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In this issue, we examine the profound effect artificial intelligence and machine learning are having on manufacturing and business processes. We follow technology, innovation, and money as automation becomes the new key indicator of growth in our industry.
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One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
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This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
December 4, 2020 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Around the holidays, we often see a slowdown in PCB design and manufacturing news. But this holiday season, there’s been no rest for the newsmakers in our industry! In the last week, our daily and weekly newsletters have been chock-full of breaking news and up-to-the-minute technical information that readers like you rely upon every day.
This week, we had important developments in the IPC-2581 design data exchange format. We also published a video roundtable with Siemens Digital Industries Software and Computrol, as well as an update from IPC’s Education Foundation about their student chapter members’ participation in virtual competitions. Happy Holden and Stephen Chavez delve deep into the waters of via design, and a video roundtable with Ventec International Group and Excello Circuits focuses on IMS thermal materials in multilayer stackups in power applications.
There seems to be a trend here. Much of the movement in this industry today involves access to data—the right data, and right now. You can expect that to continue into 2021 and beyond.
IPC Releases IPC-2581 Revision C for PCB Design
Published December 1
There was some big news this week in the world of design data formats. The new IPC-2581 Revision C includes XML with DFX tags, allowing greater bi-directional DFX data exchange in this open-source format. Rigid-flex designs are now supported. IPC-2581C is a key component of the IPC-DPMX format, and it is now optimized for use with the EDA tools of today and tomorrow, as well as Industry 4.0 and the digital twin.
Siemens and Computrol: Achieving Operational Excellence in Electronics Manufacturing
Published December 2
Happy Holden and Nolan Johnson recently held a video roundtable with Zac Elliott, technical marketing engineer at Siemens Digital Industries Software, and Farid Anani, VP of operations at Computrol. Elliott and Anani explain how the drive to increase automation sometimes winds up creating “islands of automation,” which must be connected for true process efficiency. They also discuss methods for making data smarter, as well as process engineers’ need for access to the data they need right away.
Foundations of the Future: IPC Student Chapters Gear Up for Competitions
Published December 2
Many of us are wondering who will replace the “graybeard” PCB designers, design engineers, and process engineers who continue to retire at a rapid pace. IPC is making some good progress attracting—and nurturing—the next generation of PCB technologists. In this column, IPC’s Aaron Birney discusses the organization’s efforts supporting the 38 IPC student chapters in the U.S., including recent virtual student competitions and plans for 2021.
Use of IMS Thermal Materials in Multilayer Stackups for Power Applications
Published December 1
Technical Editor Pete Starkey and I conducted a lively video roundtable around IMS thermal materials with Chris Hanson and Denis McCarthy of Ventec International Group, and Rax Ribadia of Excello Circuits. Hanson and McCarthy detail the development and benefits of using IMS laminates in multilayer stackups in power applications, and Ribadia explains why fabricating high-end PCBs with IMS thermal materials is much like fabricating any other “typical" board.
Stephen Chavez and Happy Holden on Designing Reliable Vias
Published December 2
In this wide-ranging interview, Stephen Chavez and Happy Holden discuss the ins and outs of proper via design, including a look at some of the drivers that are leading designers to create ever-smaller microvias and higher aspect ratios. They also discuss the effects of material choice, fabrication processes, and signal integrity issues on via design, and why true communication is paramount for the design of robust microvias.
Suggested Items
Würth Elektronik in United States Embarks on New Milestone with State-of-the-Art Headquarters
05/17/2024 | Wurth ElektronikWürth Elektronik in the United States, a leading manufacturer of electronic and electromechanical components as well as custom magnetics, has announced the commencement of construction on a new 70,000-square-foot headquarters. This new facility underscores the company’s commitment to innovation and grow in the electronics industry.
IPC APEX EXPO: Some Thoughts About Growth
05/16/2024 | Dan Feinberg, I-Connect007After two and a half days of wandering the aisles at IPC APEX EXPO 2024, for the first time, I almost felt like I was exploring CES. There were so many booths and exhibits that I could describe, but I’d like to focus on the growth and huge value of this event, which has expanded well beyond just the growing and impressive exhibit show floor.
Airbus Achieves Eurodrone’s Preliminary Design Review
05/16/2024 | AirbusThe Eurodrone programme has successfully performed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR). Led by Airbus Defence and Space as prime contractor, this major programme milestone has been completed with OCCAR and representatives of the four customer nations (France, Germany, Italy and Spain) in the presence of the three Major Sub-Contractors (MSC), Airbus Defence and Space Spain, Dassault Aviation and Leonardo.
A Review of the 2024 Del Mar Electronics and Manufacturing Show
05/16/2024 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007The Del Mar Electronics and Manufacturing Show (DMEMS) in Del Mar, California, recently took place at an unlikely venue: the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Doug Bodenstab, founder and show organizer, says the show covers everything in electronics manufacturing: design tools, components, base materials, training, testing, board fabrication, AI, data analytics, and more. While you can find about anything online these days, Bodenstab adds that there is no substitute for meeting people in person.
TactoTek Licenses IMSE Technology to Polestar for Sustainable Electronics Design Innovation
05/15/2024 | TactoTekPolestar, the Swedish electric performance car brand, and Finnish smart surface pioneer TactoTek, have entered a collaboration to explore integration of Injection Molded Structural Electronics (IMSE) technology into Polestar’s vehicle programs.