-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueWhat's Your Sweet Spot?
Are you in a niche that’s growing or shrinking? Is it time to reassess and refocus? We spotlight companies thriving by redefining or reinforcing their niche. What are their insights?
Moving Forward With Confidence
In this issue, we focus on sales and quoting, workforce training, new IPC leadership in the U.S. and Canada, the effects of tariffs, CFX standards, and much more—all designed to provide perspective as you move through the cloud bank of today's shifting economic market.
Intelligent Test and Inspection
Are you ready to explore the cutting-edge advancements shaping the electronics manufacturing industry? The May 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine is packed with insights, innovations, and expert perspectives that you won’t want to miss.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
MacDermid Alpha to Present Four Technical Papers at IPC APEX EXPO
January 10, 2023 | MacDermid AlphaEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

MacDermid Alpha, a leading global supplier of integrated circuit, assembly and semiconductor solutions for the electronics design and manufacturing industries, will be highlighting their latest research on final finishes, lightweight bio-based polymers, solder alloy reliability for automotive applications, and brand new findings from test data on conformal coatings. The four separate technical presentations will take place at this year’s IPC APEX EXPO, January 24 – 26, at the San Diego Convention Center in California.
Authored by MacDermid Alpha’s leading industry experts, these papers will address various material challenges, testing methods, and new solutions that will help manufacturers of Automotive, 5G, Mobile, and other critical markets, to meet the increasing demands of reliability, performance, cost efficiency, and sustainability.
Two papers are scheduled under the High Reliability for Extreme Environments Track. Bethany Turner, Senior Technical Manager and Resins Specialist, will present the paper entitled “Expandable Bio-Based Polymers: A Lightweight Future for Electronics Ruggedization - Immersion Study”. Bethany’s presentation will take place on January 24, 10.30am-12pm, and will explore an important new manufacturing trend, known as “Lightweighting”. Lightweight materials are not only ideal for portable devices, but are also valuable for other applications, such as mass transit and automotive systems. Kennedy Fox, Reliability Failure Analysis Scientist, will present “Highly Accelerated Vibration Testing for the Evaluation of Solder Alloys in Automotive Applications” on January 24, 1:30-3pm. The paper analyses the performance of solder pastes and more specifically, how a paste’s resilience to vibration fatigue can influence the failure of an entire electronic unit in a vehicle.
As part of the PCB Plating and Finishes Track, Frank Xu, Technology Manager Final Finishes, will present “Reassessing Surface Finish Performance for Next Generation Technology” on January 22, 8-11am. Finishes such as aImAg, ImSn, OSP, ENIG and ENEPIG are well established in the decision making process for PCB fabricators when considering cost and performance. 5G is growing in importance and requires increased data flow. One challenge is signal loss, especially at higher frequency bandwidth.. Fabricators are once again looking to the next generation surface finishes to resolve the issue of signal loss; this paper compares and contrasts performance attributes of a range of finishes.
Phil Kinner, Global Business and Technical Director for Coatings, will present “A New Approach To Conformal Coating Demonstrates Significantly Improved Ruggedization Performance” in the Cleaning and Coatings Track. Phil will explore test data using the IPC-TR-587 technical report, ‘”Conformal Coating Material and Application ‘State of the Industry’’’ as the basis to compare the performance of assemblies coated with state-of-the-art materials as opposed to standard coatings used by manufacturers. In his presentation, which takes place on January 25, 3:30-5pm, Phil will examine the new findings from tests that show how a natural, slight shift in position of components during soldering could yield very different coating patterns and coating coverage, resulting in inconsistent protection from one board to the next.
The MacDermid Alpha team will also be welcoming visitors to Booth 1933 to discuss more about these subjects and our latest solutions that can deliver greater reliability and performance for today’s increasingly complex electronics assemblies.
Testimonial
"We’re proud to call I-Connect007 a trusted partner. Their innovative approach and industry insight made our podcast collaboration a success by connecting us with the right audience and delivering real results."
Julia McCaffrey - NCAB GroupSuggested Items
Weller Tools Supports Future Talent with Exclusive Donation to SMTA Michigan Student Soldering Competition
07/23/2025 | Weller ToolsWeller Tools, the industry leader in hand soldering solutions, is proud to announce its support of the upcoming SMTA Michigan Expo & Tech Forum by donating a limited-edition 80th Anniversary Black Soldering Set to the event’s student soldering competition.
Koh Young Appoints Tom Hattori as President of Koh Young Japan
07/21/2025 | Koh YoungKoh Young Technology, the global leader in True 3D measurement-based inspection solutions, announced the appointment of Tom Hattori as President of Koh Young Japan (JKY).
Silicon Mountain Contract Services Enhances SMT Capabilities with New HELLER Reflow Oven
07/17/2025 | Silicon Mountain Contract ServicesSilicon Mountain Contract Services, a leading provider of custom electronics manufacturing solutions, is proud to announce a significant upgrade to its SMT production capability with the addition of a HELLER 2043 MK5 10‑zone reflow oven to its Nampa facility.
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Addressing End-of-life Component Solderability Issues, Part 4
07/16/2025 | Nash Bell -- Column: Knocking Down the Bone PileIn 1983, the Department of Defense identified that over 40% of military electronic system failures in the field were electrical, with approximately 50% attributed to poor solder connections. Investigations revealed that plated finishes, typically nickel or tin, were porous and non-intermetallic.
SHENMAO Strengthens Semiconductor Capabilities with Acquisition of PMTC
07/10/2025 | SHENMAOSHENMAO America, Inc. has announced the acquisition of Profound Material Technology Co., Ltd. (PMTC), a premier Taiwan-based manufacturer of high-performance solder balls for semiconductor packaging.