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IPC APEX EXPO: Some Thoughts About Growth
May 16, 2024 | Dan Feinberg, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 1 minute
After 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.
This event has grown from a group of the leading suppliers in the industry of the late 20th-century PCB fabrication industry—mostly focused in the U.S. at that time—to a global trade show that includes extremely impressive exhibits (and a few not-so-impressive ones) exhibiting PCB assembly, fabrication, and design manufacturing equipment; raw materials; process materials and chemicals; software and design tools; and components. These come from contract manufacturers and large suppliers of all sizes. If you attend IPC APEX EXPO, you can explore every segment and anything needed to design and build an electronic device, from the design to the assembled device. I think the next logical step would be to see the completed device shown and marketed at CES or in stores.
This year, many of us who were involved years ago in the dream of IPC having such a show were discussing how this event has grown in ability, complexity, and value over the past quarter-century. There is a lot of pride in how this event has matured. This includes the show floor, the design and fab meetings, the ability of senior management in all segments of the industry to discuss and plan for the future, and the valuable assets provided to assist those just entering the industry.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the 2024 issue of Show & Tell Magazine, click here.
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Advanced Packaging and Stackup Design: December 2024—Design007 Magazine
12/09/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamIn this month's issue,, we asked our expert contributors to discuss the impact of advanced packaging on stackup design—from SI and DFM challenges through the variety of material tradeoffs that designers must contend with in the arena of HDI and UHDI. And with a little research, planning, and collaboration with the fabricator, any seasoned PCB designer can utilize advanced packaging.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
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12/05/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007Design engineer Chris Young is known for his optimized design process. As lead hardware engineer with Moog Space and Defense Group and owner of Young Engineering Services, Chris collects data like it’s going out of style, and he leaves nothing to chance. With that in mind, I asked Chris to discuss his views on rules of thumb—which ones work, which ones should be avoided, and how rules fit ideally into the PCB design process.