-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueDo You Have X-ray Vision?
Has X-ray’s time finally come in electronics manufacturing? Join us in this issue of SMT007 Magazine, where we answer this question and others to bring more efficiency to your bottom line.
IPC APEX EXPO 2025: A Preview
It’s that time again. If you’re going to Anaheim for IPC APEX EXPO 2025, we’ll see you there. In the meantime, consider this issue of SMT007 Magazine to be your golden ticket to planning the show.
Technical Resources
Key industry organizations–all with knowledge sharing as a part of their mission–share their technical repositories in this issue of SMT007 Magazine. Where can you find information critical to your work? Odds are, right here.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Succeeding at the Velocity of Technology: An IPC APEX EXPO 2018 Wrap-Up
April 17, 2018 | Dr. John Mitchell, IPCEstimated reading time: 3 minutes

After many months of planning, IPC APEX EXPO 2018 proved to be a success. From revolutionary advancements displayed on the show floor to expert insights conveyed in technical conference sessions and professional development courses, IPC APEX EXPO provided the learning and connections that helped 4,574 attendees from 43 countries prepare for the future. The 479 exhibitors welcomed a busy three days of business development and qualified sales leads on nearly 150,000 net square feet of show floor space. IPC APEX EXPO attracted 9,169 total visitors including attendees and exhibitor personnel.
With a focus on developing important standards, IPC committee members joined to discuss, revise, and improve documents that will be used to create quality products. Their hard work is important to furthering our industry. As they are volunteers, I appreciate the executive leaders of their organizations for allowing them to engage in standards development, and for allowing them to participate in this year’s event.
Education is also an important factor in furthering the success of the electronics industry. IPC APEX EXPO provided the industry’s largest breadth of learning opportunities from the Technical Conference to Professional Development courses and hot topics covered in the Buzz Sessions.
In keeping with the event’s theme, “Succeed at the Velocity of Technology,” IPC APEX EXPO 2018 featured nearly 100 technical papers detailing original research and innovations from industry experts around the world. Our programs are grounded in and driven by real-world application that’s happening right now. Attendees had access to new research on materials and processes, opportunities to learn more about trending materials, applications and processes such as Industry 4.0 (including a live demonstration on the show floor by over two dozen exhibitors using IPC CFX), and e-textiles.
IPC APEX EXPO’s full- and half-day professional development courses blended traditional electronics industry topics with hot-new developments, delivered by corporate technologists, consultants, training center staff, and university faculty. Attendees chose from an array of leading topics such as: PCB fabrication troubleshooting; dispensing/jetting; printing; manufacturing yield, defect analysis, failure analysis; reliability and design for excellence (DFX).
Part of the fun of attending IPC APEX EXPO is learning from individuals who are influential in the industry. This year’s opening keynote speaker, Jared Cohen, founder and director of Google Ideas at Google, and currently CEO of Jigsaw (its successor arm with Alphabet Inc.), provided answers to the question on every attendee’s mind: “What’s next for the world of technology?”
As the second keynote speaker, I covered an issue I am passionate about—educating the 21st century workforce. It’s critical that businesses worldwide understand the issues facing the workforce as today’s business and technology requirements continue to change at a rapid pace, and each company needs to know what it needs to do to attract the right talent and train them for success.
When I spoke with exhibitors and attendees at this year’s show, feedback was resoundingly positive. Attendees said that networking and educational events and activities helped them find new ways to solve challenges; the exhibition provided them the opportunity to meet suppliers that could help them save time and money, and foster new business opportunities.
Every year, IPC APEX EXPO provides me with unique ways of learning things that help me stay on top of current industry issues and concerns. Overall, I am proud of everything we accomplished in San Diego; I am equally as invigorated with everything we will do throughout 2018. We are already working on putting together next year’s show, and look forward to our industry’s continued support in making IPC APEX EXPO 2019 a success.
This article was originally published in I-Connect007's inaugural Show & Tell Magazine.
Suggested Items
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Show Wrap Up–A Review with John Mitchell
04/21/2025 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOMarcy LaRont sits down with Dr. John W. Mitchell on the last day of IPC APEX EXPO 2025, marking its 25th anniversary. They highlight the event's success and specifically recognize this year's technical conference and professional development tracks. They also discuss AI's role in electronics, as Mitchell urges professionals to improve their skills around AI to keep themselves valuable and relevant. AI is here to stay! He touches upon tariffs and promotes a diverse supply chain, emphasizing the essential ingredient of collaboration for mutual success. Ending on sustainability, he discusses IPC's launch of the Evolve program showcasing the industry's commitment to sustainability.
EIPC Summer Conference 2025: PCB Innovation in Edinburgh
04/18/2025 | EIPCEIPC have very wisely selected this wonderful city in Scotland as the venue for their Summer Conference on June 3-4. Whilst delegates will be distilling the proven information imparted by the speakers in the day, in the evening they will be free spirits at the Conference Dinner.
IPC President's Award: Barry Matties
04/21/2025 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007The IPC President’s Award is given to IPC members who have exhibited ongoing leadership in IPC and have made significant contributions of their time and talent to the association and the electronic interconnect industry. Individuals can receive this award only once. Barry Matties has been a leading global force in publishing content about the electronics industry for nearly 40 years. He began his publishing career as a co-founder of CircuiTree Magazine in 1987, which became the leading printed trade journal serving the PCB industry.
IPC President’s Award: Xaver Feiner
04/17/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineThroughout his career, Xaver Feiner, vice president of marketing and sales at Zollner Elektronik, has developed extensive expertise in account management and new business development with a strong focus on the semiconductor industry, aerospace, and industrial electronics. Xaver has cultivated a profound understanding of global markets and remains deeply engaged with the challenges and opportunities presented by digital transformation. Since 2020, he has been an active member of the IPC Europe Advocacy Group, where he is dedicated to advancing the position of the electronics industry and the EMS sector across Europe.
New High Power 3D AXI for Power Electronics from Test Research, Inc.
04/17/2025 | TRITest Research, Inc. (TRI), a leading provider of Test and Inspection solutions for the electronics manufacturing industry, proudly announces the launch of the 3D AXI TR7600HP system. Designed for power semiconductor inspection, the TR7600HP enhances accuracy and efficiency in detecting defects in components such as IGBTs, MOSFETs, SiC inverters, and Paladin Connectors.