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

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

This week’s picks comprise a potpourri of published articles, a hodgepodge of helpful hints, and a brood of business news.

Our collection includes several interviews from IPC APEX EXPO; we filmed over 60 of these video interviews that week, all shot with our new anti-COVID protocol. The boom microphones, selected so that we wouldn’t have to attach clip-on mics to each interviewee, gave our booth/studio an air of 60 Minutes. But unlike what we see in most news shows, almost all the news at IPC APEX EXPO was positive as companies emerge from the pandemic with even more innovative software, services, and equipment than before. It’s looking like 2022 is going to be a really good year.

It’s show season, and we’ll be bringing you all the news from the industry’s biggest events.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: AltiumLive Goes Virtual
Published February 10

At IPC APEX EXPO, I interviewed our columnist Kelly Dack, who served as emcee and all-around ambassador for AltiumLive 2022. Kelly and his cameraman, Altium’s Michael Bollig, were all over the show floor. Kelly occasionally took to his skateboard for some live-action footage. When was the last time you senior PCB designers rode a skateboard? (I tried it out and I almost fell.) Ride on, Kelly!

Keep the Change? No, Embrace It
Published February 9

This industry runs on change—thrives on it, even. But so many of us are resistant to change, especially those of us who have been on quite a few trips around the sun. Tamara Jovanovic, a young PCB design engineer at Happiest Baby, has learned to take change in stride, and she shares some of her insights in her latest article. She’s going back to school to get her MSEE while working full-time—she clearly embraces change.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: AI and ML for Electronics Manufacturing
Published February 11

There was a lot of talk about artificial intelligence at IPC APEX EXPO. In this interview, Zac Elliott of Siemens Digital Industries Software and columnist Steve Williams discuss Siemens’ latest predictive analytics software, which utilizes AI and machine learning to put SMT information at the users’ fingertips when they need it, including whether a component is a suspected counterfeit. I expect to see more AI and ML at each trade show.

IPC Welcomes the European Chip Act
Published February 10

IPC and the electronics manufacturing industry are showing their support for the EU’s European Chips Act, which aims to rebuild Europe’s electronics supply chain and its manufacturing ecosystem. As IPC President and CEO John W. Mitchell points out, this effort requires cooperation with stakeholders outside of Europe, such as PCB fabricators and assembly providers.

It’s Only Common Sense: Get Ready for Price Increases
Published February 7

You probably had an inkling that prices were on an upward trajectory. But in this column, Dan Beaulieu breaks down the factors that are driving up costs around the globe—the bad, the ugly, and not much good. Still, it’s good to know all the facts, and Dan lays them out right here. Forewarned is forearmed, right?