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Mark Thompson: IPC APEX EXPO Wrap-Up

It was a mostly sunny week in San Diego, where IPC APEX EXPO returned after a long absence. I thought the San Diego Convention Center was a great choice for a venue.  

I personally heard of more of my Prototron customers sending their engineers and designers to classes this year. And the packed show floor provided evidence they are looking at new alternatives for both PCB fabrication and assembly. I saw a lot of people actively networking throughout the show.

At trade shows, we often hear folks telling the same story about a project they have been working on for years – one that is only seconds away from shaking up the market. But this year at IPC APEX EXPO, the engineers and designers on the show floor were looking at new processes and technologies like kids in a candy store. If they have their say, we may be looking at new imaging devices that will take the industry down to .002"/.002" on a regular basis.

And this year at IPC APEX EXPO, I once again had the pleasure of being a guest interviewer for the I-Connect007 RealTime with…IPC and Real Time with...Designers Forum programs.

Some of my favorite interviews this year were with folks I had the pleasure of interviewing last year, so it seemed very much like a continued conversation. People such as Dr. J. Lee Parker of JLP Consulting – I could listen to him for hours, discussing his latest test vehicle for determining shear effect and the resulting delamination due to thermal excursion events.

People like Ken Taylor of Polar Instruments, who talked about relevant questions the company receives regarding test systems and their use. Ken hinted that some Polar products have changed so much from the original version that they are virtually new products. Who says this is a static industry?

One of my favorite interviews this year was my chat with fellow Real Time guest editor, Mike Carano of OMG Electronic Chemicals. Years ago, my production manager and I saw Mike’s workshop on fabrication issues, and it left quite an impression on us. Mike discussed his recent election to the IPC board of directors, and he gave me some great tips on preparing for interviews.

There were other good signs as well. Our own I-Connect007 has laid the groundwork for a cool new database called The PCB List, an all-inclusive list of fabricators that can by queried by various factors such as type of board (rigid, rigid-flex, flex, etc), location, technology level, etc.

This is a really slick application! I have seen it in action, and it could not be any more user-friendly. It’s even set up so that fabricators can keep some of their information masked, hidden away from competitors’ prying eyes. You’ll be hearing a lot more about The PCB List in the near future.

In other news, I heard about many new blogs being written by customers of ours who intend to share information about what works and what does not. Aside from the obvious benefits from this type of blog, the mere fact we are communicating better means less wasted time and therefore faster time-to-market. Prototron is also looking into joining the social networking scene by creating blogs with learning tools on our site. It’s all about communication.

Speaking of communication, I’d like to thank the I-Connect007 staff for the opportunity to interview individuals I would never have been able to converse with otherwise. Being a guest editor has helped me personally and professionally, and it’s been a lot of fun, as you might imagine.

The Real Time crew is always looking for a few good guest editors. So, if you’re not afraid of the camera, give it a try.

See you in San Diego next year!

Mark Thompson is in engineering support at Prototron Circuits. To contact Mark, click here, or call 425-823-7000.