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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
March 25, 2022 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
It’s been a crazy week, with lots of bad news coming out of Ukraine. (I’m a news junkie by trade, but I confess that some days I just unplug from the news completely to avoid overdosing on negativity.) And, as you might have guessed, this is all having ill effects on our electronics supply chain, which is already stretched thin. This is reflected in our IPC news item that shows an uptick in PCB sales in February, but a drop in bookings YOY, in part due to the trouble in Eastern Europe.
But there’s positive news in this week’s top reads. We have a NextFlex article about an innovative flexible technology called flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) and a great interview by Dan Beaulieu. We also have a column by Travis Kelly, who discusses PCBAA’s efforts to lobby for American manufacturing in Washington. And last but not least, let’s welcome our two newest columnists, Paige Fiet and Hannah Nelson, who discuss their excitement about entering this industry.
The New Chapter: Our Introduction to the Electronics Industry
Published March 23
Please welcome our two newest columnists, Paige Fiet and Hannah Nelson, who are sharing a column in SMT007. Hannah is the student liaison for IPC’s board of directors, and Paige recently served in that same capacity. It’s great to see young people like them coming into our industry, and you can sense their excitement as they discuss their love of engineering. If we can draw more young people like these, the future of our industry will be very bright.
IPC News: North American PCB Industry Sales Up 12.8% in February
Published March 25
Mixed messages have become a way of life, haven’t they? February PCB shipments were up 12.8% year-on-year, but bookings were down 12.6% YOY, and 5.9% from January. You’re probably getting tired of hearing it, and we’re definitely sick of repeating it ad nauseum, but the supply chain is still in the middle of a conniption fit, as my grandmother used to say. And the invasion of Ukraine isn’t helping matters.
Flexible Hybrid Electronics Design: Reducing Time to Market
Published March 23
Substrates continue to evolve at a rapid pace, and this NextFlex article shines a light on a new twist in the flex world: flexible hybrid electronics, or FHE. As Sean Nachnani, explains, it’s not the manufacturers driving FHE development—it’s the OEMs and the requirements of the applications. This is a new technology to watch.
American Made Advocacy: What Happens in Washington Happens to Us All
Published March 22
Manufacturers around the world tend to have at least a modicum of support from their respective governments. But the federal government in the U.S. has often been more of a hindrance than a helping hand for PCB manufacturers—until now. Washington is beginning to see the light, and, as PCBAA’s Travis Kelly writes, we need to constantly lobby our leaders in D.C. about the importance of our industry. Travis points out, “[W]e cannot allow our day-to-day focus on operations to distract us from what is happening in Washington and what it means to the microelectronics ecosystem.”
An Inside Look at an Indian PCB Manufacturer
Published March 24
Columnist Dan Beaulieu brings us great interviews with PCB manufacturing owners and managers from around the world. This week, we published his chat with Abhay Doshi, managing director of Fine-Line Circuits Ltd. in India. Abhay explains how he helped found the company after receiving his MBA from Berkeley and working in San Jose. It’s an interesting read.
Suggested Items
IPC Bestows Posthumous Hall of Fame Award to Industry Icon Michael Ford
04/18/2024 | IPCIPC honored the late Michael Ford, Aegis Software, for his extraordinary contributions to the global electronics manufacturing industry with the IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award at IPC APEX EXPO 2024. IPC’s most prestigious honor, the Hall of Fame Award is given to individuals who have provided exceptional service and advancement to IPC and the electronics industry. Ford, an industry leader and valued IPC volunteer, died suddenly in January 2024.
SEMI Applauds U.S. Chips Act Award for Samsung Electronics Facilities to Strengthen Domestic Semiconductor Supply Chain
04/17/2024 | SEMISEMI, the industry association serving the global electronics design and manufacturing supply chain, applauded the United States Department of Commerce’s announcement of a Preliminary Memorandum of Terms for an award under the CHIPS and Science Act to support the expansion of Samsung Electronics’ presence in Texas and the company’s development and production of leading-edge chips.
Northrop Grumman honors Calumet Electronics with Supplier Excellence Award
04/17/2024 | Calumet ElectronicsNorthrop Grumman Corporation has recognized Calumet Electronics during the company’s 2024 Supplier Excellence Awards for “exceptional performance and unwavering commitment to delivering with excellence.” Calumet is one of 70 suppliers recognized from across the globe. In its award category of “Supplier Strategic Excellence,” Calumet was honored alongside global corporations such as Amazon Web Services, Dell Technologies, and Eaton Corporation.
Ark Electronics Expands Global Manufacturing Factory Network in North America and Europe
04/17/2024 | PRNewswireElectronic Manufacturing Company Ark Electronics recently announced the expansion of its Global Factory Network with the addition of Electronics Manufacturing Service (EMS) capabilities in Mexico and Europe.
Designing Electronics for High Thermal Loads
04/16/2024 | Akber Roy, Rush PCB Inc.Developing proactive thermal management strategies is important in the early stages of the PCB design cycle to minimize costly redesign iterations. Here, I delve into key aspects of electronic design that hold particular relevance for managing heat in electronic systems. Each of these considerations plays a pivotal role in enhancing the reliability and performance of the overall system.