Futuristic, cutting-edge devices start as the most seemingly impossible ideas, made real by visionary printed circuit board designers.

Adam Gerken, Founder and President of Flight Circuits, has created a career out of designing incredibly complex, future-tech devices for his clients from his studio in Rochester, New York.

Adam's creations include battery-powered medical pump controllers, wearable asthma monitoring systems, palm-sized single-board computers, and a small, sleek ring that replaces keys, credit cards, and even passwords with the utmost personalized security. He has also begun to develop compact wireless receivers for use in machine learning and continuous monitoring devices.

Since he began his business, Adam has relied on Altium to design simple and complex PCBs for his various projects.

The Early Bird Gets the Customers

While some of Adam's peers struggle with legacy systems and complex programs that hamper the development process, he’s stayed steps ahead with Altium. 

“I’ve used other PCB design software systems, but I always come back to Altium. I’ve been using Altium Designer since 2007, starting first in college and then at a job I had working for a manufacturing company. I’ve continued to use Altium at Flight Circuits, where it is the tool of choice for PCB design.” Adam reports. 

“The trend in the industry has really moved towards Altium over other PCB design tools. Being a small business that uses Altium really helps me compete with bigger firms. It’s a well-respected software tool, so Altium’s brand recognition helps to build confidence and trust with prospective customers.”

Adam's expertise with Altium Designer, in particular, has given him a winning edge over other service bureaus. He’s become so adept with the program, he’s even helped clients migrate over to Altium from other PCB design software tools.

One of Flight Circuits’ major selling points is its ability to keep up to date on the latest technologies and methods. Regular product updates to Altium Designer help Adam continually push the boundaries of what’s possible for his clients. By keeping his license current, he’s also been able to take full advantage of product upgrades biannually.

Recent upgrades have been particularly essential for Adam, especially in Rigid-Flex design, which has become one of Flight Circuits’ specialties. Being able to send his clients 3D visuals of the boards in progress, instead of pages of schematics, has also helped the Flight Circuits team instill confidence during the design process and develop lasting client relationships. 

As Adam elaborates, “With Altium Designer, my customers can see 3D views of their boards, rotate and explore every angle, and see exactly where all of the components are located, no matter what stage of the design process their boards are in.”

But it’s the ability to access Altium Designer and streamline component management in a whole new way that has Adam eager to explore even more.

A Clearer View with Altium 365

Adam adopted Altium 365’s three-dimensional viewer tool early on, using it with his customers to share design progress.

Customers can easily review designs, make comments and even share links to their manufacturing partners from the Altium 365 cloud platform. Adam also uses the tool to work remotely with a contractor he recently brought on board.

Flight Circuits have shifted from sharing screenshots of schematics with Altium 365, allowing Adam to offer his customers a comprehensive view of their projects using a simple cloud-based interface.