A shortage of PCB design resource in the UK could be exposed if
there is a last minute rush to redesign boards to meet the upcoming
RoHS lead-free rules.
PCB companies have warned that firms could see project lead
times increasing as design firms become swamped by a potential last
minute increase in PCB redesigns.
“It is worrying that this represents an unforeseen
overhead for many smaller companies,” said Ed Smith, business
manager at manufacturer Circatex.
He believes that in some cases a fundamental redesign of the PCB
will be required to accommodate the lead-free alternative
components and he said the risk of delays will be greater for
smaller companies.
“Typically they do not have the necessary in-house
resource and so there could be a rush on out-source design services
which may not be fulfilled,” said Smith, who added that he
had already increased in-house design resources in anticipation of
a rise in the demand.
Chris Hunt, sales and marketing director for manufacturer SMS
Electronics, said the risk to redesigns will be greater if firms
delay the transition to lead-free for too long.
According to Alan Graham from design firm Black Stick, the
concern is that the UK may not have sufficient PCB design
capability to support the anticipated increase in demand for last
minute redesigns. “There could be a serious bottleneck for
re-designs,” Graham told Electronics Weekly.
www.blackstick.co.uk
www.circatex.com
www.smselectronics.co.uk