I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week 

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

It is Friday again as we find ourselves at the end of a short, post-holiday week in the U.S. As we stare down this first weekend in June and move unofficially into summer, there is no rest for the weary despite looming vacation schedules. My picks for your five must-reads this week have a largely technical theme, with one exception highlighting workforce training and education. This week, our columnists enjoy particular attention with Barry Olney, Mehul Dave, and Happy Holden all providing valuable insight on materials, the critical importance of the front-end engineering process once a PCB design is received, and an overview and observations around IPC APEX EXPO technical sessions. Also highlighted is the most recent episode in our podcast with Cadence. Given an upcoming Design007 issue that will discuss the emerging discipline of “mechatronics,” this podcast episode on empowering EEs may serve as a nice appetizer for more information to come. 

Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: IPC's Workforce Training and Onboarding Solutions
Published May 31

Workforce is on everyone’s minds, whether in the context of the impending mass attrition of a certain demographic, the need for young blood, or automation that will necessitate a smaller skilled workforce. What we all know for sure is that we are late to the party in recruiting workers into our dynamic part of the electronics supply chain. Proper education and training are paramount. This is what makes all the work IPC is currently doing in this space particularly exciting. At IPC APEX EXPO this year, IPC’s Kelly Allen sat down with Carlos Plaza, IPC senior director of education, to discuss workforce training, education, and onboarding. If you haven’t already watched it, I encourage you to tune in. This is a great prelude to a detailed interview that will be featured in the June issue of PCB007 Magazine on IPC’s recently published white paper breaking down the challenges and building up the solutions to our workforce woes.

Beyond Design: Dielectric Material Selection Guide
Published May 23

Consistent with the ongoing industry discussion around material types and choices, especially concerning “high-speed” designs, it is no surprise that Barry Olney’s column, “Dielectric Material Selection Guide,” got a lot of reads this past week. Barry breaks down high frequencies, edge rates, Dk and Df, explaining the intimate relationship between all parts of the whole, and how the dielectric between the copper and plane layers makes all the difference in getting where you need to be. The popularity of his piece also speaks to a great need for what might be considered relatively ground-level information on the subject, which perhaps hints that we are finally seeing a younger demographic of PCB designers and engineers become more prominent in our midst. Hurray! 

Podcast Episode: Empowering Electrical Engineers
Published May 23

Our popular Cadence podcast series’ current episode is entitled “More Power to the EE.” Cadence has long been a premier PCB design tool provider. Thus, they know of what they speak. Each roughly 28-minute episode drills down on one very specific topic that challenges the PCB designer. In this episode, Nolan Johnson speaks with Cadence’s Supreeth Mannava about helping designers to “shift left.” The idea of the PCB designer crossing over a bit into the EE world without needing decades of experience in that specialty is a genuine challenge. This episode is about empowering the PCB designer, and a great follow-on to the SI/PI episode. Take a listen.   

The Big Picture: Quality Front-end Engineering as a Core Differentiator
Published May 28

If you want to stand out to your customers as a PCB broker, Mehul Dave discusses how one’s front-end engineering process is a core differentiator. From a solid design rule check review to suggesting design improvements, to verifying material availability and lead times, a qualified front-end engineering review and process for customer communication makes all the difference in guaranteeing manufacturability and yield and ultimately has the potential to cut your end customer’s product costs. Though Mehul speaks about it from the standpoint of a PCB broker, this holds true for stand-alone fabricators as well. If you hit a home run here, you are highly likely to have a very satisfied customer. 

Delving Into Special Sessions at IPC APEX EXPO 2024
Published May 28

From this year’s IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Show & Tell Magazine, industry renowned Happy Holden gives both an overview and a review on the show’s Technical Sessions, highlighting Paul Bailey’s excellent keynote address and the Taiwan High-Tech Forum as two particular show highlights. In his article, he laments what he experienced as more marketing than technical content from some presenters, and engages in a short discussion on materials, advanced packaging and UHDI, highlighting the presentations of AT&S, Resonac, and Dai Nippon. Even in this quick read, Happy chalks his article full of valuable tidbits.