Elementary, Mr. Watson: Why Your PCB Looks Like a Studio Apartment
The Shaughnessy Report: A Plan for Floor Planning
Dana on Data: Best Practices in Interpreting Drawing Notes—‘Use Latest Revision’
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
February 14, 2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Show season is upon us. Recently, Marcy LaRont and I attended DesignCon’s 30th anniversary show, and the expo floor was packed for almost the entire time. Show managers went all out, hosting a welcome party that included a rocking DJ. Much of the event revolved around AI and how to implement it. Is your company utilizing AI now?
Some of the engineers I met with have attended every DesignCon over the past 30 years, which is a great testimonial to the show’s longevity. Coming soon, we are headed to IPC APEX EXPO (the 25th anniversary of that event) and PCB East. You can look here for the industry’s best show coverage.
I’m featuring an abundance of articles from the past week, covering everything from DesignCon presentations to the benefits of volunteering for an IPC committee. If you’ve ever thought about joining a relevant committee, IPC is always looking for “new blood.”
See you again in a few weeks!
Here’s Looking at You, Kid
Published February 13
We’re in the middle of a PCB designer shortage, and it’s likely to get worse before it gets better. We need thousands of young PCB designers and design engineers. Where are we going to find them, and how are we going to train them when we do find them? We asked design instructors Kris Moyer and John Watson to weigh in, and, as usual, they had plenty of great ideas.
Facing the Future: The Evolution of the North American PCB Industry
Published February 12
Prashant Patel, the founder of Alpha Circuit, is one of our newest columnists. He brings us a great overview of the evolution of the North American PCB industry. As he points out, despite the shrinking number of board shops here, this region has quite a few positive things going for it, with resilience and reinvention topping the list.
Happy Holden: How I Became an Engineer
Published February 11
Somehow, I always thought that Happy Holden came from a family of scientists. But as Happy explains in this interview with Marcy LaRont, his father was a dairy farmer, and his mother was a chemist on the Manhattan Project. He’s always an interesting interview. Check it out.
Managing Energy Flow with Proper Stackup Design
Published February 13
Managing a PCB’s energy flow can be a delicate dance, and the stackup can play a big role here. In this interview, Dan Beeker recaps his DesignCon presentation, explaining how thoughtful stackup design can help designers conduct energy where they want it to go, and away from where they don’t want it.
The Secret Value of Committee Work
Published February 12
If you’ve always wondered what happens in IPC committees, you won’t want to miss this interview with Teresa Rowe, the head of standards and practices at IPC. Teresa explains the “secret value” of volunteering to work on these committees; as she says, “standards committee work is not for everyone,” but it might be just what you’re looking for.
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Zhen Ding Reports Record 1H25 Revenue with Increasing Profits
08/13/2025 | Zhen Ding TechnologyZhen Ding Technology Holding Limited, a global leading PCB manufacturer, held an investor conference and announced its consolidated financial results for the second quarter and first half of 2025.
Insulectro and Electroninks Sign North American Distribution Agreement
08/12/2025 | InsulectroElectroninks, a leader in metal organic decomposition (MOD) inks for additive manufacturing and advanced semiconductor packaging, today announced a strategic collaboration and distribution partnership with Insulectro, a premier distributor of materials used in printed electronics and advanced interconnect manufacturing.
Happy’s Tech Talk #41: Sustainability and Circularity for Electronics Manufacturing
08/13/2025 | Happy Holden -- Column: Happy’s Tech TalkI attended INEMI’s June 12 online seminar, “Sustainable Electronics Tech Topic Series: PCBs and Sustainability.” Dr. Maarten Cauwe of imec spoke on “Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Models for Assessing and Improving the Environmental Impact of PCB Assemblies,” and Jack Herring of Jiva Materials Ltd. spoke on “Transforming Electronics with Recyclable PCB Technology.” This column will review information and provide analysis from both presentations.
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Why Your PCB Looks Like a Studio Apartment
08/13/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonIn November 2022, I wrote a column called "Is Your Bathroom in the Kitchen?" This piece related a bizarre real estate listing that emerged out of St. Louis that had architects scratching their heads and interior designers cringing. Nestled in the historic Central West End sat a 200-square-foot apartment that completely defied logic. It wasn't the size that raised eyebrows, it was the layout. Here's the kicker: While that's rare in real estate, it's shockingly common in PCB design.
Facing the Future: Challenges and Opportunities in Reshoring PCB Manufacturing
08/12/2025 | Prashant Patel -- Column: Facing the FutureFor decades, offshore manufacturing dominated the global electronics industry. The pursuit of cost efficiency, scalability, and access to vast labor markets made countries like China, Taiwan, and Vietnam attractive destinations for printed circuit board (PCB) production. But a seismic shift is underway, from geopolitical instability and supply chain disruptions to rising labor costs and national security concerns.