I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Finally, it’s December. But it’s 75 degrees here in Atlanta, and I bet I could wear shorts and a Hawaiian shirt on Christmas day. I’ve done it before. But it doesn’t feel like winter.

And it hardly feels like the end of 2021, but here we are, looking at a new year and IPC APEX EXPO and AltiumLive coming up in less than two months. If you don’t count days lost during the holidays, it’s more like one month before showtime. Hey, at least we have some live events to attend now.

This week, we have some association and trade show news, as well as articles on data management and the diminished role of U.S. chip makers in the global electronics supply chain. We’re almost behind the eight-ball here, folks, and we can’t build chip factories overnight. Let’s get a move on!

Fein-Lines: Who Will Maintain Control of Global Chip Manufacturing?
Published December 2

Editor Dan Feinberg has a great piece on a matter of critical importance to the entire industry: the chip manufacturing supply chain. As Dan explains, U.S. chip makers now supply only 12% of the global chip market, despite our voracious appetite for semiconductors. American chip companies continue to lose market share. It takes years to bring a chip factory online, so it’s past time for the U.S. to get on the ball here.

Jackie Mattox, Founder of Women in Electronics, to Keynote Women in Electronics Reception at IPC APEX EXPO 2022
Published December 2

Five years after founding the Women in Electronics organization, Jackie Mattox will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Women in Electronics Reception during IPC APEX EXPO 2022 in San Diego. Topics to be discussed include whether a disruptive business climate is a help or hindrance for women in the workplace, and the current state of diversity in electronics design and manufacturing.

SMTA Seeks Donations for Hutchins Grant and Stromberg Scholarship
Published December 2

It’s that time again! SMTA needs your help to fund the Charles Hutchins Grant and the JoAnn Stromberg Student Leader Scholarship. These awards are presented to students who are pursuing degrees in electronics or related fields, and they are funded entirely by your donations. Dig deep and help a few young engineers learn all about this wonderful industry of ours.

Adventures in Engineering: Data Management Not Just Checking the Boxes
Published November 30

Everyone talks about the need to document everything and apply solid data management skills, but how many of us are just “checking the boxes,” as Chris Young says in his newest column? Chris explains why data management strategies need to be followed out of intention, and not obligation.

EIPC Technical Snapshot Review: Semi-additive Processes
Published December 1

Technical Editor Pete Starkey brings us a review of EIPC’s 13th Technical Snapshot webinar on ultra-high-density PCBs and packaging substrates that utilize semi-additive and additive manufacturing processes. Additive and semi-additive processes are taking off, and there seems to be no ceiling, at least not yet. As speaker Daniel Schulze of Dyconex explains, “Something has to shrink, and this is often the PCB.”