Pete’s Top Ten SMT Articles for 2015

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

1. The SMT Internet of Things—Back to Basics

Different people have different understandings and expectations about what the internet of Things (ioT) actually is, especially with respect to how it could work and what it could bring to the SMT assembly industry. There are a lot of expectations to fulfil as principles behind innovations such as industry 4.0 take hold.

2. Declaring War on Failure  in electronics

Failure, in electronics, while not necessarily desired by either manufacturer or consumer, is expected. This is not to say that the industry has not attempted to improve reliability. In this article, Verdant Electronics’ Joseph Fjelstad writes that much is being done in an effort to improve reliability with new solder alloys, new fluxes, new materials, new equipment and process parameters.

3. The Rise of Structural Electronics

Structural electronics is one of the most important technological developments of this century. it forms a key part of the dream, first formulated 30 years ago, of computing disappearing into the fabric of society. It also addresses, in a particularly elegant manner, the dream of Edison in 1880 that electricity should be made where it is needed.

4. Time to Ditch Heavy Metal for Soft Rock? 

Yash Sutariya and Thomas S. Tarter shine a light on the often overlooked topic when it comes to PCBs for lEDs: reliability. They wrote that composite materials can provide both a thermal management solution and a dimensional stability solution that has not yet been presented through conventional materials.

5. Cutting Cost, Not Price

In any supply chain survey, the issue of cost comes up repeatedly. This article explores the downside of focussing on price and suggests some of the practical ways you can reduce costs without having a negative impact on your product.

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