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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
June 23, 2023 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
June 21 marked the first official day of summer, and it’s the longest day of the year. I’m wearing by best Hawaiian shirt right now. But we’ve been too busy to hit the beach yet.
There’s a lot going on in our industry right now. In this week’s Top 5, we have our coverage of the recent SMTA Oregon Expo & Tech Forum, a show that drew a good crowd of technologists. There’s some good news about PCB sales, but the book-to-bill ratio is still below 1.00. A group of fabricators share their thoughts on the PCB design challenges of today—you may see your views reflected in this article.
We have a great piece on rigid-flex circuits and a few less costly options that just might do the trick. And this week we published our final On the Line with… podcast with Siemens’ Jonathan Fromm, who discusses sustainability from a global and local perspective.
We’ll get to the beach soon. I hope you do too!
Oregon Plays Host to Popular SMTA Expo
Published June 19
Our I-Connect007 editors covered the recent SMTA Oregon Expo & Tech Forum in Wilsonville, Oregon. Speakers and exhibitors came from around the country to this show, which turned out to be a healthy sized tabletop event. These little shows are more popular than ever now. Don’t miss our cool SMTA Oregon photo gallery.
PCB Design Challenges—From the Fabricator’s Viewpoint
Published June 22
When we set out to discuss the most common PCB design challenges of today, we knew that we had to ask fabricators to share their two cents’ worth. In this article, the fab folks don’t hold back their opinions about mistakes, missteps and miscues that they witness on the PCB design side, and they offer some helpful tips that address these issues.
It’s a Team Effort: Final Episode in Sustainability Series Out Now
Published June 21
Everyone is talking about sustainability, but how do you initiate a process this wide-ranging at your company? Check out our latest—and final—On the Line with… podcast with Siemens’ Jonathan Fromm, who discusses the “eight R’s” of sustainability from a predictive analytics viewpoint.
North American PCB Industry Sales Up 6.7% in May
Published June 23
We had some good news this week: North American PCB sales rose 6.7% YoY in May. But May shipments were down 1.9% from the previous year and the book-to-bill ratio is 0.89. A book-to-bill of 1.0 is a sign that demand is ahead of supply.
Rigid-flex, Rigidized Flex, or Hybrid Flex?
Published June 22
Sure, rigid-flex is a hot topic now, and this construction is popping up in more consumer devices than ever. But rigid-flex isn’t exactly cheap. As our contributor Mike Morando PFC Flexible Circuits points out, there are several potential options that may serve a customer as well as rigid-flex, without the cost. I expect we’ll be seeing more rigidized flex in the future.
Suggested Items
KIC’s Miles Moreau to Present Profiling Basics and Best Practices at SMTA Wisconsin Chapter PCBA Profile Workshop
01/25/2024 | KICKIC, a renowned pioneer in thermal process and temperature measurement solutions for electronics manufacturing, announces that Miles Moreau, General Manager, will be a featured speaker at the SMTA Wisconsin Chapter In-Person PCBA Profile Workshop.
The Drive Toward UHDI and Substrates
09/20/2023 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamPanasonic’s Darren Hitchcock spoke with the I-Connect007 Editorial Team on the complexities of moving toward ultra HDI manufacturing. As we learn in this conversation, the number of shifting constraints relative to traditional PCB fabrication is quite large and can sometimes conflict with each other.
Standard Of Excellence: The Products of the Future
09/19/2023 | Anaya Vardya -- Column: Standard of ExcellenceIn my last column, I discussed cutting-edge innovations in printed circuit board technology, focusing on innovative trends in ultra HDI, embedded passives and components, green PCBs, and advanced substrate materials. This month, I’m following up with the products these new PCB technologies are destined for. Why do we need all these new technologies?
Experience ViTrox's State-of-the-Art Offerings at SMTA Guadalajara 2023 Presented by Sales Channel Partner—SMTo Engineering
09/18/2023 | ViTroxViTrox, which aims to be the world’s most trusted technology company, is excited to announce that our trusted Sales Channel Partner (SCP) in Mexico, SMTo Engineering, S.A. de C.V., will be participating in SMTA Guadalajara Expo & Tech Forum. They will be exhibiting in Booth #911 from the 25th to the 26th of October 2023, at the Expo Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico.
Intel Unveils Industry-Leading Glass Substrates to Meet Demand for More Powerful Compute
09/18/2023 | IntelIntel announced one of the industry’s first glass substrates for next-generation advanced packaging, planned for the latter part of this decade.