts say shipments by U.S. PWB fabricators rose 12.1 percent in 1997. The industry trade association, IPC, reported that orders for U.S. printed wiring boards rose 16.9 percent in 1997. Personal relationships forged by the venture have spawned new ventures that promise further improvements in PWBs. For example, as a result of one idea that emerged from the program, some engineers now are testing a contact-free way to print wiring boards, which could minimize or eliminate the problems caused by the current mask-etching process. Seelig says it could "revolutionize" PWB manufacturing and allow for finer, more tightly interconnected lines as little as one one-thousandth of an inch apart. Portable devices, requiring very dense interconnections, are expected to drive the electronics market's growth over the next few years. A group of engineers who worked on the PWB venture even started their own company. Conductor Analysis Technologies Inc. (CATI), of New Mexico, tests sample boards for PWB companies, offering one-day turnaround that even the largest companies can't match. CATI now has customers throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia and works for industry giants such as Hewlett Packard and Motorola. "Clever nations will find the money to invest in cooperative research and development, and they educate companies about the benefits of collaborating," insists Seelig. "For me, the only issue is getting companies close enough together that they're willing to work together. I have the sense that if we hadn't launched this joint venture when we did, the industry would still be in decline." Companies:National Center for Manufacturing Sciences Business:Suppliers and users of printed wiring boards June 1998 |