Elementary, Mr. Watson: Design Intent Over Design Speed
Beyond Design: Managing Linear Workflow Bottlenecks
Connect the Dots: The Future of Designing for Reality—Outer Layer Imaging
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Insights into PCB Design and Manufacturing with Polar Instruments
April 3, 2025 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOEstimated reading time: Less than a minute
Erik Bateham discusses Polar's latest book, which enhances insights for PCB designers and manufacturers. The book, The Designer's Guide to... More Secrets of High-Speed PCBs, features a guest chapter on 2D via design modeling. Erik highlights the industry's shift towards UHDI and the challenges in measuring at micron levels.
The 25th IPC APEX EXPO, March 18-20, 2025, at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, has concluded successfully. If you couldn’t make it to the show, don’t worry—the I-Connect007 team has coverage of the entire week’s events. Don’t miss our Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2025 video interviews with the movers and shakers of the electronics industry.
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Elementary, Mr. Watson: Design Intent Over Design Speed
01/14/2026 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonI was recently asked a simple but powerful question: Is there anything available to PCB designers today that would be truly advantageous to them that they’re essentially not using? My answer was yes. However, it reminded me of an experience before Christmas one year when I was killing time at the mall. I had wandered into an Apple Store to look around, and I overheard a customer say, “Yeah, I just need a phone.”
Beyond Design: Managing Linear Workflow Bottlenecks
01/08/2026 | Barry Olney -- Column: Beyond DesignThe PCB design flow is sequential by nature, transitioning through distinct yet interdependent phases, from initial back-of-the-envelope concept sketches to schematic capture, constraint definition, physical layout, verification, and finally, generation of CAM deliverables. Each stage builds upon the last, and any delay, however minor, can cascade downstream, amplifying pressure on subsequent phases.
Target Condition: From Warped to Wonderful—Balancing Your Life, Career, and Your PCBs
12/16/2025 | Kelly Dack -- Column: Target ConditionIn the pursuit of a healthy work-life balance—and a healthy PCB design—one malefactor consistently stands in the way: stress. In life, biological stress creeps in through packed calendars, buzzing notifications, and the tug-of-war between personal and professional demands. Everywhere we look, we’re offered quick formulas to tame it, but some of these cheeky, Western world life hacks are all contrived to keep our minds and bodies from warping under pressure.
December 2025 Design007 Magazine: Designing Your Work and Your Life
12/08/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEvery PCB design is a lesson in balance: speed vs. stability, density vs. clarity, performance vs. cost. What if we approached life with that same mindset? In the December issue of Design007 Magazine, we go beyond board design to show how designers, marketers, managers, and owners apply their professional skills to personal choices—and what it costs when that system is left to drift.
Real Time with... productronica 2025: Polar on Understanding Material Libraries in Design
12/04/2025 | Real Time with...productronicaPete Starkey and Martyn Gaudion discuss the rapid updates in material libraries and the critical need for designers to grasp material properties. They highlight the role of suppliers and the importance of communication between designers and fabricators. Martyn focuses on the educational aspect of their services, aiming to connect design and manufacturing. The conversation underscores the significance of material knowledge in enhancing the design process through collaboration.