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

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Welcome to October! It’s officially in fall in the Northern Hemisphere (whether or not it feels like it for many of us). Fall presents us with a lot of tradeshow activity, such as the Anaheim Electronics & Manufacturing Show, which kicked off the month in California. Our intrepid managing editor Andy Shaughnessy has been on the scene and I look forward to hearing more about the show from him.

Next week, we’ll be at PCB West in the Bay Area, followed by SMTAI in Chicago the following week. For me, it feels like a proper launch into standard Q4 craziness highlighted by the end-of-year sales hustle and frenetic finalization of 2025 budgets. October also brings a stark reminder that the holiday season will soon be upon us. So, let the crazy begin.

Battling Counterfeit Electronics in Manufacturing
Published September 30

This week in industry news, and appropriately in advance of Halloween, we published SMT007 Magazine’s October issues, focusing on the scary situation of counterfeit components. Nolan Johnson and his guests document how the problem has evolved into ever more sophisticated models of fakes, accompanied by an often staggering liability cost. In our current culture of rampant “fakes” in everything from media to identities, this highly educational (and entertaining) interview with Paul Jarski is a must-read.

Stringent High-speed Requirements Pose Technology Challenges
Published October 3

I’d be remiss if I didn’t highlight iNEMI’s PCB Technology Roadmap, where Tarja Rapala and Joe Beers take us through what is in store for printed circuit board and packaging technology these next few years, some of which we have a response to—and some we don’t. They state, “Technology evolution will be driven by requirements to be: faster, smaller, hotter, greener, (and) cheaper.” If you haven’t already, this is a must-read.

Dana on Data: Resurrecting IPC Class 1
Published October 3

Dana Korf is always an interesting and provocative read. In this most recent column, he asks, “Are we too conservative?” in relation to our PCB build standards, citing his 22-year-old iPod as an example of electronic devices living long past their anticipated “expire by” date. He asks us to ponder things like, “Can lower grade materials be used?” and “Should we reduce standard copper thicknesses?” Whether you agree, his questions are valuable and important as we move forward with a greater need to look at many things differently.

It’s Only Common Sense: Creating a Company Culture Rooted in Well-being
Published September 30

In Dan Beaulieu’s latest column, he focuses on business culture and the well-being of our employees. In characteristic form, Dan introduces his topic: “We need to do more if we want to succeed,” and follows up with, “This is no longer your father’s workforce.” Using Richard Safeer’s 2023 book, A Cure for the Common Company: A Well-Being Prescription for a Happier, Healthier, and More Resilient Workforce, he summarizes the primary tenets to support a culture rooted in the positive well-being of your employees.

Mycronic’s Jet Set Technology
Published October 2

Nolan Johnson talked about higher technology with Mycronic’s Wolfgang Heinecke as they discussed jet printing technology and how it solves some of the problems experienced with traditional stencil printing. As printing challenges increase, Wolfgang says, jet printing technology allows for less board handling and better control of solder application. Though solder stencils are not yet a thing of the past, jet printing technology has a lot to offer when dealing with smaller, denser PCBAs.