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Beyond the Rulebook
What happens when the rule book is no longer useful, or worse, was never written in the first place? In today’s fast-moving electronics landscape, we’re increasingly asked to design and build what has no precedent, no proven path, and no tidy checklist to follow. This is where “Design for Invention” begins.
March Madness
From the growing role of AI in design tools to the challenge of managing cumulative tolerances, these articles in this issue examine the technical details, design choices, and manufacturing considerations that determine whether a board works as intended.
Looking Forward to APEX EXPO 2026
I-Connect007 Magazine previews APEX EXPO 2026, covering everything from the show floor to the technical conference. For PCB designers, we move past the dreaded auto-router and spotlight AI design tools that actually matter.
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Best Technical Paper at IPC APEX EXPO 2021 Selected
February 25, 2021 | IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The best technical conference paper of IPC APEX EXPO 2021 has been selected. Voted on through a ballot process by members of the IPC APEX EXPO Technical Program Committee, the paper authors will be recognized during show opening remarks on Tuesday, March 9.
Taking top honors, the winning paper is, “Signal Integrity, Reliability, and Cost Evaluation of PCB Interlayer Crosstalk Reduction” by Sarah Czaplewski, IBM Corporation. Her co-authors were: Roger Krabbenhoft and Junyang Tang, IBM Corporation. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session 14 (BF5-PCB Design - HDI and Signal Integrity Considerations) on Thursday, March 11.
This year, two papers were selected in the honorable mention category. Honorable mention goes to, “Board Thickness Effect on Accelerated Thermal Cycle Reliability” by Joe Smetana, Nokia. His co-authors included: Richard Coyle, Nokia; Eric Lundeen, BAE Systems; Iulia Muntele, Sanmina; Scott Danko, TTM; Neil Hubble, Akrometrix; and Bev Christian, HDPUG. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session 9 EE3 (HDP Projects Progress) on Wednesday, March 10.
Honorable mention also goes to “Analyzing Printed Circuit Board Voiding and other Anomalies when Requirements Covering the Anomalies are Vague” by Hailey Jordan, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. Her co-authors were: Wade Goldman and Curtis Leonard, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session 3 EE1 (PCBA Quality, Reliability, and AI-based Inspection) on Wednesday, March 10.
The papers were evaluated on their technical content, originality, test procedures and data used to deduce conclusions, quality of illustrations and the clarity and professionalism of writing as well as value to the industry.
To register for the IPC APEX EXPO technical conference or for more information on all the activities taking place, including professional development courses, online exhibition, keynote presentations, networking activities and more, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org.
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Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
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05/08/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007This week, I’ve selected some outstanding interviews that you’ll want to take note of. First, is a roundtable discussion featuring three dynamic industry cybersecurity experts. Please watch this important discussion that affects us all. Following that, I spotlight the IPC-2581 Consortium, which explains why IPC-2581 is the standard to replace Gerber data for manufacturing. Next, I am including my interview with PCBAA and AAM, who collaborated to release a short documentary on U.S. PCB manufacturing.
Global Electronics Association to Testify at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Panel on Section 301 Structural Excess Capacity
05/08/2026 | Global Electronics AssociationChris Mitchell, Vice President for Global Government Relations at the Global Electronics Association, will testify before the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Panel on Section 301 Structural Excess Capacity on Friday, May 8.
Hall of Fame Spotlight Series: Highlighting Karen McConnell
05/07/2026 | Dan Feinberg, I-Connect007In 2021, Karen McConnell was awarded the Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame award in recognition of her contributions to the Association and the electronics industry. As a senior staff member and CAD/CAM engineer at Northrop Grumman Enterprise Services, her primary responsibility was to develop a common, shared EDM (Electronic Document Management) library to support the electrical and PCB design tool initiatives across Northrop Grumman Mission Systems.
A Necessary Shift From Gerber to IPC-2581
05/07/2026 | Tracy Riggan, Global Electronics AssociationIPC-2581 is an open, vendor-neutral data exchange standard developed by the Global Electronics Association to streamline the exchange of PCB design information across fabrication, assembly, and test. It replaces multiple legacy formats—including industry standards, Gerber, and ODB++—with a single, comprehensive, XML-based dataset that captures all manufacturing details.
TTC-LLC and TTCI: Smarter Training, Stronger Test at PCB East 2026
04/27/2026 | The Test Connection Inc.The Training Connection LLC (TTC-LLC) and The Test Connection, Inc. (TTCI) will be exhibiting together at PCB East 2026, taking place April 28–May 1 at the DCU Convention Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. Attendees can find both teams at Booth #103 during the main exhibition day on Wednesday, April 29.