PCB Supply Chain

Don't let component shortages and supply chain volatility derail your production schedule. Browse our library of resources to learn more about the PCB supply chain and how to source components for your design.

Altium Designer - Part Insights Experience (Supply Chain Intelligence) Nexar - Supply Chain Intelligence Gaining Supply Chain Visibility with PCB Design

Improving Supply Chain Success with BOM Management It’s no secret that component shortages have become more frequent this year. In fact, countries around the world are losing billions in revenue due to supply issues. According to EPSNews, “In 2021, there’s such a severe shortage of semiconductors that the automotive industry is set to lose more than $100 billion in sales because it can’t get chips.” Having the right components on hand is more crucial than ever as availability, obsolescence Read Article

Electronics Supply Chain Sentiment Indicates a Gloomy 18 Months The electronics supply chain is seeing record investment, yet engineers are still projecting longer lead times and higher prices for components. Read Article

US Government Calls for Revitalizing American PCB Manufacturing Unless you’ve been designing while living under a rock, you’ve noticed how hard it has become to find reliable sources of semiconductors. While companies deal with the fallout from massive consumer demand by implementing just-in-case sourcing strategies, the semiconductor industry is responding with new investment in semiconductor fabs. While some companies like United Microelectronics are investing billions in additional capacity overseas, Intel Read Article

Cybersecurity in PCB Supply Chain In this episode, Didrik Bech, CEO of Elmatica, will give some insights to help us understand the importance of Cybersecurity in the PCB manufacturing industry supply chain. Watch or listen on the go now! Read Article

What Would You Do With a 5 Day Chip Supply? US companies are reduced to a 5 day chip supply due to demand pressures and a long-lasting shortage in semiconductors. Read Article

What is the PCB Supply Chain? The PCB supply chain encompasses all portions of PCB manufacturing processes, reaching from raw materials to components. Learn more about the PCB supply chain in our guide. Read Article

Use Supply Chain Tools in Altium Designer When You Need a PCB Cost Calculator Anytime you need to prepare a new design and plan a production run, it’s important to work up an estimate for design, PCB fabrication, assembly, shipping, components, and any other portions of a project. There is a lot that goes into any project and it needs to be planned out early in order to prevent cost overruns. Some designers looking for manufacturing services and component prices might be tempted to use an online calculator, but this is Read Article

Best Practices for Using DNI/DNP Entries in Your PCB BOM You can use the DNI/DNP designation on components in your PCB BOM to create design variants as long as you’ve created your layout correctly. Read Article

How to Compare PCB Manufacturing Services for Your Board Do you know what to look for in PCB manufacturing services? Here are some of the important points to consider before placing your next order. Read Article

Designing with Shock Management for Avionics PCBs Of all the electronics application areas, there is one that needs to carefully consider mechanical and thermal shocks during design: avionics. An avionics system that is put into production within a satellite, aircraft, or spacecraft can experience strong vibration and mechanical shock during flight, and these systems need to be designed with high reliability in mind. IPC standards, MIL-PRF standards, and other standards specify some design Read Article

How to Automate Electronic Component Data Tracking Today’s design tools can help automate collection and tracking of electronic component data. Here’s how Altium Designer keeps your components healthy. Read Article

Using Product Lifecycle Management Software for PCB Design Any product, including circuit boards and electronic components, will become obsolete and must be replaced with completely new versions. If a product is ever manufactured and taken to market, the product and its components will inevitably have a finite life cycle. Products are eventually upgraded to new versions and capabilities or components are added, or they become obsolete and are replaced with completely new circuit designs and technology Read Article

Sourcing Military PCB Components in a Unified Design Environment Whether you are a procurement officer for the military, a prime contractor, or a defense subcontractor, you’ll face a number of obstacles when sourcing components for electronic defense systems. Given the component shortages and potential for counterfeiting in the components market, military PCB components cannot be procured from just any company. Any component for a military electronic system must meet rigorous quality standards and be traceable Read Article

Power Electronics for Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries in Altium Designer Power electronics encompasses a massive list of systems that make modern life possible. From automotive systems to power distribution systems, power electronics are responsible for controlling and managing the flow of power throughout an electrical system. With alternative energy systems bound to become more popular in the future, engineers and designers need the right PCB design software for power electronics systems. Design software for power Read Article

PCB Library and Supply Chain Integration in Altium Concord Pro Anyone planning to manufacture a new circuit board has plenty of challenges to overcome. From component shortages to outdated design data, project managers and designers face obstacles to timely production that arise from stale component data and supply chain information. Sourcing shouldn’t be guesswork, and it shouldn’t require 3rd party tools that only provide visibility to a portion of the supply chain. Supply chain changes can catch any Read Article

PCB Design Reuse and Product Lifecycle Management in Altium Concord Pro Reusing design data is a great way to hasten redesigns of existing hardware. Managing this design data, including version control and component data management, can be a real challenge. Production lead times are decreasing, component lifecycles are shorter, replacement parts are pushed to market sooner, and design data steadily grows as new designs become more complex. Reusing design data for a portion of an existing board or functional blocks Read Article

Sourcing Microelectronics for Military Systems

Microelectronics for the Defense Industry Defense contractors, military procurement officers, and contract manufacturers face a number of obstacles when designing and manufacturing PCBs for use in defense systems. Defense microelectronics and manufactured PCBs cannot be procured from just any company, and these components must meet rigorous standards that ensure quality and reliability. These components must also be traceable back to a compliant component manufacturer. Only Altium Read Article