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

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

It’s been a busy week in the world of PCB design and manufacturing. In this week’s roundup, there’s a little bit of everything. We have a look at PCB technology of tomorrow, an interview with an engineer who designs both PCBs and ICs, and government relations news from Washington, D.C. We also have an article on dispensing technology, and a final installment of our podcast on “designing for reality.”

Fall is here, and I for one am glad it’s not 97 degrees anymore. I’m heading out to the Anaheim Electronics and Manufacturing Show and PCB West (AEMS), a new event by the same people who run the Del Mar Electronics Show near San Diego. I hope to see you at a show!    

Global Perspectives: The Future of PCB Technology
Published September 18

Marcy LaRont brings us a great interview with Joe Dickson, a senior vice president at Wus Printed Circuit Co. Ltd., and one of the foremost experts on advanced PCB technologies. In this conversation, Joe discusses the trends he’s seeing in PCB fabrication around the globe, and he explains some new processes used at Wus, including additive circuitry carrier processing, also called “known good layers.” Check it out.

PCB Designers: ‘Level Up’ IC, Packaging Knowledge
Published September 16

Chip design and PCB design have been separate disciplines for decades. But we’re starting to see a blurring of the lines between these camps. In this interview, Soo Lan Cheah discusses the silicon-to-systems concept and what she’s learned over the years designing integrated circuits and printed circuit boards. Are PCB designers of the future going to be trained in chip design, and vice versa?

The Government Circuit: News on Defense Electronics, Europe, and Sustainability
Published September 17

I grew up five miles from Washington, D.C. This area was a swamp when Pierre L’Enfant laid out the city 200 years ago. Well, in some ways, it’s still a swamp, and IPC’s Chris Mitchell has the unenviable job of keeping an eye on the politicians and bureaucrats there. Some of our elected officials will “spit” in your ear and tell you it’s rain, especially in an election year. In his latest column, Chris provides updates on plans for government investment in the PCB community, particularly in defense, and a variety of electronics industry resolutions working their way through Congress. Always a good read.

Auguring in on Dispensing
Published September 19

Dispensing isn’t one of the more exciting operations in PCB assembly, but there have been a number of innovations in this field, particularly in the past few decades. In this conversation, Sunny Agarwal of Camalot Dispensers R&D breaks down some of the advances in dispensing technology since the 1990s, such as jet dispensers, as well as strategies like their CBI (customer-based innovation) model.    

Routing, Final Fab, and QC: Don’t Miss the Final Episode of On the Line With… Designing for Reality
Published September 19

If you’re a regular reader, you’ve probably been following our podcast On the Line With… Designing for Reality. In this final installment of the series, Matt Stevenson of ASC Sunstone walks us through the last stages of PCB manufacturing, specifically from a “designing for reality” viewpoint. If we’re not designing for reality, we will have problems.