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Accurate Circuit Engineering: Be Nimble, Quick, and Open to Change

James Hofer, general manager of Accurate Circuit Engineering (ACE) in Southern California, shares his insights about his specialty, quick-turn company, the market, and the interesting times in which we find ourselves. James remains optimistic about bringing manufacturing back to the United States and takes great pride in the work that ACE does to support military, defense, and aerospace. As James looks toward a prosperous 2025, he reflects on his 40 years in the business and learning that the secret to success is not trying to be everything to everyone.

I-Connect007 Technical Library: Your Ultimate Free Knowledge Resource

I-Connect007’s technical library was created in 2016 with the launch of its first title, "The Printed Circuit Buyer’s Guide to AS9100 Certification." Created to satisfy a need for readily available, free technical resources, the library has become a powerful knowledge hub for the printed circuit board and electronics manufacturing supply chain.

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

Trade show season is wrapping up as we head into summer. Where has the time gone? I hope you all get the chance to take a vacation this year, because I know you’ve earned one. Speaking of which, when was my last vacay? If I can’t remember, it’s probably time for one. It’s been a busy week in electronics, with fallout from the back-and-forth on tariffs taking up most of the oxygen in the room. We have quite an assortment of articles and columns for you in this installment of Must-Reads. See you next time.

Voices of the Industry: Alpha Circuit

Prashant Patel, founder and president of Alpha Circuit, takes a pragmatic approach to doing business: “Commerce always wins out,” he says. How will potential tariffs and shifts in the economy affect PCB manufacturing? Prashant offers sound advice.

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

In our industry, this week’s must-read features include CEE’s Tom Yang and his perspective on having a global business amidst tariff talk and other challenges. Joe Fjelstadt talks to the “Flexperts,” Nick Koop of TTM and Mark Finstead of Flexible Circuit Technologies. Nolan Johnson interviews the McGucken Group about the importance of empathic leadership in BANI times. NCAB’s Ryan Miller writes about reliability and compliance for building PCBs for medical applications, and surprise, more news from Siemens.

Ensuring a Strong and Reliable Supply Chain

Kelly Davidson, vice president of NCAB Group USA, discusses the company's stable performance in 2024 and positive outlook for 2025. She highlights NCAB's strategy of organic growth and strategic acquisitions amidst tariff concerns and global political uncertainty. Kelly emphasizes the importance of supply chain diversification, strong supplier relationships, and customer education, and notes NCAB's focus on defense production and maintaining a reliable supply chain.

Choosing the Right Strategic Path

Tom Yang, CEO of CEE PCB, discusses the current economic challenges, noting reduced purchasing power post-pandemic. He highlights the growing demand for HDI in consumer electronics due to AI growth. Tom also expresses concerns about tariffs under the new U.S. administration, prompting CEE to diversify production locations, including new plants in Southeast Asia. He emphasizes the need for PCB manufacturers to adapt strategically amidst rising costs and fierce competition, particularly for mid-sized shops facing unique challenges in the industry.

Rising Star Award: Paavo Niskala, TactoTek

Paavo Niskala joined the IPC community in 2022 as part of the inaugural steering group for in-mold electronics. He led the development of standard IPC-8401, Guidelines for In-Mold Electronics, chairing the project from its inception to its publication in 2024. Currently, Paavo serves as vice chair of the D-84A Plastronics Accelerated Reliability Testing Task Group, contributing his expertise to advancing reliability standards in the field.

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

I’m highlighting a discussion on the positive potential coming from the recent changes in global trade policy—from IPC’s Government Relations team, and from TTM CEO Tom Edman. In the realm of designers and purchasers realm, there’s news from Screaming Circuits and ASC/Sunstone Circuits to share. Finally, additive manufacturing and the release of CFX 2.0 highlight just some of the news coming to the shop floor as well.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Empowering IPC North Asia—Leadership and Future Goals

Nolan Johnson catches up with Sydney Xiao, the IPC North Asia President, who leads a team covering China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. IPC's North Asia regions 800 members are focusing on standards, training, and advocacy to enhance quality and profitability. The adoption of IPC standards by Toyota in 2021 highlights this increased regional engagement. IPC prioritizes workforce development, with over 7,000 professionals in certification programs and school partnerships.

Learning to Speak ‘Fab’

Over the years, I’ve seen many PCB designers make DFM mistakes. At DownStream, I work with design and fabrication, and sometimes it feels as if the two segments are speaking completely different languages. But once designers learn to speak “fab,” many of these DFM challenges disappear.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: DuPont Electronics Materials and Innovations

DuPont is many things to many markets, but DuPont Electronics Materials is, perhaps, a bit out of the DuPont "norm," developing specialized electronic materials that are particularly focused on challenging areas such as flex circuits, high power PCBs and products that must withstand harsh environments. At IPC APEX EXPO, Marcy LaRont sat down with Shannon Dugan from DuPont Electronics Materials to discuss some big news. They are being spun off into an independent entity with a new CEO having just been announced as the show wrapped.

Navigating Change, Mitigating Risk: We’ve Been Here Before

I visited with Tom Edman, president and CEO of TTM Technologies, and chair of the IPC Board of Directors. Tom candidly shares his insights into the implications of changes on the defense sector and the broader electronics manufacturing industry, especially concerning PCB manufacturing. With half of TTM’s business tied to defense, Tom discusses the potential opportunities and challenges arising from government initiatives, tariffs, and supply chain complexities.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Show Wrap Up—A Review with John Mitchell

Marcy LaRont sits down with Dr. John W. Mitchell on the last day of IPC APEX EXPO 2025, marking its 25th anniversary. They highlight the event's success and specifically recognize this year's technical conference and professional development tracks. They also discuss AI's role in electronics, as Mitchell urges professionals to improve their skills around AI to keep themselves valuable and relevant. AI is here to stay! He touches upon tariffs and promotes a diverse supply chain, emphasizing the essential ingredient of collaboration for mutual success. Ending on sustainability, he discusses IPC's launch of the Evolve program showcasing the industry's commitment to sustainability.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Meet Emily Daley, the New IPC Student Board Member

Having a student on the IPC Board of Directors offers a perspective it’s hard to get in other ways. Each year, IPC selects a new student to join the board. This year, it’s Emily Daley, a junior at Michigan Tech. Emily is excited to network and learn from her peers as she enters the electrical engineering industry.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Empowering the Next Generation—Waad Tarman's Journey as IPC Student Board Member

In this conversation, Waad Tarman, a PhD student at Auburn University, reflects on her impactful journey as the outgoing IPC Student Board Member. Having transitioned from a career in project coordination to pursuing advanced studies in industrial and systems engineering, Waad’s dedication to electronics manufacturing shines through. Her experience as a student representative allowed her to engage with industry leaders and provide valuable insights from a student’s perspective. As she prepares to pass the torch to her successor, she shares her key takeaways, emphasizing the importance of connection, communication, and the ethos of paying it forward.

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

It’s been a busy week in our industry. Never a dull moment! If you’ve been paying attention to our tariff tumult with China and its effect on the stock market, especially if your company does a lot of business with China, you might be tempted to call in a Xanax refill about now. But hang tight. This is still early in the first quarter. This brouhaha serves to underscore our need to manufacture critical laminates and components in the U.S. In this week’s must-reads, we have a potpourri of articles covering tariffs, the next generation of HDI, the three-year anniversary of IPC Mexico, a novel green technology, and emerging design trends.

IPC President's Award: Barry Matties

The IPC President’s Award is given to IPC members who have exhibited ongoing leadership in IPC and have made significant contributions of their time and talent to the association and the electronic interconnect industry. Individuals can receive this award only once. Barry Matties has been a leading global force in publishing content about the electronics industry for nearly 40 years. He began his publishing career as a co-founder of CircuiTree Magazine in 1987, which became the leading printed trade journal serving the PCB industry.

University of Arizona Pioneering Technical Education Beyond Semiconductors

While many universities struggle to keep their curriculum up to date with the evolving needs of the electronics industry, the University of Arizona stands head and shoulders above the others. Its Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing incorporates five of the colleges at UA and emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to prepare students for diverse careers in technology and manufacturing.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: IPC Mexico Building Community and Partnerships

Lorena Villanueva highlights IPC Mexico's three-year journey focused on community building and partnerships with governments and educational institutions. Key milestones include collaboration agreements with state governments and universities to enhance the electronics industry. IPC Days promotes networking and education, while a partnership with UNAM aims to integrate IPC training into engineering programs. The discussion wraps up with congratulations on IPC Mexico's achievements and the launch of the Mexico pavilion at this year's show.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: EPOCH Expands With Automation

With a 35-year history, EPOCH is expanding its operations in Bangalore, India, focusing on automation and customer collaboration. Phil Marcoux leads a task force for AI in PCB design, working with various companies to enhance collaboration, and cites that, historically, data sharing has provided the greatest challenge for AI development. Luckily, he says, that is changing. EPOCH combines AI and traditional methods in manufacturing, especially in product design.

Elephantech: For a Greener Tomorrow

Nobuhiko Okamoto is the global sales and marketing manager for Elephantech Inc., a Japanese startup with a vision to make electronics more sustainable. The company is developing a metal inkjet technology that can print directly on the substrate and then give it a copper thickness by plating. In this interview, he discusses this novel technology's environmental advantages, as well as its potential benefits for the PCB manufacturing and semiconductor packaging segments.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Revolutionizing PCB Manufacturing with Laser Technology from MKS' ESI

In this interview, Barry Matties speaks with Casey Krueger from MKS' ESI.  MKS' ESI focuses on laser-based micro machining for PCBs, especially in HDI and IC substrates. The Geode CO2 drilling system, launched in 2019, uses AOD technology to transform the market. Trends show a shift toward smaller vias for advanced packaging, with laser drilling concentrated in Asia. North America sees rising investments in laser tech, prioritizing quality, productivity, and energy efficiency, while AI integration boosts ESI's operations.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Technological Advancements – IPC's Vision for 2025

Nolan Johnson introduces Matt Kelly, the CTO and VP Standards & Technology at IPC, who shares insights on recent organizational changes. He highlights the importance of proactive standards development to match the rapid pace of technology, predicting a tenfold acceleration in advancements over the next five years. IPC's core initiatives for 2025 focus on design, advanced electronics packaging, and digital manufacturing, aiming to create new guidelines and standards that meet industry demands.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: GreenSource's Growth and Future Developments

Things are looking bright for GreenSource. Michael Gleason shares an update on GreenSource's recent growth and upcoming changes. A recipient of a Defense Production Act Investment Program award, GreenSource is planning for new substrate capabilities. Current investments continue to enhance equipment and sustainability initiatives such as water quality. And their unique collaboration with the University of New Hampshire continues to aid their workforce development, despite recruitment challenges.
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