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

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

We’re deep into fall, and the cooler weather is finally starting to hit places like California and Arizona (the states where I divide my time). October is also one of the busiest trade show seasons, and this past week was no exception. We’ve covered PCB West, the Build Better 2024 Summit, and SMTAI, back in Chicago this year. Our staff stays busy covering the shows and publishing quality content in our monthly magazines and daily and weekly newsletters.

Just this month, the Fall issue of IPC Community was released, spotlighting the global activities of IPC and its members. SMT007 Magazine covers the scary situation around counterfeit components. Design007 Magazine is not playing tricks with its hard-hitting discussions about “partial HDI.” (If you are asking yourself what that is, you really need to take a look.) Finally, PCB007 Magazine’s alternate metallization issue offers some real treats, including an interview featured this past week with Carmichael Gugliotti of MacDermid Alpha. In you’re in the U.S., here’s to an early Happy Halloween.

Spotlight on Jayda: Ucamco's Revolutionary PCB Quoting Software
Published October 21

AI, machine learning, and smart manufacturing seem to be running themes across electronics manufacturing. My audio interview with Frank Van den Bossche of Ucamco keeps that conversation going. We don’t talk enough about quoting, yet it’s a critical and strategic component to our businesses. Online quoting of PCBs can become complex, and getting an accurate quote quickly can be challenging. Ucamco’s Jayda software offers sophisticated AI technology and algorithms to analyze PCB design files quickly and in detail to allow for very accurate quoting. 

The Cost-Benefit Analysis of Direct Metallization
Published October 21

Alternate metallization is the topic in the October issue of PCB007 Magazine, and Carmichael Gugliotti of MacDermid Alpha kicks it off with a discussion of the Blackhole® and Shadow® metallization processes using carbon or graphite. Carmichael provides a thorough explanation of this cutting-edge process and shares the abstract from his recently published white paper. If you are working in HDI and/or UHDI PCBs, this article is for you. 

Build Better 2024 Summit: Creating a Vision for Future Tech
Published October 22

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Build Better Electronics show, and it was a different type of trade show than what we typically cover. Focused solely on OEM product development and hardware manufacturing, it was nice to hear discussion directly from the OEM’s mouths. Held on the USS Hornet aircraft carrier-turned-museum docked in Alameda, California, the venue was a nice diversion from the norm and contributed to a general air of thinking out of the box. For the pictures if nothing else, I urge you to check out this quick read. 

Standard of Excellence: Finding and Hiring the Right Candidates for Engineering Positions
Published October 23

Workforce is such a big topic for every industry these days, especially for manufacturing. Anaya Vardya aptly declares the state of the state for our businesses, “Without a doubt, the biggest challenge we face today is finding, hiring and keeping the right people.” Kicking off what will be a three-part miniseries within his column on this topic, Anaya emphasizes starting out right by citing things like being clear and accurate in your job description, thinking out of the box when looking at potential best-fit candidates, and utilizing modern technology to your greatest advantage, among a list of other important things we must all keep in mind for truly successful hiring. 

The IPC Hall of Fame and Its Namesake
Published October 23

Dan Feinberg is penning a new special series spotlighting IPC Hall of Fame members over the years. In this first installment of this special feature series, Dan provides a history lesson on how the Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award (HOF) Award came into being, and highlights the man himself. A passionate visionary with a talent for bringing people together, his legacy remains important today. This quick read is worth a few minutes of your time.