New year.
New set of research students.
New dreams and aspirations.
New chance to encourage beginning college students to pursue their interest in science and engineering fields.
The fact that you are entering your 20 year anniversary as a college science professor at your university does not mean that your enthusiasm for the beginning of the academic year is any less. In fact, you are probably more excited about this group of research students than you have been other groups in the past. After spending the end of the summer with two of these research students as the three of you used printed circuit boards (PCBs) and other materials to introduce some basic electronics to middle school students, you are reminded about why you entered this profession in the first place.
Using simple prototype PCB assembly pieces to introduce these students to some beginning projects was the perfect way to end the summer and get you ready for the upcoming college year. In a time when the science and engineering fields continue to look for ways to interest the next generations in the science of prototype PCB assembly boards and other similar materials, it will take the enthusiasm of both college professors and recent high school graduates to make sure that the most inquisitive minds find their way into science classes.
Consider this information about the growing technology field and its reliance on the basic circuit board assembly services:
- Small remote starters for cars and large main frame computers, and everything in between, relies on the same PCB fabrication process.
- Practically everything that we use in our lives today relies on circuit board technology.
- Approximately 44 billion was the revenue of circuit board and electronic component manufacturing in the U.S. in the year 2014.
- Researchers rely on prototype PCB assembly products so that they can test their ideas and build their experiments.
- Keeping things small is the goal of many of today’s engineers. Through the use of double sided PCBs, for instance, the size of a piece of technology can be greatly reduced.
- Automation has also helped speed up the process of even the prototype PCB assembly products. For instance, a single automatic line can place and solder more components than 50 hand solder operators, and do it with better, more consistent quality.
- No engineer develops ideas in a box. Today’s engineers are a result of the ideas that have seen previously used and the aspirations of other engineers.
- In heavy copper PCBs, the boards with copper thickness of more than 3 Oz in inner or outer layers are the latest standard.
- New statistics indicate that the typical engineer’s salary can vary from $50,000 to $150,000.
- The classes and summer camps that your child takes today can serve as an inspiration for tomorrow’s career.
- Engineers rely on the increasing technology of the PCB industry to help them test and produce their latest ideas. Prototype boards can, in fact, be designed to any standard, allowing for new achievements to be made every day.
- Recent advances in the machine-assembly process means that boards can be created for any size orders means in a fraction of the time it would normally take for hand placement. As a result, some PCB assemblers have a standard turn-time of five days or less. This turn-time represents a speed that is 75% faster than the industry average.
- Everyone benefits from the technology that scientists and engineers develop. These scientists and engineers, in turn, benefit from the advancements that supporting industries like PCB assembly manufacturers make.
- Science plays an increasing role in our lives. The fact that scientists can now make use of prototypes to test their theories means that their research and development can happen at a faster and more accurate pace.
- Transistors could, theoretically, continue to miniaturize until they reach the size of a single nanometer, which is equivalent to a thickness of 10 back-to-back atoms.
As the new year begins at both high school buildings and college campuses across the country, we can only hope that today’s scientists and engineers can SPARK AN INTEREST in the scientists of tomorrow! Look around you. Do you see someone who could benefit from a scientific push in the right direction? Who knows? Your neighbor’s son or daughter might need some encouragement to pursue a science career!
