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Happy’s Play-by-Play of IPC APEX EXPO

This was the first time IPC had a virtual APEX EXPO. It went well, but I missed seeing everyone. On the other hand, all this material being available for 90 days certainly allows it to fit anyone’s schedule. I spent all week intently listening to the presentations.

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

This week, we have a round-up of stories from around the industry, including a Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO interview with Ventec, an article by Tamara Jovanovic about eliminating “garbage in, garbage out,” a review of an EIPC webinar by Pete Starkey, and news about another trade show going virtual this summer. And last but certainly not least, we bring you our one-minute video salute to all the fantastic people in this industry who we’ve worked with for decades. Enjoy!

EIPC Technical Snapshot: 5G and Loss Minimisation

Bringing a specialised technical area into sharp focus, this month’s topic was “5G and the understanding of loss minimisation at the PCB level,” with papers on dielectric material, copper foil, and modelling solutions. The webinar was moderated by EIPC board member Paul Waldner managing director of Multiline International Europa, who admitted that he had managed to get a haircut especially for the occasion!

Averatek Offers Updates on ASAP Progress and Online Resource Site

Averatek’s Mike Vinson and Tara Dunn provide an update on Averatek’s ASAP progress. Mike shares the results from his presentation on reliability and signal integrity, while Tara details the newly announced ASAP Community of Interest web resource site.

ASC Focused on Increasing Product Densification

Anaya Vardya discusses the new and upcoming processes and technologies that ASC is developing to increase product densification, as well as how they are connecting with their customer base through webinars and publishing eBooks.

PCB Requirements for E-Mobility

Nolan Johnson, Barry Matties, and Happy Holden speak with Christian Klein, section manager for PCBs in the automotive electronics division, about Bosch’s recent presentation on PCB requirements of the future in regard to automotive and electro mobility trends and challenges.

Achieving Growth in a Difficult Year: The Benefits of Global Supply Chain Management

Jack Pattie, president of Ventec USA, discusses the growth of the business, the strengthening of the operation, quality system accreditations, the advantages of building close working relationships with OEMs, and how a well-managed global supply chain has overcome some of the challenges and frustrations encountered during the past year.

With Pluritec, it’s All About Automation

Lino Sousa, vice president of sales with Pluritec, reviews the company’s specialist equipment ranges and discusses the benefits of automation of drilling, solder mask application and wet processing in small-batch, quick-turnaround PCB production.

I-Connect007 Video: A Salute to The Industry

I-Connect007 has produced this new one-minute video to acknowledge nearly 35 years of sharing your stories. In 1987 we launched our first industry publication and we have been dedicated to covering this industry ever since. We did not start out as publishers: in fact, our background was in printed circuit board fabrication. In 1987 there were still nearly 3,000 PCB shops in North America. At the time, profits were goods, trade events included giant industry parties (remember the extravagant hospitality suites in Anaheim?), and the industry was in a state of change.

What's Hot in the PCB Equipment Market?

Mike Brask, president and CEO of IPS, shares the technology customers in the PCB sector are most interested in and discusses increasing market demands.

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

Last week was “APEX Week” and, unsurprisingly, the most popular news this week was APEX related (with one outlier, of course!) This week, the top five items you should follow lean strongly toward APEX interviews focusing on future trends. Remember, this year APEX offers on-demand access to the papers, presentations, events, keynotes, and forums. You can even register for post-show access.

EV Industry Facing Bottleneck Challenges

Nolan Johnson talks with Eduardo Benmayor, general manager at Aismalibar, about materials challenges facing the powertrain portion of the automotive EV industry. Eduardo also speaks about what he sees as the biggest challenge facing EVs—infrastructure.

Eagle Electronics Sees Increase in HDI Work

Prince Kalaria talks about recent supply chain and industry trends he's seen at the Chicago-based electronics manufacturer, most notably the expanded growth around HDI, specialty materials, and onshoring.

The Real Benefits of Inkjet Solder Mask

Shaun Tibbals, sales and marketing director at Electra Polymers, describes the technical, environmental and economic benefits of fully additive solder mask application by inkjet printing, now becoming accepted as the industry-standard technology for the future.

Present and Future Industry Trends With Denkai America

Editor Dan Feinberg recently spoke with Chris Stevens, global sales manager for Denkai America, the only electrodeposited copper foil manufacturer in North America. During this conversation, Chris provides his view of present and emerging trends, the need for higher speed digital designs, and overall business conditions over the past year.

Taiyo Does It Right

In this video interview, Editor Dan Feinberg and Taiyo America's Zach Maekawa discuss the ways that Taiyo adds value to the supply chain while driving innovation in solder mask technology. As Zach explains, Taiyo works with customers and OEMs, measuring all of the “nitty gritty stuff.”

Post-Show Interview with IPC President John Mitchell

In this relaxed wrap-up interview, John Mitchell shares his thoughts on this year’s virtual show with Barry Matties. Some of the emerging themes that came up include smart factory implementation and the increased traction for the emerging engineer program.

The Ongoing Need for Tribal Knowledge

IPC Hall of Fame recipients Bob Neves and Don Dupriest led a special event on the first day of IPC APEX EXPO 2021 called “Forgotten Tribal Knowledge with IPC Hall of Fame and Emerging Engineers.” In this interview, Bob discusses the ongoing need to harness tribal knowledge for the benefit of emerging engineers.

APEX Thursday Keynote: Shawn DuBravac on a Data-driven Tech World

Shawn DuBravac, IPC chief economist, provided Thursday’s IPC APEX EXPO keynote address, “The Tech Industry in a Post-pandemic World.”

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

There was a lot going on in the industry this week, and most of it happened at the virtual IPC APEX EXPO. Sure, it wasn’t the same as being in San Diego, but the show went pretty well, especially for a first-time event. There were a few technical snafus, but the IPC technical staff was responsive and took care of most of the issues right away. As I said a few months ago, how would you like to be in trade show management during a pandemic? So, without further ado, here are my top five stories from the past week.

Heraeus Introduces New High-Reliability Solder Paste

Manu Vaidya discusses the SMT650 high-reliability solder paste Heraeus Electronics is showcasing at APEX 2021 in order to satisfy rising automotive demands.

Elmatica Offers Unique Thank You for Dieter Bergman IPC Fellowship Award

This is how Norwegian PCB broker Elmatica said “thank you” to IPC for selecting Jan Pedersen for the Dieter Bergman IPC Fellowship Award. And you think you've had a cold winter! The Elmatica team definitely has a great sense of humor. Let's all congratulate Jan for his work with IPC, including updating PCB standards and helping to streamline the design data process.

Karen McConnell: Recipient of the IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award

"I heard about IPC when I started a new job at UNISYS after graduating college. I moved from ASIC design to printed circuit boards," said Karen McConnell after being inducted into the Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame. "At the time, in the late ’80s and early ’90s, there were rumors going around that printed circuit boards were going to disappear, and ASICs were going to take over the world. But something in printed circuit boards fascinated me. I minored in robotics in college as an electrical engineer and the data used to fabricate, assemble and test the boards is actually all robotic language. I was hooked."

Distributor Just One of Many Roles for all4-PCB

Torsten Reckert, president of all4-PCB, discusses his company's role as a distributor, and the technologies available under their representation. Reckert points to via fill as a key technology, as well as lamination, flash-cutting automation, plasma processing, cross-section equipment, wet processing, among others. The company also manufactures solder resist capital equipment and special machine parts, and is a leader in process optimization.

Vertical Integration on the Rise

Alex Stepinski, founder and vice president of GreenSource, shares his thoughts after his presentation in the managers' forum at IPC APEX EXPO. Alex’s presentation focused on the vertical integration trend and zero waste. Alex has been a pioneer in zero waste since he opened Whelen Engineering Company's captive PCB fabrication shop in New Hampshire, a state that has strict regulations about manufacturing waste. Alex spun off GreenSource as a commercial venture two years ago, after visiting 50 factories in 19 countries, and flying over 1 million air miles.
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