Best Technical Papers at IPC APEX EXPO 2025 Selected

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The best technical conference papers of IPC APEX EXPO 2025 have been selected. Voted on through a ballot process by members of the IPC APEX EXPO Technical Conference Program Committee (TPC), the international group of paper authors will be recognized during show opening remarks on Tuesday, March 18.

“The TPC is absolutely focused on providing the highest quality content to the technical conference,” said Stan Rak, co-chair of the TPC. “This commitment to quality is reflected in this year's selection of Best of Conference, NextGen, and Best Student Research papers. We extend our congratulations to all the award winners and a thank you to all paper contributors in this 25^th anniversary year of IPC APEX EXPO.”  

Taking top honors in the Best of Conference category, the winning papers are:

• “High Voltage Temperature-humidity-bias Testing of Electronic Materials on the Outer Layer of a PCB – A Round Robin Study and Beyond” by Dr. Lothar Henneken, Robert Bosch GmbH. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session 1 on March 18.
• “A Method for Real-Time Rejection of Defective Components During the Pick and Place Process Using AI Technology” by Dr. Eyal Weiss, Cybord. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session 3 on March 18.
• “Alternative Methods in Measuring BGAs for Thermal Warpage” by Neil Hubble, Akrometrix. Co-author: Chris Gastaldo, Akrometrix. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session 5 on March 18.

The NextGen best paper is awarded to:

• “Improving THT-AOI Image Classification through Federated Learning: A Study on Model Performance and Training Stability under Various Data Distributions” by Ben Rachinger, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. Co-authors: Nils Thielen, Sven Meier, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Franke, Prof. Dr.-Ing Florian Risch, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute for Factory Automation and Production Systems. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session 26 on March 19.

The Best Student paper (and scholarship) is awarded to:

• “Flexible Hybrid Electronics Created from a Multicomponent System of Electroless Copper on Laser-Induced Graphene” by Attila Rektor, Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University. Co-authors: Dr. Josh Eixenberger, Boise State University; Dr. Tony Vayalil Varghese, Boise State University; Brian Cummings, Boise State University; Michael Curtis, Boise State University, Science Applications International Corporation; Dr. Nicholas McKibben, Boise State University; Dr. John Timler, Science Applications International Corporation; and Prof. David Estrada, Boise State University, Idaho National Laboratory. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session 23 on March 19.

All technical conference papers were evaluated on their technical content, originality, test procedures and data used to deduce conclusions, quality of illustrations and the clarity and professionalism of writing as well as value to the industry.

To register for IPC APEX EXPO 2025 or for more information on all the activities taking place, including professional development courses, exhibition, keynote presentations, networking activities and more, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org.