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

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

How was your week? I’ve spent my time recovering from a busy and interesting week in Anaheim for the 25th IPC APEX EXPO. I think back to my first APEX EXPO, and the changes since then are too numerous to count.

I first attended IPC APEX EXPO in 2004, also in Anaheim, back when there was almost no design content in the conference or expo portions of the show. It was just a few years after the downturn, and attendees and exhibitors alike were skittish, almost afraid to show confidence in our industry. A few unemployed design friends handed out copies of their resumes. Travel budgets were still down, and the aisles weren’t exactly packed with traffic.

Contrast that with this year’s APEX EXPO, which I think succeeded in every way. Everyone I spoke with was bullish on their company and the industry in general. There were no really slow times on the show floor, except right before the show closed last Thursday. Almost everyone seemed to be hiring, or planning to hire soon. A few managers said they were worried somewhat about the effect of tariffs on their bottom line, but for the most part, people were excited and happy to be in this industry. And there was plenty of design content this year, from the conference classes to the Design Town Hall. 

I watched "John Wick 2" on the trip out, and "John Wick 3" on the way home. (Why are there never any police around when John Wick is being shot at by 13 assassins at the same time in Central Park?) I have about a month until PCB East. Maybe I’ll see you there. So, here are my must-reads of the past week.

Life in the Fast Lane: A Smooth Ride for Bill Cardoso's New Business Converting Cobra Roadsters to Electric
Published March 26

Our contributors are an interesting group of people. Bill Cardoso is one of our columnists in X-ray inspection, but he also has a love of electric cars and Shelby Cobras. In this interview for IPC Community, Bill explains how he found himself converting his gas-powered Cobra into an EV, and eventually manufacturing Cobra EV conversion kits. Scorpion EV now sells complete Cobra EVs, including one that cranks out 1,000 horsepower in a 2,700-pound car, starting at $200,000 apiece. If you have the cash, get in line; there’s quite a waiting list.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Mycronic's Evolution Drives Record-breaking Year
Published March 26

This guy has a clue! (Sorry.) In this interview, Mycronic VP of Global Sales Kevin Clue and Editor Nolan Johnson discuss the company’s move over the past decade from pick-and-place supplier to a provider of full-line solutions, including screen printing, inspection technologies, material handling, and more. Like many companies in our industry, Myrconic isn’t letting the grass grow under its feet.

The Knowledge Base: At the Forefront of Electronics Manufacturing
Published March 26

In his latest Mike Konrad installment of The Knowledge Base, Mike Konrad describes the electronics manufacturing industry as being at a “transformative crossroads.” That seems like an apt description. As he explains, innovations in chip manufacturing, AI, and automation have the power to shape our industry for decades. Mike walks us through these developments and their implications for everyone involved. It’s a great time to be in this industry, but a momentous time as well. 

Global PCB Connections: A Field Engineer’s Perspective on the Top 10 Trends to Watch
Published March 27

Jerome Larez is one of the newest columnists in the I-Connect007 stable, and as he points out here, his job as an FAE for a large Chinese PCB company gives him a wide view of the tech trends in our industry. He lists the 10 trends that he thinks will shape PCB manufacturing over the next 10 years. Check it out.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Emphasizing Sustainability in PCB Design with Summit Interconnect
Published March 27

My interview with Summit Interconnect VP of Technology Gerry Partida has something for everyone. Gerry discusses his upcoming paper on design for sustainability, a “Design For” that most PCB designers do not consider. And he shares a great story about a customer realizing that most of the company’s designers have never looked at the appropriate IPC standards. Gerry always tells it like it is.