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

It’s a holiday weekend in the United States, but the news doesn’t stop just because a few of us have the day off! You’ll have to pardon me; my ears are still ringing from the fireworks. Without further ado, here are the five things you should not miss from this week.

Overcoming Workforce Challenges from Onboarding to Upskilling

Everyone seems to be talking about workforce and staffing, but after the pandemic, staffing for manufacturing jobs became an even greater challenge. In April, IPC published a white paper, “Building Electronics Better: A Plan to Address the Workforce Challenges Facing the Electronics Manufacturing Industry.” The paper addresses myriad issues surrounding workforce recruitment, development, and retention while outlining a specific approach to tackle these challenges.

Don’t Overconstrain Your Board Materials

When we started planning May’s issue, which centers on the use of traditional laminates in certain high-frequency PCBs, we knew we had to interview Kris Moyer and Ed Kelley together. Kris teaches advanced PCB design classes for IPC, and Ed is the former CTO of Isola and founder of Four Peaks Innovation. What ensued was a wide-ranging discussion on the evolution of “standard” PCB laminates and the recent trend by some OEMs to use these materials in high-frequency and even RF boards.

Shane Whiteside Appointed as New PCBAA Chair

Summit Interconnect President and CEO Shane Whiteside was recently appointed as chair of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America (PCBAA), replacing Travis Kelly, CEO of Isola Group. Shane’s distinguished career in PCB manufacturing and leadership spans several decades, so this new role lends itself well to PCBAA’s mission as an important advocacy vehicle for the PCB industry.

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

Much of our recent coverage focuses on being ready for the future—technologically and otherwise. We have news about APCT relaunching as AdvancedPCB, and an interview with Freedom CAD’s Scott Miller about their new leadership—young managers who bring new vision to the company.  We also have coverage of “Bold Breakthroughs: Women Reshaping the Engineering Landscape,” a webinar that celebrates Women in Engineering Day. We bring you an interview with Ventec’s Alun Morgan, who discusses the advent of glassless materials, and an article by FCT’s Chris Clark about cost-drivers in the flex and rigid-flex arena.

Freedom CAD Ready for Future With New Leadership

During PCB East, I caught up with our friend Scott Miller of Freedom CAD. Scott has been chief operating officer of the company for quite a while, but he recently assumed a new title as new, younger managers moved up into top leadership positions. I asked Scott to discuss his new role, as well as the company’s move to keep looking at the industry in novel, fresh ways.

Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: 'The Practice: Shipping Creative Work'

As you must know by now, I am an unabashed fan of Seth Godin and an equally unabashed fan of this particular book. Out of all of Seth’s books, and there are a lot of good ones in the 20-plus he has written, this one motivates me the most. I go back to it repeatedly when I’m stuck in the middle of a creative project and I need a good swift kick in the you-know-what to get moving.

Webinar Review: Women Reshaping the Engineering Landscape

IPC celebrated International Women in Engineering Day with “Bold Breakthroughs: Women Reshaping the Engineering Landscape,” a webinar moderated by Teresa Rowe, IPC senior director of assembly and standards technology. The event featured a panel of eight innovative engineers representing eight different countries, and each with varied backgrounds and in various stages of their respective careers.

Forty Years of Innovation at Electra Polymer

In this engaging interview, Don Monn, national sales manager at Electra Polymers, talks about the company's 40th anniversary and recent developments in inkjet solder mask technology. Don shares insights on the company’s history, commitment to innovation, and the environmental benefits of its products. He discusses the challenges and advancements in the circuit board industry since the 1990s, emphasizing the importance of education and mentorship. The conversation highlights Electra's strategic investments and their confidence in future growth.

Career Opportunities Are Knocking

Are workforce topics on your mind? In this market, of course they are! Finding and keeping qualified employees is continually cited as one of today’s greatest business challenges. That's why I-Connect007 features Career Opportunities in every magazine issue. Whether you’re looking to hire or be hired, check out the Career Opportunities section in every issue of our magazines.

Beyond Prepreg: The Glassless ‘Revolution’

As our industry rallies around the call to action for HDI and UHDI, we find unparalleled and myriad laminate options. This abundance is rivaled only by the question surrounding them: Can they measure up to the high technology packaging demands required in our near future? Unsurprisingly, recent developments in FR-4-esque materials for high-speed and high-density designs, as well as newer, glassless technology for replacing traditional glass-impregnated laminates and prepreg, are garnering much interest. I caught up with Alun Morgan, technology ambassador for Ventec International Group, to ask about the impending “glassless revolution” and how it’s poised to solve some of our manufacturing challenges.

USPAE’s Jim Will on PCBMC, Defense Needs, and Onshoring

Jim Will has assumed the role of executive director of the U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE). In his first interview with I-Connect007, Jim discusses his background in the commercial and defense industries, emphasizing U.S. defense assured electronics needs. His passion shows through as he discusses USPAE initiatives and looks forward to finding ways for partner organizations to work more closely together.

Mustaches and Automation in Flexible PCB Fabrication

In any manufactured product, whether a house or a flexible circuit, there is always a raw material component in the overall cost. In the flexible circuit, flexible heater, and rigid-flex industry, sheet materials can account for 20–60% of the overall price. Admittedly, this is a very broad range, but factors, such as how common the materials are in the region where they are made, can cause this to swing one way or the other. Your actions as an engineer or sourcing agent have an impact on overall cost, which I’ll illustrate through the example of building a house.

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

He’s back, and in splendid form. Pete’s Starkey’s coverage of the EIPC Summer Conference, which took place June 4-5 at the European Space Centre, The Netherlands, is top notch. Joan Tourné from NextGIn Technologies emphasized that our attention must be focused on the interconnection ability of our PCBs and highlights VeCS as an alternative to the traditional plated-through-hole approach. Finally, Martyn Cauwe of IMEC discusses environmental impact and specifically, the need for a better, parametric approach to quantifying it, something European businesses are being required to do on the regular.

Day 2: A Full Day at the EIPC Summer Conference

Editor's note: This is the third and final report from the EIPC Summer Conference. It was a bright and early start to the second day of the 2024 EIPC Summer Conference at the European Space Centre, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, June 4-5. A short journey by bus from the hotel in Leiden and our security passes from the day before got us through the gate and to our seats in the Newton Room for Session 4, “Material Studies,” moderated by Martyn Gaudion. 

The Critical Role of Materials

Materials and substrates are an ongoing discussion for PCB fabricators today, offering PCB designers and fabricators much more choice than was available two decades ago. When it comes to running a printed circuit board company, material management is a critical piece for operations.

Traditional Materials, High-Frequency Boards?

Not long ago, high-frequency and RF boards required specialized laminates, which tend to be costly and difficult to manufacture. But now, high-frequency designers use traditional PCB laminates for certain high-frequency boards. How is this possible? For some insight, we asked Ed Kelley, founder of Four Peaks Innovation and former CTO of Isola, to discuss how traditional materials have improved and what this means to PCB designers and design engineers today.

IPC Impact Day Recap With Rich Cappetto

IPC has hosted its annual IPC Impact Day in Washington, D.C., for at least the past decade, with the first event taking place in the 1990s. This popular and important advocacy tool allows an industry segment to meet their local congresspeople, educate them on important issues, and influence new or existing legislation to support their interests. We spoke with Rich Cappetto, senior director of North American government relations at IPC, about the importance of the event and what it means for the greater PCB industry. He also highlighted an important change: There will be several IPC Impact Days throughout the year to allow smaller groups of industry professionals to visit Washington more often with a more targeted message.

Looking Into Space: EIPC Summer Conference, Part 2

“Innovative Development of PCB Technology and Design” was the theme of the second session of the 2024 EIPC Summer Conference, June 4-5, at the European Space Centre, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.

Off Like a Rocket: A Review of the EIPC Summer Conference, Part 1

Motorway traffic jams, airport car parking, walking for miles, queuing for security, delayed flights—oh, the joys of travelling. I was quickly reminded of my status as a foreigner while waiting patiently in line for a half-hour at passport control to enter the European Union at Amsterdam Schiphol, having flown all the way from London Luton in the United Kingdom, that great distance of 200 miles. 

Revolutionizing PCB Prototyping With ML and AM

Historically, PCB prototyping has been a meticulous and time-consuming process, often laden with complexities and high costs. Traditional methods have typically involved intricate design iterations, extensive manual labor, and significant material waste. However, the advent of AM has revolutionized this landscape, offering a rapid, cost-effective alternative that significantly accelerates the development cycle.

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

This week’s must-reads are comprised of news which moves the industry forward. We’ve had quite a lot of news on a global scale, and they’re all good reads. To winnow down to just five, I chose either new information or interesting takes on ongoing industry stories. To that end, we have news about new capital equipment for advanced packaging, discussions of material selection and the imaging process during PCB fabrication, a columnist's ode to the best engineer she knows, and some optimistic news from the semiconductor industry.

Catching Up With Bob Duke of ASC’s Global Sourcing Division

Since we last talked to Bob Duke, president of American Standard Circuits’ Global Sourcing Division, I wanted to see how things are going and what a difference a year makes. Not surprising, and knowing how Bob operates, things are (spoiler alert) going great. Check it out for yourself.

Manufacturing Differently With Digital Technology

As circuit board manufacturing companies and their equipment suppliers go, you don’t see too many new ones, but groundbreaking technology is a different story. Founded in 2012 and based in Schwetzingen, Germany, Notion Systems is an industry leader in additive manufacturing technology of functional materials and inkjet printing equipment. Their tagline, “The future of additive manufacturing,” was demonstrated when I spoke with Antonio Schmidt, senior vice president of sales and marketing, and David Hahn, vice president of process R&D.

SAT Moving Additive Technology Forward

Hans Fritz started his career as an engineer with Gerber Scientific Instruments in Hartford, Connecticut, later working for Orbotech on its first LDI systems at EIE in Switzerland making photo plotters, and then at Hakuto Europe, a subsidiary of Hakuto Co. in Japan. He has spent the past three decades as general manager at Sense Advanced Technology (SAT), now working with his daughter Milena and business partner Alexander Weigl. “I have moved to the fun part of the business,” Hans says, where he gets to work in new field technologies, including additive and product industrialization processes. “I’m trying to use modern digital additive technologies to make PCBs, fuel cells, metal etching and milling, and PCMI applications.”
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