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From Concept to Reality: Building Alpha Circuit

Meet Prashant Patel, one of the industry’s newest PCB fabricators. Prashant was a pharmacist for his entire career and did very well. Surrounded by friends with decades of PCB industry experience who shared their outlook on the industry, Prashant acquired Alpha Circuit, located in Elmhurst, Illinois, in 2021. Alpha Circuit was established in 1981, where the primary focus was on low-tech. That has all changed.

Real Time with… THECA 2024: Innovation and Economy in Factory Design Is Just Smart

Smart Factory Design's CEO, Alex Stepinski, provides an update on his work with zero liquid discharge solutions and lower-investment PCB fabrication setups. Both of these solutions, Stepinski argues, now cost less to operate than traditional methods, while providing more capability and sustainability.

Thriving Through Partnership: Alpha Circuit’s Journey with IPS

In this illuminating conversation with Mike Brask of IPS, we explore IPS’s involvement in the transformative journey of Alpha Circuit. Mike explains the strategic partnership between the two companies. He reveals the crucial decisions and investments that were made to improve their manufacturing capabilities, particularly in copper plating. The discussion also touches on the changing technological landscape, emphasizing IPS's commitment to innovation and client support, which has greatly contributed to Alpha Circuit’s growth and operational excellence.

Real Time with… THECA 2024: ENIG Paper Presented by MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions

Dr. Frank Xu reports on the paper he presented at THECA on ENIG processes, confirming that MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solution’s Affinity family of processes not only comply with IPC ENIG corrosion standards but also exceed them

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

We’ve finished the first full week of August, and now more than midway through summer. This week brought us quite a lot of military and aerospace news, with headlines from Airbus, Rocket Lab, AST Space Mobile, Menlo Microsystems, CACI, and L3 Harris. In other news, Pete Starkey takes us on a tour of RoBAT in England, highlighting the ever-important topic of high-technology SI testing.

Real Time with… THECA 2024: MKS Atotech—A PCB Perspective on China Plus One

MKS Atotech Regional Vice President Thomas Beck provides perspective on the burgeoning PCB manufacturing industry in Thailand specifically, and more widely throughout Southeast Asia. 

Real Time with… THECA 2024: State of the Art Copper Adhesion

Bruce Lee, MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, joined Nolan Johnson following his paper presentation on the show's mainstage. Lee provided a detailed overview of the current state of adhesion promoters and discussed the interaction between mechanical adhesion, chemical adhesion, signal integrity, and substrate impacts.

Real Time with… THECA 2024: A Successful First Show for THPCA

As the THECA show begins its last day, THPCA's Supachak Manutsathit shares some details from this successful inaugural show. Manutsathit describes the planning that went into creating an industry event from scratch and elaborates on the plans for THECA 2025. 

A Visit to RoBAT

It was the beginning of July, on an English summer’s day—overcast and raining—as I drove up to Cheshire the pretty way, across the Derbyshire dales, to avoid the traffic problems on the M6 motorway. It was well worth the journey when I arrived at the premises of RoBAT Ltd., in Macclesfield, to meet with Managing Director Bruce Nockton. 

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

After getting stuck in an airport during the Crowdstrike outage, our colleague Nolan Johnson has a review of the first-ever THECA trade show in Bangkok, Thailand. We have a column by Matt Stevenson on drilling optimization, and an interview with Schmoll America President Kurt Palmer about what it takes to thrive in this industry. We have an article by SMTA’s Tara Dunn that focuses on the organization’s educational offerings, and news about All Flex joining the PCBAA.

Real Time with… THECA 2024: MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions–A Critical Comparison of Metallization Methods

Carmichael Gugliotti, product manager for primary metallization, MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, describes his research—presented here at THECA—looking at reliability, process efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Learn about his findings in this interview.

Market Spotlight on India

India has long fascinated me. Aside from the fact that I love the cuisine, I have been fortunate to have some close Indian friends who were very generous in sharing their culture, celebrations, and homes. Growing up in the Bay Area (Silicon Valley), my exposure to talented Indian engineers started in the 1990s.

Schmoll America: Thriving in the Global PCB Market

As we examine what it means to thrive in our industry, I reached out to Kurt Palmer, president of Schmoll America. The business expansion was created from Schmoll Maschinen to focus on and better serve the expanding North American PCB market. Professionally, Kurt has been in this business for decades. He explains what thriving looks like for Schmoll America as the company moves forward into this new venture and what he is most looking forward to in the years ahead.

Real Time with... THECA 2024: IPC Focusing on the Needs of a Growing Region

Dave Bergman, vice president of standards and technology at IPC, updates Nolan Johnson on the active development work underway by IPC in the SE Asia region. Dave shares that IPC is very involved in helping to encourage and enable new investment in this region through IPC's core work in standards, education, and advocacy.

Impressions from THECA 2024

In American pop culture, we often see depictions of a youth athletic team—eight-year-old boys suited up to play American football or girls in soccer gear—and one of the kids shouts, “We may be small,” while the rest of the team answers, “but we are mighty.” That was the same feeling I had during the inaugural Thailand Electronic Circuits Asia trade show in Bangkok last week.

Technology Adoption and the Role of Automation

In a recent paper at the SMTA Pan Pacific Strategic Electronics Symposium 2024, Auburn University professors highlighted their findings from their 2023 “Smart Manufacturing Adoption Study” Technical Report 23-01. The paper emphasizes five points that are important for the adoption of advanced technologies.

Real Time with… THECA 2024: STARTEAM—Bringing Smart Factory Practices to Thailand

Daniel Jacob (CEO) and Martin Schneider (CTO) share insights on STARTEAM Global's fabrication facility in Thailand and detail the development of AI-driven smart factory and digital twin tools throughout their facilities. Along with the fabs in China, Thailand, and their newest location in Italy, STARTEAM sees a significant opportunity to serve the automotive sector worldwide.

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

This week, I’ve been attending Thailand Electronic Circuits Asia 2024. This is the inaugural event, hosted by Thailand Printed Circuit Association (THPCA) in collaboration with the Hong Kong Printed Circuit Association (HKPCA). Thailand has supported a PCB industry for some time—mostly automotive applications—but the China Plus One dynamic has definitely taken root here.

Thailand Electronics Circuit Asia 2024 Kicks Off

After a long and grueling experience through last week’s airline IT meltdowns, I finally touched down in Bangkok, where I’m here for the inaugural Thailand Electronics Circuit Asia (THECA) show. The expo and technical conference kicked off Wednesday at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center, featuring an expo and a technical conference.

Are You Ready to Thrive? Keep an Open Mind

Anaya Vardya joined American Standard Circuits in 2007, and his leadership strategy has focused on teamwork, technological advancement, and a strong marketing strategy. He leans on his extensive industry background and is inspired by former Intel CEO Andrew Grove, whose philosophy centered on proactive adaptability and emphasized thriving over mere survival.

DIS: Thriving With New Processes and Technologies

What does it take to really thrive in today’s business environment? Will it require big changes, or can you make small, incremental improvements? Jesse Ziomek, global sales director and product manager at DIS, Inc., a company that designs and manufactures automation equipment, focuses on strategies for thriving in the PCB industry by emphasizing cost reduction through smart robotic solutions and addressing bottlenecks to optimize yields.

BPMI Inc. Uses IPC Standards to Support the U.S. Nuclear-powered Naval Fleet

Our IPC member profile focuses on Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc (BPMI), responsible for the fabrication, test, delivery, installation, and field support of high-quality nuclear power plant components for installation in submarines and aircraft carriers.

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

Are you ready for the weekend? Fin de semana? I think we all are! In this week’s roundup, we have one article on what it takes to thrive in the industry today, as well as an interview that discusses one student’s drive to succeed as a PCB designer. We also have an article by our newest columnist, Tom Yang, who introduces us to his family-owned PCB company. Columnist Hanna Grace brings us an interview with her mentor, and Anaya Vardya continues his UHDI coverage with an article that explains UHDI’s use in the RF/microwave arena.

Insights from a PCB Pioneer: Dr. Hayao Nakahara's Global Journey

In a candid conversation, industry luminary Dr. Hayao Nakahara (Naka) delves into his long and illustrious journey across the global PCB landscape. As the founder of NTI, Naka has toured hundreds of PCB manufacturing facilities worldwide, amassing a wealth of data and insights. Dan Beaulieu captures the essence of Naka’s profound impact on the PCB industry, from his early days in R&D to his current role as a revered source of knowledge and analysis for industry professionals.

Tom Edman Leads IPC Board of Directors

IPC elected several new board members at IPC APEX EXPO in April, including new Board Chair Tom Edman, CEO of TTM, who assumes the role from Bob Neves, CTO and chair of Microtek Laboratories. Tom and TTM have long been active in many facets of IPC. I caught up with Tom and asked him about his new board appointment, IPC, and the industry he serves. He emphasizes IPC’s work in standards and advocacy as especially important for our industry.
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