I-Connect007 Editor's Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

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Most all the action this week involved the STMA International Conference and Exposition. I-Connect007’s Real Time with… video interviews generally led the way for views and clicks.

In each item, the intent was to make things better in some fashion. Whether it was pivoting on trade show delivery, optimizing the metalization process in the fab, adding more AI to manufacturing capital equipment, unifying and furthering the concept of the digital twin concept, or responding to company growth by upgrading systems with the help the equipment manufacturers, all these news items speak to being adaptable and forward-thinking.

If you attended SMTAI, I hope you had a productive time. If you didn’t, then be sure to follow I-Connect007’s post-show coverage next week. View more video interviews and show-related content at Real Time with… SMTAI 2020 virtual.

Real Time with…SMTAI 2020: ASC Makes Lemonade Out of Lemons
September 25, 2020 

Steve Williams and Anaya Vardya, president and CEO of American Standard Circuits (ASC), discuss the upcoming virtual SMTAI show and how the company is “making lemonade out of lemons.” There may not be any face-to-face interaction, but virtual shows are open to attendees from around the world with no travel or hotel costs. Anaya explains how the COVID-19 lockdown has caused ASC to become more creative in its marketing efforts, including holding webinars and publishing two eBooks with I-Connect007. They also discuss ASC’s holistic approach to the marketplace, with a diversified product mix across various segments.

Real Time with...SMTAI 2020: MacDermid Alpha’s Single-Step Metalization Paper
September 30, 2020

One of the MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions’ technical papers from SMTAI details a new process for filling through-holes with copper in a single step. Carmichael Gugliotti, the primary author and an applications specialist, and Richard Bellemare, director of electrolytic metalization, address why this new process matters and what’s in Gugliotti’s technical paper presentation for SMTAI. To view Gugliotti’s paper presentation, log on to the SMTAI technical sessions before October 31, 2020.

Real Time with...SMTAI 2020: Creative Electron Moves Toward Autonomous Systems
October 1, 2020

Andy Shaughnessy recently spoke with Dr. Bill Cardoso, CEO of Creative Electron, a provider of advanced X-ray inspection systems. Bill discusses some of the new technologies the company would be demonstrating in its virtual booth at SMTAI, including a next-generation X-ray parts counter and a new software platform that offers better automation than ever. He also explains the company’s plan to migrate from automation to autonomous systems by using AI to help remove humans from the process.

Twenty Companies Join New Industrial Digital Twin Association
September 28, 2020

The aim of this new association is to bring together all of the parallel development strands working toward the industrial digital twin and to develop it as an open-source solution together with member companies. Users benefit from the early insights into the digitization of industrial products. This reduces effort, integration time, and costs in the own value creation.

NK Technologies Increases Capacity by Trading up With Manncorp
September 25, 2020

NK Technologies, a developer and manufacturer of innovative current-sensing products, recently improved their manufacturing capacity by participating in Manncorp’s Trade In, Trade Up Program. Learn more about this program.

04/29/2021 | I-Connect007 Editorial Team

Mark Thompson has been in bare board fabrication for over 30 years. He is now laying out printed circuit boards at Monsoon Solutions, a high-tech design bureau near Seattle, Washington. With Mark’s extensive hands-on knowledge of PCB manufacturing, he brings a unique perspective to PCB design. In this discussion with the I-Connect007 editorial team, Mark shares what’s important from a process engineer’s point of view, and how to stay on top of evaluating and benchmarking your manufacturing process, along with insights from his new role as a designer.

04/26/2021 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007

Nolan Johnson speaks with Michael Gay of Isola and Chris Hunrath of Insulectro about the release of their new halogen-free, high-thermal reliability material, which they hope fills the gap in the market between epoxies and polyimides.

04/26/2021 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007

EIPC’s seventh Technical Snapshot webinar on April 14 was timely and appropriate. In the context of current supply chain issues and material price pressures facing the PCB industry, particularly in Europe, the EIPC team brought together an outstanding group of experts—each a leading authority in his field—to analyse and comment upon the areas of concern and to respond to questions raised by a capacity audience. As Alun Morgan said, “If you don’t use the European supply chain, you won’t have it anymore!”