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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
March 5, 2021 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
A perennial and yet irregular category on the popular game show Jeopardy is “potpourri.” My dad, as I was growing up, pronounced the word as “pot-poury.” It wasn’t until I was a sophomore in college that my girlfriend’s mom—who had a penchant for a soupcon of French euphemism in her tête-à-têtes—pronounced the word properly: “po-pu-ree.” Such are the risks of growing up just a bit rural.
On Jeopardy, the category is defined as “a mixing of unrelated, leftover questions from previous shows, so we’re lumping them under ‘Potpourri.’”
Now far be it for me to characterize this week’s top five as unrelated or leftover. Nor are they recycled from earlier weeks. This week’s topics are, however, heavier on mixture: a little bit from all over. There’s an industry sales report, Pete Starkey conference report, a look both backward and forward with Taiyo’s John Fix, an Altium/Amazon AWS working relationship in the news, and a brand-new I-007ebook on SMT Inspection from Koh Young’s Brent Fischthal.
Yep. A healthy mix of variety this week, doing “Potpourri” proud.
North American PCB Industry Sales Begin 2021 Up 4%
Published February 26
The IPC book-to-bill ratio weighs in at 1.14 for January, up 17.6% over January 2020. Hold this news up to the European Semiconductor Industry Association report that global semiconductor sales in 2020 logged a 6.5% increase from 2019, and it looks like the wave of increased demand is moving down the pipeline toward the assembly facilities.
2020: A Year of Learning, Innovation for Taiyo America
Published March 1
Pete Starkey has a virtual visit with John Fix, director of Sales and Marketing at Taiyo America, where they discuss the changes taking place because of COVID-19 restrictions, and some new products—including a new dry film solder mask for flexible circuits. Starkey and Fix’s discussion of how this new product works makes for interesting reading.
EIPC Technical Snapshot: Cleanliness
Published March 1
Cleanliness was the focus of this informative and enlightening event on Feb. 17, 2021, introduced by EIPC technical director Tarja Rapala-Virtanen and moderated by EIPC board member Christian Behrendt, CEO of German PCB fabricator ILFA. Pete Starkey brings his trademark summary of proceedings, including presentations from Freddy Gilbert, Professor Rajan Ambat, Emma Hudson, and Christian Behrendt.
Altium, AWS Collaborate to Advance Electronic Design
Published February 26
Cloud-based data sharing continues to move to the mainstream in all areas of modern life, and the engineering disciplines are no exception. For example, the Altium 365 cloud-based platform and Altium Designer is working to create “the most connected design experience” in the industry, streamlining the product development process through thoughtful sharing of centrally-stored design data. To achieve this goal, Altium selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host Altium 365, the cloud platform for collaborative PCB design and realization.
New I-007eBook Highlights SMT Inspection: Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond
Published March 3
If you have an interest (and who doesn’t?) in PCB board inspection, you know that even engineers and layout specialists are involved in making inspection succeed by the decisions made during the design phase). This new I-0007eBook from Koh Young is a must read. In The Printed Circuit Assembler’s Guide to SMT Inspection: Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond, author Brent Fischthal takes readers through a brief history of SMT inspection before discussing the benefits of data-driven analytics and how intelligent software solutions can help companies analyze and optimize the production process.
Suggested Items
Indium Corporation to Present, Exhibit at EPP InnovationsFORUM
03/28/2024 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation is set to present and exhibit at EPP InnovationsFORUM, one of Europe’s premier single-day electronics manufacturing forums, on April 17 in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany. Topic areas for 2024 will include AI, automation, sustainability, and quality.
Reducing Nitrogen Consumption in Convection Soldering with Rehm Thermal Systems' Patented Mechatronic Curtain
03/28/2024 | Rehm Thermal SystemsCurrent developments indicate a need for larger throughput heights due to the trend towards e-mobility, which in turn increases nitrogen consumption for process inertization. Rehm Thermal Systems responds to this issue with an innovative solution: the mechatronic curtain.
Indium Corporation, Industry Partners to Showcase Products “Live@APEX”
03/26/2024 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation®, in cooperation with its industry partners, will feature its proven solder solutions live on the show floor throughout IPC APEX Expo from Apr. 9‒11 in Anaheim, Calif., U.S.
ITW EAE Wins New Product Introduction Award for Electrovert® Wave Soldering Machine Deep Wave
03/26/2024 | ITW EAEITW EAE is proud to announce that it has earned a 2024 New Product Introduction (NPI) Award for Electrovert’s Deep Wave option for wave soldering machines. This new, innovative system provides the ability to pump up to a 20 mm wave height.
Mek's Next-Gen AOI Technology Takes Center Stage at IPC APEX EXPO 2024
03/19/2024 | MEKMek is excited to announce its presence at IPC APEX EXPO, North America's largest electronics manufacturing event, in Anaheim, California, from April 6-11, 2024. Attendees are invited to visit Mek at booth #1433 to explore the latest AOI technology offerings.