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Delving Into Special Sessions at IPC APEX EXPO 2024
May 28, 2024 | Happy Holden, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Once again, we were back at IPC APEX EXPO for another show and conference, and back to gathering in the Anaheim Convention Center. With Disneyland just across the street, there were tourists everywhere.
This APEX EXPO was bigger than ever, with more activities, Professional Development Courses, standards committee meetings, and the 16th Electronic Circuits World Convention. I really enjoyed walking around and seeing everything the show had to offer.
After an excellent keynote on Tuesday by Paul Bailey titled “The Art of the Impossible,” the show opened, and a large crowd surged in. I spent the day walking the aisles and looking at all the technologies. One factor that kept recurring was the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a catchphrase. It was difficult to really understand what part of AI was being employed, but it was the use of rule-based learning of errors that could then be used to correct the root causes. Many of the Real Time With… interviews conducted in the I-Connect007 booth discussed the prevalence of AI.
One of the highlights for me was the Taiwan High-Tech Forum on Wednesday, presented by the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA). TSMC provided opening remarks about the super-IC fabrication for the world. They showed a very slick video about their processes and packaging. Other Taiwan luminaries, including the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), gave an overview of its research for IC packaging and critical materials. This was followed by key Taiwan packaging substrate suppliers like Unimicron and Kinsus Interconnect Technology Corp., where leaders reviewed their technologies, capabilities, and materials. As the day went on, it seemed that the presentations were increasingly about marketing rather than technical presentations, as very few facts and data were presented; it was more about products and capabilities.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the 2024 issue of Show & Tell Magazine, click here.
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Brent Fischthal - Koh YoungSuggested Items
Building Electronics Excellence in India
09/08/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineOver two decades, Dave Bergman has helped steer the Global Electronics Association’s work in India, from a single training course to a thriving regional operation with deep government and industry ties. In this interview, Dave explains how the group went from partnering with IPCA to opening its own office in 2010, creating India’s first domestic electronics manufacturing standard, and securing funding for dozens of Indian companies to attend U.S. trade shows.
Walt Custer: Making Data Interesting
09/03/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007I just learned that IPC Hall of Famer Walt Custer has passed away at 81. I first met Walt about 20 years ago when I started covering the fabrication industry. Right away, he started telling me which companies to watch and which trends to follow. This was in the years following 9/11, and things were still pretty fluid.
The Chemical Connection: Experience and Wisdom Gained by Doing Business
09/03/2025 | Don Ball -- Column: The Chemical ConnectionA well-managed company learns to adjust its strategies and processes based on what it learns during challenging times. The experience gained from making (or losing) a difficult sale is invaluable in adapting new sales and manufacturing processes necessary to make that sale the next time, no matter how painful those new processes might be.
Labor Day: U.S. Federal Holiday
09/01/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Today is Labor Day, a U.S. federal holiday that Americans celebrate on the first Monday of September each year. This marks the 131st anniversary of the holiday. In 1887, Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day an official holiday. In 1894, after the Pullman Strike, Congress passed a bill that recognized Labor Day as a federal holiday, and President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law.
Target Condition: Floor Planning Without a Floor
08/27/2025 | Kelly Dack -- Column: Target ConditionBy a show of hands, how many PCB designers have been asked to start a layout without a board outline, keep-out zones, or even height constraints? How many have had to work within a specific enclosure before the schematic was finalized? If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Starting a PCB layout without critical constraints is like hiring an interior designer to buy furniture and carpet for a house you haven’t even purchased yet, or, even worse, trying to fit four bedrooms' worth of furniture in a one-room cabin.