Funding slows down but many Boston companies are still winning

NPA Insights, September 2024

Happy September all!

Yep, we had the first couple of crisp nights in Boston, and hooray, it killed most of the mosquitoes! For a species that primarily exists as prey, I am still baffled as to why it got such a nasty stinger?

Ok, off to more practical things.

Many electrical engineers: .... my PCBA design for our product is ready.... can I get it in a week?

Yes, sometimes you can, but more often, I see the same repeated mistakes that cause delays or quality issues with these requests.  

Check our Operations Sections to learn how to avoid making these mistakes and to get your PCBAs fast.

The State of Manufacturing

The Manufacturing PMI Index contracted for the fifth consecutive month in August to 47.2%, down 0.4% points compared to July’s reading.

The New Orders and the Production index remained in contraction territory.

The Prices Index is up 1.1%.

So, you want good quality and fast turn PCBA assemblies?

Our newsletter contributor, IMS, outlines the key files for seamless production for PCB fabrication and assembly:

Proper documentation is essential for fabricating and assembling a printed circuit board (PCB), as requirements can vary significantly from company to company.

Despite these differences, there are a few core files that are always necessary to ensure smooth production:

1. PCB Fabrication Drawing – Provides critical details, including material specifications, board dimensions, drill chart (both plated and non-plated holes), layer stack-up, as well as additional notes. It serves as the primary reference for the fabricator.
2. Gerber Data – Contains essential information about each layer of the PCB, including copper layers, solder mask, silkscreen (legend), and drill data, which are required for the board's production.
3. Bill of Materials (BOM) with Approved Vendor List (AVL) – The BOM lists all the individual components to be placed on the PCB, along with customer and vendor part numbers, component descriptions, quantities, reference designators, and vendor details.
4. CAD Data in ASCII Format – An export from the board design tool that contains comprehensive layer information, pick-and-place details for each component, board outline, fiducials, and part libraries. This data is crucial for programming the SMT placement machines and creating visual aids for the production process.
5. ODB++ Data – This open database format is used to exchange CAD-to-CAM data, providing a structured hierarchy of files and folders that describe the PCB design and support its manufacturing. Providing these files ensures that the fabricators and assemblers will have everything needed to build the product.

At IMS, we take the additional step of thoroughly reviewing and debugging all documentation to ensure the BOM is complete, revisions are accurately aligned, and all notes are consistent.

This meticulous attention to detail at the outset ensures a high-quality, repeatable product and saves valuable time during production.

China’s ongoing export restrictions on key semiconductor metals have led to backlogged supply chains and increased worries about the possibility of Western manufacturers and consumers facing chip shortages.

These restrictions are speculated to be China’s response to the US export curbs on the sale of advanced semiconductor chips to Chinese companies such as Huawei.

BOOM!

MassRobotics resident startups have raised over $1B in seven years.

One of my favorite events every year.

MassRobotics 7^th Annual Robot Block Party, September 27-28. The largest celebration of robotics and technology! Over 50 companies, universities, and student teams will showcase technology, from robotic bees to robot dogs. Read more here.

Boston startups raised $347 million in August. In July, the VC funding was $744.4 million. In August, most of the $347 million went to biotechnology companies.

Robot deliveries tested in Boston’s Seaport District. Peyk, a startup within MassRobotics, chose Boston for the first commercial test of the delivery robots in the U.S.

Cala Systems (formerly Altus Thermal) raised $5.6 million in a seed round for their intelligent heat pump water heater. The funding round was led by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and Clean Energy Venture Group.

PolyJoule, a Mass. battery startup, was selected as one of the 21 companies to join the Amazon Web Services Clean Energy Accelerator 4.0.

Drones and data analytics set to transform highway inspections in Massachusetts as MassDOT Aeronautics Division is teaming up with MassDOT Highway and applying for the $1 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration’s Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) to fund the second phase of this innovative project.

A huge shoutout to the incredible Cleantech Open collective for driving climate tech forward! This year alone, we've seen:

HydroPhos Solutions, developing a technology that ensures a clean, reliable source of phosphorus from wastewater to support sustainable agriculture.

NxMar, creators of a cost-effective, unobtrusive hydro-electric solution that could one day safely produce and store #hydrogen to fuel our sustainable future.

Gencores, an advanced materials company on a mission to make vehicles lighter, more energy-efficient, durable, and cost-effective to manufacture.

Gigaflow, tackling the crucial challenge of interconnectivity and grid connection, enabling the rapid scale-up of more sustainable, affordable distributed energy systems (#DES).

The number of Massachusetts companies on the Inc. 5000 hits a low point. A total of 138 companies from the Bay State made the 2024 list, the lowest number since 2021.

Congrats to Geisel Software for making the list the 3rd year in a row.

In our August survey, we asked which concerns you have about using generative AI for real-time decision-making.

With 18.5%, the majority of our respondents said that loss of human oversight is their biggest concern.

Scaling Hardware products can be challenging.

In this months poll we'd like to know what's causing the most problems when launching or scaling new products?

Researchers at UMass Chan Medical School are testing how digital sensors in a smart toilet seat can be used to gather physiological data to monitor chronic diseases.

TakingCareOfBusiness

(Source: Boston.com)

Scientists at Harvard made significant strides towards creating lab-grown human organs with 3D printed functional human blood vessels.

TheFutureOfOrganTransplants

(Source: Harvard)

Ultra-thin, flexible solar cells could soon coat and power your stuff. YayNoMoreDeadBattery

(Source: Gizmodo)