-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueSilicon to Systems: From Soup to Nuts
This month, we asked our expert contributors to weigh in on silicon to systems—what it means to PCB designers and design engineers, EDA companies, and the rest of the PCB supply chain... from soup to nuts.
Cost Drivers
In this month’s issue of Design007 Magazine, our expert contributors explain the impact of cost drivers on PCB designs and the need to consider a design budget. They discuss the myriad design cycle cost adders—hidden and not so hidden—and ways to add value.
Mechatronics
Our expert contributors discuss the advent of mechatronics in PCB design, the challenges and opportunities this creates for circuit board designers, and the benefits—to the employee and the company—of becoming a mechatronics engineer.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
Runner-up Discusses IPC Design Competition
March 16, 2023 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
PCB designer Adam Thorvaldson of Innovex was a finalist in this year’s IPC Design Competition at IPC APEX EXPO. He came in second place in this final heat, which is quite a feat, considering that the contest started last fall with 49 contestants from around the globe. We asked Adam to share his thoughts on the competition, what it means to be one of the winners, and any ideas about improving the contest for 2024 in Anaheim.
Kelly Dack: Adam, you’ve finished up the design competition here at IPC APEX EXPO. What did you think of the experience?
Adam Thorvaldson: This experience has been very eye-opening. The event is great; the competition has been very interesting, and the town is beautiful.
Dack: How did you hear about the competition? What were the previous heats like?
Thorvaldson: I learned about the competition on LinkedIn. I like finding ways to better myself and develop new foundations for future growth. I applied, signed up, got the project files, and competed in the first round. My first round took about 49 hours of work, and later I found out I was a finalist.
Andy Shaughnessy: That was when we had 49 finalists?
Thorvaldson: Yes, and that was all wrapped up in November.
Dack: What about the EDA tools? For the final heat, everyone used Altium Designer.
Thorvaldson: But in the first round we were allowed to use any software package. I was able to use the tool that I was most familiar with, that I’ve been on for 25+ years, so it made it really easy for me. I’m not sure what everybody else was using in the earlier heats.
Dack: Designers often have to switch software in their careers. To participate in a competition like this, some of you had to learn the ropes of a new program fairly quickly.
Thorvaldson: Sure. For the competition, the finalists received a 30-day trial license to learn Altium beforehand. Unfortunately, I got my license only 10 days before the show, so it’s been a crash course. The tool I’m most familiar with is Allegro (and OrCAD) PCB Designer from Cadence. They’re a little different. I learned Eagle years ago. I’ve known about Altium for a long time, but I finally got my hands on it about 10 days ago and it’s very bewildering. There are some features that I like but I haven’t had enough time on the tool to become familiar with its behavior. For the competition today, I didn’t feel comfortable, but I didn’t give up.
Dack: You’re a true designer. First, because you didn’t give up, and you saw the importance of the task at hand. Given the tools that you had, you made the best of it. Congratulations for that.
Thorvaldson: Thank you.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the March 2023 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Calling All California Employers: Harness State Funding for Workforce Training with IPC and ETP
09/05/2024 | IPCIPC, a global industry association dedicated to its member companies' competitive excellence and financial success, announces a pivotal opportunity for California employers under the Employment Training Panel (ETP) program.
WHMA/IPC Issues Call for Participation for Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo 2025
09/04/2024 | IPCWHMA/IPC invites engineers, researchers, academics, technical experts, and industry leaders to submit proposals for the Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo (EWPTE), to be held May 6-8, 2025 at Baird Center in Milwaukee, Wis. The deadline for proposals is on November 8, 2024.
Opportunity Knocks
09/04/2024 | Michelle Te, IPC CommunityIPC member DETEX Corporation of New Braunfels, Texas, like so many similar companies, strives to cultivate a highly skilled workforce to meet the growing demand for electronics assembly professionals. But also like many companies, DETEX, which engineers and manufactures security products, has struggled to hire qualified workers. Most employees are hired without certification or experience. Providing on-the-job training (OJT) without technical instruction has been met with limited success.
TRI’s High-Performance Inspection Solutions at SMTAI 2024
08/27/2024 | TRITest Research, Inc. (TRI) is joining the upcoming SMTA International Exposition & Conference on October 22 – 24, 2024, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL, USA.
Give Yourself an Edge at the IPC High Reliability Forum 2024
08/27/2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineFor those who support military and defense products, few topics are more important than reliability, particularly as we venture into complex packaging requirements that accommodate next-gen chips and electronic systems. Recently, I visited with Teresa Rowe, IPC senior director, assembly and standards technology, to discuss the IPC High Reliability Forum (HRF), Oct. 9-10, at the McKimmon Center, in Raleigh, North Carolina. With topics that cover high-voltage electronics, standardized test methods, and assembly and solder joint X-ray challenges, it is clear that this event needs to be included on your annual conference calendar.