OnTrack: The PCB Design Podcast

A Lookback to the Evolution of the PCB Industry with Happy Holden

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Happy Holden, a legend in the PCB Industry and one of our favorite Altium Industry Expert contributors gives us a trip to his 53 years of experience in the industry. From a chemical engineer, and PCB manufacturing expert to an educator with his countless contribution to the PCB industry’s wealth of knowledge through his books, column, and keynote presentations.

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Show Highlights:

  • Introduction to Happy Holden and an overview of his career in the PCB Industry
  • What drove the PCB manufacturing off-shore? The printed circuit industry has been all over the map, to begin with
  • Happy shares his early years in printed circuit manufacturing
  • Comparing CAD tools from the 80s and the present – computers, calculators, and software
  • Happy talks about photonic circuits back in 1998 and how it is a hundred thousand times more capable than electronic communication and have no signal integrity issue
  • HP’s first notebook computer
  • Happy retired from HP and moved to Taiwan
  • Happy started working at Gentex Michigan
  • The beginning of offshoring the PCB manufacturing and fabrication
  • In Asia, the printing circuit board is like printing money. It is the most profitable industry in the region
  • Globalization took over the industry – emphasis on profit versus jobs
  • Diversifying the supply chain. How to bring some of the manufacturing sides of the industry back to the US?
    • The $52 Billion budget (CHIPS Act 2022) is just a downpayment to bring the 30 years that were lost
  • Would companies start manufacturing their own products?
  • How did HDI technology come about?

    • Links and Resources:

    • Connect with Happy Holden on LinkedIn
  • Read Happy Holden’s Articles on Altium’s Resource Page
  • Read Happy Holden’s Biography on HPMuseum.org
  • Buy Happy Holden’s Printed Circuits Handbook, Seventh Edition
  • Download FREE Ebook I-Connect007 Publishes Automation eBook by Happy Holden
  • Watch the Previous Episode with Happy Holden: The Father of HDI PCBs
    • ...more
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    OnTrack: The PCB Design PodcastBy Altium LLC.
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