-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueRules of Thumb
This month, we delve into rules of thumb—which ones work, which ones should be avoided. Rules of thumb are everywhere, but there may be hundreds of rules of thumb for PCB design. How do we separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak?
Partial HDI
Our expert contributors provide a complete, detailed view of partial HDI this month. Most experienced PCB designers can start using this approach right away, but you need to know these tips, tricks and techniques first.
Silicon to Systems: From Soup to Nuts
This month, we asked our expert contributors to weigh in on silicon to systems—what it means to PCB designers and design engineers, EDA companies, and the rest of the PCB supply chain... from soup to nuts.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
Virginia is for (PCB) Lovers: Weidmuller USA Celebrating 50 Years in Virginia
November 18, 2024 | Linda Stepanich, IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The Weidmuller Group, a provider of Smart Industrial Connectivity products and solutions, is a family-owned company founded in 1850 in Germany. It currently operates sites in more than 80 countries. Weidmuller USA, based in Richmond, Virginia, and celebrating 50 years in 2025, plans to open an engineering and production facility this fall, bringing more jobs to the region.
One of the employees instrumental in ensuring Weidmuller USA’s strength in the industry is Phil Dobler, director of operations, who brought IPC standards to the company. When he began his tenure 28 years ago, Phil found many experienced staff members but none with formal assembly training. Weidmuller’s Engineering and Assembly Services, a value-added service operating out of the Richmond office, assembles, produces, and distributes its products based on customer specifications, and meeting those needs requires consistency in production. For his staff to succeed, Phil realized they needed a more consistent and structured approach to their work.
Phil says he looked for “easy-to-use standards with some training, which could be implemented to enhance our performance. We also wanted guidelines on what is acceptable and not acceptable. We found that with IPC right away.”
He quickly noticed that the production process, which had previously received complaints resulting in returns and rework, saw a large reduction in criticism after the staff underwent training.
“We saw our number of customer complaints fall right off the table; now it is very rare that we get a complaint,” Phil says. “Using the IPC training videos was a huge help; knowing what is acceptable and what is not has benefited our assemblers greatly. We went from no formal training to customers wanting assembly to IPC-A-610, and we could find common talking points with our customers, which made it all easier. We were glad to incorporate IPC into our shop and quality procedures.”
Read this rest of this artice in the Fall 2024 issue of IPC Community.
Suggested Items
IPC Introduces First Standard for In-Mold Electronics
11/18/2024 | IPCIPC announces the release of IPC-8401, Guidelines for In-Mold Electronics. IPC-8401 addresses in-mold electronics (IME) technology, providing industry consensus on guidelines for manufacturing processes, part structures, material selection, and production test methods to integrate printed electronics and components into 3D smart structures.
Disruptive Innovation and Generative AI Inventor, Kevin Surace, to Keynote IPC APEX EXPO 2025
11/15/2024 | IPCEach year, IPC APEX EXPO features industry’s most dynamic, innovative minds to deliver keynote presentations that are both educational and entertaining. IPC APEX EXPO 2025 will feature Kevin Surace, an internationally renowned futurist and generative artificial intelligence (AI) innovator.
TRI at SMTA Silicon Valley Expo & Tech Forum 2024
11/12/2024 | TRITest Research, Inc. (TRI), the leading provider of test and inspection systems for the electronics manufacturing industry, will join the SMTA Silicon Valley Expo & Tech Forum 2024 on December 5, 2024, at the Fremont Marriott Silicon Valley.
Electronics Manufacturing Association Statement on U.S. Election Results
11/08/2024 | IPCJohn Mitchell, President and CEO of IPC, the global electronics manufacturing industry association, issued the following statement on the United States’ election results:
Meeting in Vienna: PCB Designers Invited to Engage in the Silicon to Systems Process
11/08/2024 | Michelle Te, IPC CommunityPCB designers interested in innovative ideas, technical prowess, relevance, quality, and doing their best work can now register for the inaugural Pan-European Electronics Design Conference (PEDC), Jan. 29-30, 2025, in Vienna, Austria.