-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueMaterial Matters
Materials management is nuanced, multifaceted, and requires a holistic systems approach for business success. When building high mix, low volume, and high technology, managing materials and overall cost containment are even greater challenges.
Additive Manufacturing
In this month’s issue, we explore additive manufacturing technology for the PCB fabricator: where it stands today, the true benefits, and where it seems to be headed.
The Growing Industry
In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we talk with leading economic experts, advocacy specialists in Washington, D.C., and PCB company leadership to get a well-rounded picture of what’s happening in the industry today. Don’t miss it.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
IPC Design Competition: On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!
April 10, 2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
![](https://iconnect007.com/application/files/7016/9510/1267/patrick_crawford_300.jpg)
I recently spoke with IPC’s Patrick Crawford, manager of design standards and related industry programs, and Kris Moyer, certified IPC master instructor, about this year’s IPC Design Competition. Now in its third year, the preliminary heat began in January, and the winners will compete in the final heat at IPC APEX EXPO in Anaheim.
I asked Patrick and Kris to discuss the Design Competition, advice for contestants, and why designers should enter next year’s competition. As Kris points out, an open mind and knowledge of IPC standards will go a long way.
Andy Shaughnessy: Patrick, give us an overview of the IPC Design Competition.
Patrick Crawford: The competition was launched in 2022 from a desire to engage with designers in an extracurricular way, outside of standards, development, and work. This is our third year and it’s been successful so far. We opened registration on Jan. 1, and 50 people signed up in the first week, which is really cool. We do two heats—a preliminary and a final heat. The preliminary heat is an at-home design. We provide contestants with a schematic, a bill of materials, a scope of work—it’s all on paper, and we say, “Go forth and read the design, schematic, specs, and requirements.” We expect them to create a fabrication file for us. The few that we've gotten in so far have all been Gerber and the associated manufacturing files, but in theory, they could also give us IPC-2581.
IPC India has its own competition designed a little differently than ours, but we invite their two finalists. They're essentially assessing the same criteria in a different format. We invite the IPC India winner and runner-up, but we only invite three of the top-placing competitors from the prelims to the final heat. Last year, the final heat featured five competitors: two in the room at IPC APEX EXPO and three people calling in. This year, based on travel budgets and some competitors requiring a visa, I it won’t surprise me to have full virtual attendance. But that doesn't matter; we'll still have competitors. Last year, Sathish Vijayakumar from India, won the IPC India competition and eventually the whole shebang. He couldn't be in India's competition this year, so he signed up for our competition. We'll see if he can take the top prize again.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the April 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Off Like a Rocket: A Review of the EIPC Summer Conference, Part 1
06/14/2024 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007Motorway traffic jams, airport car parking, walking for miles, queuing for security, delayed flights—oh, the joys of travelling. I was quickly reminded of my status as a foreigner while waiting patiently in line for a half-hour at passport control to enter the European Union at Amsterdam Schiphol, having flown all the way from London Luton in the United Kingdom, that great distance of 200 miles.
IPC Masters 2024 Aims to Enhance Operator Skills in China
06/14/2024 | IPCTo meet the needs of China's electronics industry, IPC Asia and Pudong New Area Association For Quality And Technology Shanghai, will jointly organize a comprehensive skill competition event called IPC Masters 2024 in Shanghai, China.
IPC Hosts Advanced Packaging Symposium in Tokyo
06/13/2024 | IPCThe IPC Advanced Packaging Symposium held in Tokyo on June 7, 2024, brought together leading experts, policy makers and other stakeholders from the semiconductor industry to discuss cutting-edge advancements and collaborative strategies shaping the future of advanced packaging technologies.
IPC Issues Call for Participation for IPC APEX EXPO 2025
06/11/2024 | IPCIPC is now accepting abstracts for technical papers with presentations, posters, and professional development courses at IPC APEX EXPO 2025. The technical conference will be held March 18-20 and professional development courses will take place March 16-17 and 20, 2025 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
An IPC ‘Blockbuster’: IPC-7711/21
06/11/2024 | Teresa Rowe, IPC Senior Director, Assembly and Standards TechnologyDan Foster, Missile Defense Agency, has been instrumental in developing IPC-7711/21, Rework, Modification and Repair of Electronics Assemblies, over several revisions of this important guideline document. We talked to Dan and committee member Agnieszka Ozarowski, BAE Systems, about the most recent revision.