It’s been a busy week in the world of PCB design and manufacturing. In this week’s roundup, there’s a little bit of everything. We have a look at PCB technology of tomorrow, an interview with an engineer who designs both PCBs and ICs, and government relations news from Washington, D.C. We also have an article on dispensing technology, and a final installment of our podcast on “designing for reality.”

Imagine you were asked to build a city. What approach would you take? In the old way, city planners designed each building independently. They focused on making each building strong, aesthetically pleasing, and valuable. But they didn't always consider how all the buildings would fit together in the city. Roads, power lines, and parks were added later, sometimes making the city confusing or complicated to get around.

September in the United States is the season for back-to-school and football. In the arena of government policy advocacy, it’s the season for election campaigning and wrapping up the work of the current session of Congress. This month, there will be a flurry of efforts in Congress by legislators to complete action on “must-do” legislation, especially spending plans for FY25, which begins Oct. 1. In October, there will be a recess for the home stretch of the campaign; in November and December, there will be one more round of policy action by the “lame duck” office holders before the new U.S. government takes office in January. Now is the time for us to try and get those ducks in a row.