It’s Only Common Sense: Become the Person Who Knows What Happens Next
Happy’s Tech Talk #50: Start Your Digitalization Strategy With Automation
The Chemical Connection: A Few Things That Still Scare Me
I recently discovered that the original “Star Trek” debuted in the same month I was born. You can look that up if you want to, but did you know that the series only ran for three years? During that time, however, they produced nearly 30 episodes per season, so there were more than 80 episodes to run through the many years of syndication, as was often the case for me after school: “Brady Bunch” at 4 p.m., “Gilligan’s Island” at 4:30, and then “Star Trek” at 5 p.m. I really tried to be interested in “Star Trek,” but it just felt too corny for me, although I’m not sure how much more “Gilligan’s Island” was rooted in reality.
However, most of the people I’ve met in this industry are big Trekkies and dreamed that one day the ideas of this novel TV show would become reality. It turns out, some of those far-fetched ideas weren’t so far-fetched after all.
My selections for this week’s must-reads range from an interesting case of circularity, our report on the workforce, my next installment following the hardware being built for AI, tips for PCB designers on trace widths and spacing, and the important next episode from Qnity, exploring materials and engineering challenges ahead.
Latest Episode of Qnity Podcast Series Explores Materials for Mission-Critical Reliability
Published September 23
Qnity may be a new name in advanced electronics materials, but the technology behind it is anything but new. I chose Episode 2 of the “On the Line With … Qnity” podcast because it brings some very futuristic applications back down to earth. Materials expert Rich Wessel and Marcy LaRont discuss AI infrastructure and humanoid robotics alongside aerospace and automotive electronics, showing that no matter how advanced the application, engineers still have to solve the thermal, electrical, and mechanical challenges that determine whether it will actually work reliably.
Fresh PCB Concepts: Managing PCB Trace Width and Spacing
Published September 24
Trace width and spacing sound pretty straightforward, until copper weight, plating, BGAs, via treatments, and layer location enter the picture. NCAB’s Jeffrey Beauchamp explains why a fabricator’s published minimum isn’t necessarily where designers should aim. Sometimes a very small design adjustment can improve yield, lower cost, and open the job to more fabricators. That seems like knowledge worth having before you send out the files.
Xscindo: No Data, No Landfill, No Waste
Published September 23
What really happens to our electronics after we send them off to be recycled? Marcy LaRont talks with Xscindo founder Aiden Neary about a different approach to e-waste, one that connects data security, landfill diversion, metals recovery, and the growing need for critical materials. The interesting part for me is the emphasis on verification: not simply saying something was recycled, but being able to show where it actually went.
The Skills Match Is Becoming the New Hiring Challenge
Published September 21
Manufacturing job postings are growing even as the broader U.S. hiring market has cooled. But finding people isn’t necessarily the biggest challenge; finding people with the right combination of skills may be. Our latest job report looks at how AI, automation, advanced packaging, and specialized manufacturing processes are changing what employers need, and why a job title alone may no longer tell you very much.
Follow the Story: Building the Hardware Behind AI
Published September 24
We talk endlessly about AI models and chips, but those chips have to live somewhere. In my next “Follow the Story” installment, I look further down the hardware chain, from advanced packaging and IC substrates to UHDI PCBs, and at the companies investing in the technologies needed to build it all. The question I’m following: How far will the rest of the electronics ecosystem have to advance to keep pace with the chip?
