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We go back to basics this month with a recount of a little history, and look forward to addressing the many challenges that high density, high frequency, adhesion, SI, and corrosion concerns for harsh environments bring to the fore. We compare and contrast surface finishes by type and application, take a hard look at the many iterations of gold plating, and address palladium as a surface finish.
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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
July 22, 2022 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

It’s always interesting how certain groups of news emerge in our most-read content. This week, reader interest seemed focused on two distinct themes: Mexico and awards. In this week’s list, we find the inaugural award recipients from iNEMI’s Project Leadership Awards. We also bring you the award recipients from the SEMI FlexTech conference held last week in San Francisco.
News from Mexico includes a new Atotech facility, and an interview with IPC’s David Hernandez and Lorena Villanueva about IPC’s expanding presence in Mexico. Metcal’s new hot air rework system also got a lot of attention, with an abundance of reader interest.
Seems the northern hemisphere is generally sweltering everywhere this week. Be sure to stay hydrated, find a shady spot, and linger over these must-reads.
SEMI FlexTech Announces 2022 FLEXI Award Winners for Outstanding Achievements in Flexible Electronics
Published July 15
“Recognizing innovations and other outstanding accomplishments in flexible hybrid electronics (FHE), SEMI FlexTech, a SEMI Technology Community, presented the 2022 FLEXI Awards at the FLEX Conference and Exhibition, co-located with SEMICON West 2022 Hybrid in San Francisco. The FLEXI Awards spotlight FHE contributions in four categories: R&D Achievement, Product Innovation and Commercialization, Environmental Sustainability Champion, and Industry Leadership.” Missed out on who received the awards for outstanding achievement? Here’s your chance to catch up. These are today’s (and tomorrow’s) leaders, folks!
Atotech Successfully Starts Production and Officially Inaugurates the New Site in Querétaro/Mexico
Published July 18
Geoff Wild, CEO at Atotech, says, “I am pleased to announce the official opening of our new site in Mexico as it marks an important milestone for our company. The Querétaro site will allow Atotech to significantly expand its production capacity and sustainable growth in Mexico as well as the Americas. It also supports the expected rise in customer demand in the coming years. I’d like to thank everyone involved for their support, dedication, and teamwork to get our new site operational.”
Mexico offers some promising options for the microelectronics industry and people are taking notice. What does have Atotech have planned? Click the link to find out.
iNEMI Recognizes Accomplishments of Project Teams
Published July 15
iNEMI has launched the Project Leadership Awards program, and five project teams have been recognized in the first year of this program. “This award recognizes the contributions and accomplishments of iNEMI project teams, specifically the individuals from our member companies who comprise these teams,” says Shekhar Chandrashekhar, iNEMI CEO. “They are doing significant work that directly benefits their own companies but also has a long-term, positive impact on the electronics manufacturing value chain.
These companies, the director says, “accelerate and reduce the risk of adopting new technologies while helping ensure supply chain readiness for the wider industry.” Now that’s something we can all get behind. Click on the headline to see what the recipients are doing.
Metcal Launches New HCT-910 Hot Air Rework System
Published July 19
Metcal launched the new HCT-910 hot air rework system that can generate heat of up to 600 degrees Celsius, which the latest military and aerospace applications demand. New product announcements aren’t as common as we would like, so this particular announcement seemed to garner a lot of reader interest.
IPC Mexico Continues to Grow
Published July 20
Andy Shaughnessy and Barry Matties recently spoke with IPC Vice President of Education David Hernandez and the new IPC Director Mexico, Lorena Villanueva, and about IPC Mexico’s growth, as well as the office’s plans to provide PCB manufacturers the training resources they need to succeed—training in their own language. Lorena has big plans for Mexico and she’s only just getting started.
Suggested Items
IPC Rising Star Award: Feng Xue, IBM
04/22/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Feng Xue is a senior technical staff member in supply chain engineering at IBM. He has 21 years of experience in semiconductor technology and supply chain operations and leads initiatives on internal quality management systems, supplier quality programs, business analytics, app modernization and cloud-native apps for quality processes, IoT solution deployment, and Industrial 4.0 transformation, engineering skill development, and technical leadership development.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Show Wrap Up–A Review with John Mitchell
04/21/2025 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOMarcy LaRont sits down with Dr. John W. Mitchell on the last day of IPC APEX EXPO 2025, marking its 25th anniversary. They highlight the event's success and specifically recognize this year's technical conference and professional development tracks. They also discuss AI's role in electronics, as Mitchell urges professionals to improve their skills around AI to keep themselves valuable and relevant. AI is here to stay! He touches upon tariffs and promotes a diverse supply chain, emphasizing the essential ingredient of collaboration for mutual success. Ending on sustainability, he discusses IPC's launch of the Evolve program showcasing the industry's commitment to sustainability.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Empowering the Next Generation—Waad Tarman's Journey as IPC Student Board Member
04/22/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007In this conversation, Waad Tarman, a PhD student at Auburn University, reflects on her impactful journey as the outgoing IPC Student Board Member. Having transitioned from a career in project coordination to pursuing advanced studies in industrial and systems engineering, Waad’s dedication to electronics manufacturing shines through. Her experience as a student representative allowed her to engage with industry leaders and provide valuable insights from a student’s perspective. As she prepares to pass the torch to her successor, she shares her key takeaways, emphasizing the importance of connection, communication, and the ethos of paying it forward.
EIPC Summer Conference 2025: PCB Innovation in Edinburgh
04/18/2025 | EIPCEIPC have very wisely selected this wonderful city in Scotland as the venue for their Summer Conference on June 3-4. Whilst delegates will be distilling the proven information imparted by the speakers in the day, in the evening they will be free spirits at the Conference Dinner.
IPC President's Award: Barry Matties
04/21/2025 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007The IPC President’s Award is given to IPC members who have exhibited ongoing leadership in IPC and have made significant contributions of their time and talent to the association and the electronic interconnect industry. Individuals can receive this award only once. Barry Matties has been a leading global force in publishing content about the electronics industry for nearly 40 years. He began his publishing career as a co-founder of CircuiTree Magazine in 1987, which became the leading printed trade journal serving the PCB industry.