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What happens when the rule book is no longer useful, or worse, was never written in the first place? In today’s fast-moving electronics landscape, we’re increasingly asked to design and build what has no precedent, no proven path, and no tidy checklist to follow. This is where “Design for Invention” begins.
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Paige Fiet: From Emerging Engineer to Quality at TTM
March 19, 2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Editor’s note: This interview was originally recorded at IPC APEX EXPO 2024 as part of a series of interviews with IPC Emerging Engineers.
Paige Fiet is a graduate of the IPC Emerging Engineer program and now works at TTM Technologies in Logan, Utah. She was an IPC Student Board Member and has been a columnist for I-Connect007. She is a stellar example and an encouragement to other young engineers about how to be successful in your early career.
Paige, pleave give an overview of your career so far? Highlight any key factors that motivated you to pursue your role in engineering?
Paige Fiet: My dad was an engineer and as a kid, I remember going to visit him at his factory. I distinctly remember the day they put in a robot arm and how excited he was. I thought it would be like something from “The Jetsons,” but it was just an arm. I was freaked out at first, but he thought it was so cool. That day has stayed with me ever since.
In kindergarten, when everyone said they wanted to be a firefighter or a doctor, I said I wanted to be an engineer. Now, that may have changed a few times over the years, but by college, I knew I wanted to pursue electrical engineering.
I got into electronics through a PCB manufacturing class at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, and I really enjoyed it, so I joined the electronics club. Later, I applied and was selected as the IPC Student Board Member, which was an incredible learning opportunity for me.
Looking back at your career journey so far, what's been the most unexpected aspect or experience you’ve had?
I remember taking this English course in high school, and we had to write a weekly blog about whatever we wanted. I told myself that I would never write articles again. Now, I've been writing articles for I-Connect007 for about two years. It’s funny how these types of things work out.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the February 2025 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
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Julia McCaffrey - NCAB GroupSuggested Items
Hall of Fame Spotlight Series: Highlighting Karen McConnell
05/07/2026 | Dan Feinberg, I-Connect007In 2021, Karen McConnell was awarded the Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame award in recognition of her contributions to the Association and the electronics industry. As a senior staff member and CAD/CAM engineer at Northrop Grumman Enterprise Services, her primary responsibility was to develop a common, shared EDM (Electronic Document Management) library to support the electrical and PCB design tool initiatives across Northrop Grumman Mission Systems.
A Necessary Shift From Gerber to IPC-2581
05/07/2026 | Tracy Riggan, Global Electronics AssociationIPC-2581 is an open, vendor-neutral data exchange standard developed by the Global Electronics Association to streamline the exchange of PCB design information across fabrication, assembly, and test. It replaces multiple legacy formats—including industry standards, Gerber, and ODB++—with a single, comprehensive, XML-based dataset that captures all manufacturing details.
When Quality Is Personal: The Human Stakes Behind Electronics Reliability
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PCBAA, AAM Take on the Fight to Rebuild U.S. Manufacturing in New Documentary
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Vern Solberg: A Designer's Focus on High Density
04/30/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007 MagazineVern Solberg is a distinguished member of the Global Electronics Association Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame and has served as chair or vice chair of many committees, developing technical standards and implementation guidelines, including the IPC-7090 series, which focuses on design for manufacturing and reliability for electronic assemblies. He’s a long-time contributor to Design007 Magazine, and he conducted a half-day tutorial at APEX EXPO 2026, where he addressed 2D, 2.5D, and 3D packaging and ultra-high density hybrid bond interconnect. I caught up with Vern at the show and asked about his pivot from addressing more standard design challenges to his focus on high-density circuits.