New Equipment Helps Engineering Students Create Circuit Boards
December 5, 2017 | University of Rhode IslandEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Engineering students at the University of Rhode Island will soon have a new instrument to help prepare them for careers in the industry.
Thanks to a $168,595 grant from The Champlin Foundation, a printed circuit board, or PCB, fabrication station will allow students to get experience creating their own circuit prototypes. The station will include a laser structuring machine, a copper plating machine, and a multilayer pressing machine.
Starting in the spring semester, students will experience the complete circuit board prototyping process, from design on paper to a sophisticated working circuit. The technology will have applications in such fields as the 5G network (next generation high speed wireless network infrastructure), machine learning, smart cities, internet-of-things, self-driving vehicles and robotics, where electronic circuitry is the core building block.
“PCB designing is a very important skill for engineers in the marketplace,” said Kunal Mankodiya, assistant professor in the College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering. “The new PCB fab station will enable our students to convert their engineering ideas into real-world products.”
The equipment will be shared by the five departments that applied for the grant:
- Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Ocean Engineering
- Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering
- Computer Science and Statistics
The instrumentation will be used in several courses at the University, helping about 1,000 students. An online scheduling system will be used for students to book the equipment, with priority given to classes and outreach activities.
Some of the courses that could incorporate the equipment into the curricula include Fundamentals of Engineering, Introduction to Electrical Engineering, Linear Circuit and Lab, Electronics, Electromagnetic Fields, Wearable Internet of Things and Neuro Engineering, as well as senior design courses.
“The PCB fabrication station will enable our students to rapidly test their sensitive electronic circuits built during a class project,” said engineering professor Godi Fischer.
Another application of the PCB fabrication station would be outreach activities for students in kindergarten through grade 12. Currently, URI faculty and students work closely with local schools and communities to promote science, math, engineering and technology education, and careers in those fields.
The equipment will be installed in the capstone design area of the URI College of Engineering space at nearby Schneider Electric. Because the machines are portable, they will be transferred easily to the new URI engineering building when it’s completed in 2019.
The principal investigator on the proposal for the grant was Tao Wei, associate professor of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering. The other professors who collaborated on the proposal were Mankodiya, Fischer, Peter Swaszek, Haibo He and Qing Yang, all from ECBE; Otto Gregory from the Department of Chemical Engineering; James Miller from the Department of Ocean Engineering; Yi Zheng and Chengzhi Yuan from the Department of Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering; and Joan Peckham of the Department of Computer Science and Statistics.
Suggested Items
Trouble in Your Tank: Supporting IC Substrates and Advanced Packaging, Part 5
03/19/2024 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankDirect metallization systems based on conductive graphite or carbon dispersion are quickly gaining acceptance worldwide. Indeed, the environmental and productivity gains one can achieve with these processes are outstanding. In today’s highly competitive and litigious environment, direct metallization reduces costs associated with compliance, waste treatment, and legal issues related to chemical exposure. What makes these processes leaders in the direct metallization space?
AT&S Shines with Purest Copper on World Recycling Day
03/18/2024 | AT&SThe Styrian microelectronics specialist AT&S is taking World Recycling Day as an opportunity to review the progress that has been made in recent months at its sites around the world in terms of the efficient use of resources:
Matrix to Exhibit at IPC APEX EXPO 2024 in Anaheim, CA
03/05/2024 | MatrixMatrix will be exhibiting at IPC APEX EXPO 2024, to be held on April 9-12, 2024, at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA.
The Chemical Connection: Getting to Know Your Vendor
02/16/2024 | Don Ball -- Column: The Chemical ConnectionAfter working for a capital equipment supplier for almost 50 years, I’ve found that the most important part of getting to know your vendor is good communication among all parties. While contact between fabricators of a constantly changing product line and the designers of those products may occur daily or weekly, conversations between you and your equipment supplier may be years apart. That lengthy gap often means that previous contacts may have been promoted, retired, or moved on to other opportunities. You may have also migrated to a new supplier with whom you have little or no history. In either case, you will be interacting with someone you are unfamiliar with (as they are with you). Therefore, it is essential for both sides to communicate clearly so expectations will align.
EIPC Winter Conference 2024, Day 2: A Closer Look at Global Trends
02/14/2024 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007The opening session of the second day’s conference proceedings focused on global PCB trends and was introduced and moderated by Dr. Michele Stampanoni, vice president of strategic sales and business development at Cicor Group in Switzerland. He opened the session with Dr. Hayao Nakahara’s knowledgeable and enlightening video presentation on the IC substrates industry.