It’s Only Common Sense: Marketing Isn’t Fluff, It’s Ammunition
Driving Innovation: Mechanical and Optical Processes During Rigid-flex Production
The Chemical Connection: Onshoring PCB Production—Daunting but Certainly Possible
Reliability and Harmonization of Global Standards at Forefront of EIPC Efforts
March 18, 2015 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Weinhold: Well I think we have to go back a few years. The IEC standards were built around the national standards from Britain, Germany, and other countries. Then in the late 70s, IPC got involved and Dieter Bergman did an outstanding job at harmonizing the IEC and the IPC standards over many years. Now, we don't see this kind of harmonization any more, and it could lead to the point where these standards are drifting away from each other, which is not good for the industry in general. So new standards, for example IEC standards, are proposed by the Asian countries which represent approximately 90% of the global PCBs that are manufactured. So, we could easily lose leadership if we don't make an effort to harmonize these standards.
Starkey: I understand. Thank you, Michael. Alun, you have another EIPC conference coming up in the summer. Where will this be, and what will be the main focus?
Morgan: It will be in June in Berlin, I believe the 18th and 19th of June. We've organized a visit to the Fraunhofer Institute's new laboratory, which Michael visited in December last year. It is very impressive and has been totally rebuilt.
Starkey: This is where a lot of innovations originated, particularly in embedded component technology.
Morgan: Absolutely. Professor Lang has been really instrumental in bringing these advancements on. And they have really an extremely comprehensive laboratory there, especially in terms of signal integrity testing, which is another theme that we're very interested in following. So I think we will certainly have that as a major theme. We chose Berlin for two primary reasons. One, it's easily accessible. It's also in Germany, which is where, say, 47% of the PCBs in Europe are made, so this is a good location for the local market. And secondly, we were able to get the visit with Fraunhofer, which is going to mean so much to our organization and to our industry over the years. It's brought many, many projects out of the research laboratories into really practical applications, and I think that's something we should be very grateful for.
Starkey: Alun and Michael, it's been nice to talk to you. Thank you very much indeed for your time. Have an enjoyable show and have a successful next EIPC conference.
Video from EIPC Winter Conference, Munich 2015
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
WestDev Announces Advanced Thermal Analysis Integration for Pulsonix PCB Design Suite
10/29/2025 | WestDev Ltd.Pulsonix, the industry-leading PCB design software from WestDev Ltd., announced a major enhancement to its design ecosystem: a direct interface between Pulsonix and ADAM Research's TRM (Thermal Risk Management) analysis software.
Designers Notebook: Power and Ground Distribution Basics
10/29/2025 | Vern Solberg -- Column: Designer's NotebookThe principal objectives to be established during the planning stage are to define the interrelationship between all component elements and confirm that there is sufficient surface area for placement, the space needed to ensure efficient circuit interconnect, and to accommodate adequate power and ground distribution.
Episode 6 of Ultra HDI Podcast Series Explores Copper-filled Microvias in Advanced PCB Design and Fabrication
10/15/2025 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 has released Episode 6 of its acclaimed On the Line with... American Standard Circuits: Ultra High Density Interconnect (UHDI) podcast series. In this episode, “Copper Filling of Vias,” host Nolan Johnson once again welcomes John Johnson, Director of Quality and Advanced Technology at American Standard Circuits, for a deep dive into the pros and cons of copper plating microvias—from both the fabricator’s and designer’s perspectives.
Nolan’s Notes: Tariffs, Technologies, and Optimization
10/01/2025 | Nolan Johnson -- Column: Nolan's NotesLast month, SMT007 Magazine spotlighted India, and boy, did we pick a good time to do so. Tariff and trade news involving India was breaking like a storm surge. The U.S. tariffs shifted India from one of the most favorable trade agreements to the least favorable. Electronics continue to be exempt for the time being, but lest you think that we’re free and clear because we manufacture electronics, steel and aluminum are specifically called out at the 50% tariff levels.
MacDermid Alpha & Graphic PLC Lead UK’s First Horizontal Electroless Copper Installation
09/30/2025 | MacDermid Alpha & Graphic PLCMacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, a leading supplier of integrated materials and chemistries to the electronics industry, is proud to support Graphic PLC, a Somacis company, with the installation of the first horizontal electroless copper metallization process in the UK.