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Reconnecting the Social Network

If the past two years have emphasized anything, it would be the importance and value of face-to-face networking at events. Face-to-face interactions help create lasting relationships with new connections and help strengthen existing relationships with industry friends and colleagues. Thousands of industry leaders, manufacturing innovators, and subject matter experts from across the globe will convene in San Diego for IPC APEX EXPO 2023, making it the place to be to help you connect with representatives from the entire electronics manufacturing supply chain. We have a full line-up of networking events planned for IPC APEX EXPO 2023 that you don’t want to miss.

The Five Most-read Design007 News of 2022

Each December, we like to look back at the most popular articles of the past 12 months. You never know which article is going to blow up like a Harry Styles album. So, grab some leftover ham and hang out with us for a while. For your holiday enjoyment, here’s a blast from the past: the top five most-read Design007 articles of 2022.

Essemtec: Manufacturing Moves In-house

Pete Starkey talks with Kevin Domancich at Essemtec at electronica 2022 about the company integration within Nano Dimension and how the two companies have pioneered an exciting new end-to-end manufacturing solution that helps customers speed up production, cut costs, and keep their proprietary materials secure. In a world where time to market has become a priority consideration, this universal system has the potential to revolutionize the industry.

Let’s Get Technical

IPC members are constantly working to move the electronics industry forward by developing new technologies, innovative processes, and testing methods—and working to find solutions to known technical challenges. The IPC APEX EXPO Technical Conference is the premier forum in North America where these challenges, solutions, and innovations are shared among colleagues and competitors alike.

The Five Most-read Design007 Articles of 2022

Each December, we like to look back at the most popular articles of the past 12 months. You never know which article is going to blow up like a Blake Shelton album. So, put on your ugliest holiday sweater and prop up that iPad. For your holiday enjoyment, here’s a blast from the past: the top five most-read Design007 articles of 2022.

The Most-read I-Connect007 Articles of 2022

Each December, we like to look back at the most popular articles of the past 12 months. You never know which article is going to blow up like an Avril Lavigne album. So, grab a cup of eggnog and curl up by the fire! For your holiday enjoyment, here’s a blast from the past: the top five most-read I-Connect007 articles of 2022.

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

In this week leading up to Christmas, we have a little bit of everything. Pete Starkey has a review of the most recent EIPC Technical Snapshot, while Tom Kastner discusses the dwindling number of PCB companies in North America. Are we really down to 170 companies? IPC reports that North American PCB sales up 26.1% in November YOY, and the book-to-bill is dead-on at 1.00. Cybord CEO Zeev Efrat explains how his company can provide 100% component inspection. And I have an interview with a student I ran into at PCB Carolina who is working toward his “dream job” on being a technician. As Alex Barile says, he’d hate to work at a desk all day; he likes to install equipment.

Workflow Challenges in Fabrication

Paul Cooke, the senior director of business development for Ventec International Group, is presenting a class at IPC APEX EXPO 2023 that looks at workflow challenges in fabrication, and the myriad drivers that can affect yield, reliability, and cost. Here he discusses the details of this Professional Development course, what he hopes attendees will take away, and why designers and design engineers would benefit from this class.

EIPC Technical Snapshot: ‘There Is No Green Without Digital’

Introduced and moderated by EIPC’s Emma Hudson, the 20th EIPC Technical Snapshot focused on sustainability, specifically on environmental issues impacting the electronics industry. The first speaker was Pia Tanskanen, head of environment at Nokia in Finland. A pioneer in mobile telecom, Nokia is primarily a network hardware and software provider, committed to reducing the environmental impact of its products, operations, manufacturing, and supply chains, with sustainability a key component of the company’s strategy.

Candor: UHDI Under Development

Candor Industries is a PCB fabricator investing in UHDI fabrication capabilities in Canada. To support advanced packaging, as well as the current pace of IC process shrinks, PCB fabrication capabilities must shrink to keep up. Sunny Patel, Candor’s technical sales manager, brings us up to speed on what Candor has learned in their journey to add UHDI. What we gain from this interview is that, while certainly not insignificant, the stretch to add UHDI may be not as far as one might think.

MKS Discusses the Cutting Edge of Technology

During a recent tour of the MKS facility in Beaverton, Oregon, I met with Todd Templeton, Chris Ryder, Kyle Baker, and Martin Orrick. As a reminder, MKS acquired ESI in 2019 and has retained the ESI brand. In this interview, they explain their approach to HDI and ultra HDI, the current state of base materials, and what the future looks like on the cutting edge of technology.

The First India Pavilion

For the first time, IPC APEX EXPO will host an “India Pavilion,” showcasing 16 Indian companies promoting India’s electronics manufacturing capabilities. The initiative was undertaken by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, and implemented by the Indian government agency, Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) India.

Taiyo: Reopening Europe for Solder Mask

Nolan Johnson and Stuart Down discuss Taiyo’s partnership with Ventec and how both companies are leveraging their expertise to blaze a trail into the European PCB market. Stuart shares his outlook on the market and the unique challenges posed by global political instability and supply chain constraints, as well as how Europe’s evolving chemical regulations have impacted solder mask formulation. With their sights set on ramping up manufacturing capabilities, Taiyo sees a secure path forward to establishing a sizeable market presence in this promising region.

Aismalibar: Cooling Off With Thermal Interface Materials

Pete Starkey stops by the Aismalibar booth at electronica to hear from Uwe Lemke about the company’s plans to further expand its footprint in the Chinese PCB market and how evolving e-mobility constraints have propelled a growing demand for materials that can address electrical isolation and thermal conductivity concerns in high voltage battery systems. As always, Aismalibar is up to the task, having developed a new thin fluid coating technology that boosts the performance and reliability of any interface using the same foil-based technology that has long defined its impressive line of product offerings.

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

The holiday season is in full swing for most of us; no matter which holiday you choose to recognize here in the second half of December, it’s almost certain that your routine has some level of interruption to it right now. Chances are, you might not be consuming as much of your usual diet of industry news and information, what with all the holiday treats and traditional meals to be consumed instead. That, gentle reader, is why we bring you this week’s Top 5 editor’s picks–your slimmed down version of the news, leaving you more time for the other delights of the season. So without further ado, we bring you the five news items you really should make room for this week.

A New Gathering Place for Designers

IPC APEX EXPO started out as a show for the PCB manufacturing community, but it’s grown beyond that. This year, there’s more design curriculum at the show in San Diego than ever before. IPC instructor Kris Moyer has been instrumental in leading the organization’s efforts around PCB design and design engineering curriculum. So, I asked him the million-dollar question.

EIPC: Europe’s Energy Disadvantage

EIPC’s Alun Morgan details the unsettling realities facing the European PCB industry due to the current war in Ukraine, and outlines steps that the EIPC plans to take to help raise awareness of the possible perils the industry might face as a result. Alun says, "It's possible that we may get more supply chain back in Europe, but that won’t happen overnight."

ICT Christmas Seminar 2022: The Caliber of a ‘World Cup’ Event

Regardless of the potential distraction of the international football match between England and Wales in the World Cup competition, an enthusiastic crowd of PCB fans gathered in Meriden UK for the Institute of Circuit Technology Christmas Seminar, an eagerly-awaited networking opportunity that included a face-to-face industry welcome event and an outstanding technical programme. Guest speakers highlighted new technology in selective solder nozzles, flexible circuits, industry cooperation, and a greener future by recycling PCBs.

Rogers: Bringing New Materials to Light

Pete Starkey stopped by the Rogers booth at electronica to hear from Dr. Vitali Judin, the new business development manager at Rogers, on how the well-respected company is making a splash with new high frequency materials meant to address the rapidly evolving needs of the additive manufacturing sector. Rogers determined that digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technique brought the combination of speed and resolution necessary to make additive manufacturing reasonably scalable, then partnered with Fortify to bring the processing consistency needed for the RF industry. With so many potential applications for this newly adapted technology, Rogers hopes to create a full slate of additive manufacturing materials for use in this sector and beyond.

Industry Innovation Starts Here

If it isn’t clear already, your money, time, and effort will be well spent attending IPC APEX EXPO in January. Here, we’ve outlined the top six reasons that this event will be the highlight of your year. We’ve done all we can to make the event not only memorable, but a show that allows you to connect with industry peers, learn how to enhance your skills, help advance the industry, and discover new insights on products and strategies from industry innovators.

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

We’re into December, and the new year is around the corner. Things are looking pretty good for our industry. Trade show attendance is back up to pre-COVID levels, and a lot of companies are having banner years. Has the virtual trade show gone the way of the dodo bird? Let’s hope! This week, our must-reads include articles and news items on the decline of R&D, STEM education for kids, why vias do not heat up, the need for more DFT, and the lack of movement toward intelligent data transfer. Designers just love their Gerbers, but Dana Korf has a few ideas about how to make Gerbers obsolete.

Polar Instruments: Simulating PCB Potentialities

Nolan Johnson checks in with Polar’s Martyn Gaudion on the evolving needs of global PCB manufacturing markets in a post-pandemic world, where generating accurate PCB specification documentation is essential to successfully navigating today's rampant supply chain constraints. Polar has positioned itself to meet these needs through agile software product developments that allow OEMs and fabricators to simulate material interactions and end-product specifications, including in-demand features like a comprehensive "structure view" that allows users to visualize all the transmission lines on a given a PCB. Though keeping pace with the demands of a rapidly growing industry has been challenging, Polar's commitment to innovation has kept its software suite ahead of the curve.

R&D Takes Back Seat Amidst Chip Shortage—But It Shouldn’t

As the global chip shortage continues, companies may be tempted to put research and development on the backburner to conserve capital and prioritize production. A primary area of focus has been on increasing production capabilities to meet demand. In this drive to increase capacity, R&D has fallen to the wayside as some companies consider scaling back to refocus on the expansion of manufacturing capacity at current technology nodes. This is a hard choice to make for any company, and even R&D giants like Apple, known for its dedicated investments in innovation, have had to cut R&D budgets below original projections.

Trailblazing Substrates in PCB Fabrication

Todd Brassard, vice president and COO at Calumet Electronics, participated not only in the IPC Advanced Packaging Symposium in Washington, D.C., Oct. 11-13, but also met with congressional staffers at the Capitol during his visit. Todd does not back down from a challenge, and the one in front of him is no different. It’s why his company is at the forefront of the conversation, and he plans to keep it that way.

ICAPE: Staying on Top During ‘Interesting’ Times

Recently, we met with Nathan Martin, group purchasing director; Jean-Christophe Miralles, supply chain director for Europe and U.S., and Lea Maurel, Americas marketing manager. This wide-ranging conversation dug into market drivers, supply chain challenges and how ICAPE creates consistency on its manufacturing floor. Complementing the supply chain control is ICAPE’s engineering experise, which it uses to increase customer yields and quality. Corporate sustainability is a key strategic initiative for ICAPE, and it was enlightening to learn just how holistic ICAPE’s approach to sustainability is.
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