Flex Talk: Thoughts on the IPC Flexible Circuits–HDI Forum

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

In addition to the remarkable level of technical knowledge presented, there were numerous opportunities each day for networking. I personally had the privilege of meeting several new people and was able spend time with others that I haven’t seen in a while.

Attendees consistently remarked on the value gained from attending this year’s event. Todd MacFadden, component reliability engineer at Bose, said, “I am thrilled by the information and insights I gained from this forum on flex and HDI. The event was well-organized and the content was highly relevant to me. The timing of the event couldn’t have been better for me. I came with only the basic understanding of flex, just as we are starting to ramp up our need for this technology, and I am coming away with many tools and a long list of contacts to help my teams design for success. I am grateful to IPC for assembling such a broad and diverse expertise into a concise and useful conference, and for providing plenty of opportunities to network. Great job!”

Keith Holman, Sr., buyer for electronics with Orbital ATK—Defense Systems Group, added, “The IPC Forum was a great educational experience as well as an exceptional networking opportunity. The level of discussion around the current issues and successes with HDI and flex/rigid-flex, coupled with the new technology, made for great discussions. Each of the presenters was very knowledgeable about their topics and also made themselves available for further conversations. I would recommend the IPC forum to any technical or non-technical people involved with IPC.”

Ernie Kreiner, PWB designer III, C.I.D.+ with L-3 Fusing and Ordnance Systems, commented, “Attending the IPC conferences has always been an excellent experience. Networking with peers and seeing what technologies are out there and what is on the horizon, is always informative.”

I couldn’t agree more with these three gentlemen. I personally learned something from each speaker. The electronics industry is changing at a rapid pace and both flex and HDI designs are a fast growing segment of the industry. As valuable as the technical information is all on its own, the networking component gave the time to chat with OEMs and flex users to learn their challenges and also talk with flex fabricators and materials suppliers to learn of new programs and technologies. The conference gave me the opportunity to meet new people and expand my industry resources.  In this complex industry, there is so much value in the ability to reach out to others in different areas of the industry to help solve new challenges.

Anne Marie Mulvihill and IPC put together a cohesive and well-run technical conference. Thank you to IPC for their work and dedication to educating the industry while at the same time providing networking opportunities to tie us all together.

Tara Dunn is the president of Omni PCB. To contact the author, click here.

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