Design engineers heading to the Engineering Design Show 2025 will find NCAB Group UK’s stand a hub of actionable guidance on PCB materials, design-for-manufacture, product end-of-life management and more.
The conversation began with the key subject of manufacturing capacity. NCAB reports that in Europe and the UK some manufacturing bandwidth has shifted toward defence work, tightening local availability. While in Asia, the AI revolution is soaking up capacity. The practical effect is felt in sourcing and material availability, with NCAB framing its role as helping engineers navigate those constraints.
This involves pairing design intent with materials and supply lines that are available today. That means understanding which core materials, thicknesses and copper weights are constrained and how those choices can ripple into a programme’s lead time and risk exposure.
NCAB Group UK’s managing director, David Grant, said: “We can help support people with their material choice. Some materials are more available at this present time than others: certain core materials, thicknesses, even copper weights. We bring that guidance to designers and engineers to ensure their products can be manufactured on schedule and in a sustainable way.
“An informed choice is the best choice. Engineers thrive on discovery but programmes ultimately need predictability. Specifying an attractive material against the reality of current demand could mean a 16-week lead time while the programme needs three. The gap is filled by up-to-date market knowledge.”
Treat material selection as an exercise in resource efficiency as much as performance. NCAB’s advice is to map intended performance to material and process options that are buildable on the timescales that matter to the business. The pay-off is fewer surprises from unanticipated lead-time spikes.
Sustainable Engineering’s Jon Barrett sees NCAB’s role as a window into global PCB supply dynamics that the average design engineer cannot maintain alone while focused on product-level detail. The more those dynamics are surfaced early, the better the design can be tuned for manufacturability and availability.
From material availability to design decisions
Availability does not end at the specification sheet. NCAB points to specific levers that engineers can pull: core material type, thickness and copper weight. Each has an availability footprint, which affects not just a single batch but the resilience of a whole programme over quarters. Seen that way, choosing among alternatives is part of minimising schedule risk and cutting waste in the form of redesigns or re-plans.
David described how the group’s structure strengthens its guidance. Through its factory management in Europe and Asia, plus its group function based in Sweden that oversees these operations, NCAB Group UK has a global reach and breadth of information on market trends and movements. That is the vantage point behind the company’s ‘informed choice’ message.
The sustainability angle is explicit given rising interest in design-for-manufacture and increasingly, design-for-disassembly and recycling. The process of improving a product’s embodied carbon, reliability, durability and recyclability starts with design and is heavily influenced by material and process choices.
David was blunt: “Sustainability is one of the biggest drivers in the electronics industry, citing past and present examples such as the transitions away from lead-based solders to the current per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) regulations.
What to expect on NCAB Group UK’s stand
Easily discoverable thanks to its backlit wall, NCAB’s EDS stand will feature a seating area for meetings, with refreshments on-hand. The on-stand team will include sales contacts, account managers and marketing specialists with product samples and iPad presentations ready to guide visitors through the company’s technology and service offerings.
Discussions about the application of PCB technology in the mobility sector are guaranteed given the rapid evolution of the EV rollout, plus the event’s location at the heartland of vehicle design and manufacturing.
David said: “The rapid shift to electric public transport in China is an example of how policy can move markets and how those moves echo in raw materials and manufacturing capacity. The lesson for UK engineers is to be ready for the downstream effects when a sector scales quickly by having the right manufacturing partners by their side.”
Opportunities for PCB innovation in the mobility sector reach beyond the vehicles themselves to applications including microgrids, distributed storage and power/battery management. For UK firms, infrastructure and charging equipment also represent active growth areas.
David added: “NCAB works across all industry sectors, with a portfolio of suppliers capable of supporting the design and manufacturing needs of areas as diverse as aerospace and medical. For visitors to EDS, that translates into arriving on NCAB’s stand with any application in mind and exploring the design, material and manufacturing choices that extend beyond any single vertical.”
Closing the loop: disassembly, recycling and next steps
Conversations will not stop at design for assembly. They will extend into product end-of-life management as the industry works to reduce the environmental impact of electronic products. For example, NCAB has partnered with the Royal Mint for PCB recycling. Using world-first chemistry, the Royal Mint is recovering precious metals from printed circuit boards. The service offers a sustainable solution for organisations managing e-waste supply chains. The organisation states the process selectively targets gold from printed circuit boards in seconds.
Influences such as Eco Design for Sustainable Product Regulations and the EU Circular Economy Action Plan signal that disassembly, recyclability and reuse are moving from talking points to actions. For design and manufacturing engineers, that implies aligning product performance with sustainability attributes from separation-friendly construction to support for second-life use and material recovery.
David’s view is that sustainability scrutiny is not a passing phase: “From lead removal to battery lifecycle debates, electronics is at the centre of the circular economy. The pragmatic response is to integrate sustainability into everyday design decisions, starting with materials that are available, manufacturable and easier to route through reuse and recycling paths.”
So, what should visitors do to maximise the value of their visit to NCAB’s EDS stand? First, arrive ready to talk materials. Bring target stack-up and discuss core type, thickness and copper weight regarding availability and performance. Second, use the meeting to ‘reality-check’ lead-time assumptions against current market signals. Third, ask how NCAB is reducing the environmental impact of the PCBs they manufacture, especially carbon footprints. Finally, request a walkthrough of NCAB’s recycling route with the Royal Mint and how that might apply to your boards.”
