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

According to a quick look at history.com, “Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1.” All well and good, but why April Fools’? “People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools.”

Improved Thermal Interface Materials For Cooling High-Power Electronics

Heat has been a significant concern in electronics since the beginning of the electronics age when hot glowing vacuum tubes were first used to receive and transmit data bits. The transistor and integrated circuit effectively solved that basic problem, but increases in integration resulted in increased concentration of heat, exacerbated by relentless increases in operating frequency. While improvements in electronics technology have been able to mitigate many thermal issues at chip level thanks to improved semiconductor designs devised to operate at lower voltages (thus requiring less energy) the thermal management challenge continues to vex electronic product developers.

Dallas SMTA Expo: Open for Business

This year’s theme was “Texas is Open for Business,” and the turnout seemed to reflect that observation. We saw a steady stream of attendees arriving throughout the day, and most of them stayed through the barbecue lunch and happy hour. Dallas SMTA Expo and Tech Forum is becoming much more than a regional show. I met exhibitors and attendees from around the southwest, and a few from across the country. The Plano Event Center has a configurable layout that can accommodate events of all sizes, and next year’s show is expected to be even bigger.

How to Minimize Quoting Time and Increase Accuracy in EMS Production

New product introductions (NPIs) and customization have been increasing rapidly over the past few years—with the results that the already-small profit margins in electronics assembly are shrinking even further. Fifteen years ago, the PCB was the product. Today, most products are a system, with multiple PCBs, cables, and enclosures. Many manufacturers want to provide turn-key products that have multiple BOMs, making the assembly process even more complicated.

M&A Activity: Keep Your Eye on the Ball

M&A activity is on the rise and shows no indication of slowing down, even if interest rates climb. In the past two years, there were more than 45 deals. Where does your company fit in? In this interview with Dan Beaulieu, M&A expert Tom Kastner breaks down the market and who benefits most when it comes to buyers, sellers, and where you live.

Dave Hillman on Living Your Passion

Barry Matties leads this engaging retrospective conversation with Dave Hillman, a Fellow, Materials and Process engineer at Collins Aerospace, who talks about mentorship, pandemic changes, and solder. “Soldering is soldering,” Dave says. “But how we do that keeps evolving in response to the new technologies and smaller packages.” What’s the key to his success and longevity? “Find your passion.” Here’s how he’s done it.

Thank You to the I-Connect007 Team

During IPC APEX EXPO, the I-Connect007 team works very hard to bring you several great interviews that will keep you up to date on the latest industry activity. This year, we had Nolan Johnson, Andy Shaughnessy, Pete Starkey, and Happy Holden of I-Connect007 in front of the cameras. We also send out a very special thank you to our guest interviewers, who sat in the I-Connect007 show floor studio to conduct many interviews. The list includes Tara Dunn, Dick Crowe, Joe Fjelstad, Steve Williams, and Kelly Dack. Their contributions are greatly appreciated.

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

It’s been a crazy week, with lots of bad news coming out of Ukraine. (I’m a news junkie by trade, but I confess that some days I just unplug from the news completely to avoid overdosing on negativity.) And, as you might have guessed, this is all having ill effects on our electronics supply chain, which is already stretched thin. This is reflected in our IPC news item that shows an uptick in PCB sales in February, but a drop in bookings YOY, in part due to the trouble in Eastern Europe. But there’s positive news in this week’s top reads. We have a NextFlex article about an innovative flexible technology called flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) and a great interview by Dan Beaulieu. We also have a column by Travis Kelly, who discusses PCBAA’s efforts to lobby for American manufacturing in Washington. And last but not least, let’s welcome our two newest columnists, Paige Fiet and Hannah Nelson, who discuss their excitement about entering this industry.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Material Technology for Automotive

Nicholas Huffer of Acuity Electronics discusses with Nolan Johnson the use of IoT for material traceability for automotive and aerospace compliance. He explains how Acuity provides solutions, when used in tandem, represent a unified platform for electronics manufacturers. Representing the Siemens PLM Software suite of products for electronics manufacturing Acuity offers best-in-class services and support to maximize your investment in these solutions.

José Servin Receives IPC Dieter Bergman Fellowship Award

The Dieter Bergman IPC Fellowship Award is given to individuals who have fostered a collaborative spirit, made significant contributions to standards development, and have consistently demonstrated a commitment to global standardization efforts and the electronics industry. José Servin has worked as an IPC member for more than 14 years in the development of the Electronics Assembly Norms. As a member of the IPC A-610 and J STD-001 working groups, he became chairman of IPC A-610G and J STD-001G Automotive Addendums that complements the norms for automotive industry since 2018.

Going Global: Bridging Today's Labor Gap

No doubt you will relate to Foad Ghalili when he expresses his concerns about rising input costs to doing business, from getting the right components, to delivery times, and price increases. But what’s unique for the president of Epoch International is the way his company has leveraged its U.S. and China operations to make the most of the other thing on everyone’s mind—the labor shortage. If you’re not already implementing his ideas, you will walk away from this interview with some sure-fire tips.

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

This week seems jam-packed with holidays, both major and minor, doesn’t it? We started with “International Pi Day” on March 14. With all the obligatory pricing specials on most all things “pie” here in the U.S., suffice it to say, I’ve got a short stack bake-at-home pizza “pi” in my freezer, thanks to the one-day-only sales price of $3.14. Personally, I’m glad they didn’t make the promotional price = pizza diameter * Pi.

Doug Pauls, Collins Aerospace, Receives Dieter Bergman IPC Fellowship Award

Doug Pauls holds a B.A. in chemistry and physics from Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He worked nine years for the Navy, eight years as technical director of Contamination Studies Labs, and 19 years at Rockwell Collins (now Collins Aerospace), in the Advanced Operations Engineering group, where he is a principal materials and process engineer. Doug was awarded the Rockwell Collins Arthur A. Collins Engineer of the Year Award in 2004.

RF and Microwave: No Black Magic

I caught up with Ben Jordan after his class on RF and microwave at IPC APEX EXPO. Ben, an electrical engineer, explained how sitting through previous classes on this topic led to him developing his own class. “I wanted to bridge the gap,” he says, “with a class that makes the material approachable and teaches the intuitive nature of fields and waves and how they work in circuit boards.”

David Pogue: Is the Fear of Change Holding Us Back?

David Pogue, an American technology and science writer and TV presenter, sat down with the I-Connect007 Editorial Team after his keynote presentation at IPC APEX EXPO to talk about today’s technology, the breakthroughs that have shaped our current landscape, and whether fear of change and innovation is what’s keeping us from the next technological revolution. What do you think?

IPC’s Dieter Bergman Fellowship Award Presented to Bev Christian, HDPUG

The Dieter Bergman IPC Fellowship Award is given to individuals who have fostered a collaborative spirit, made significant contributions to standards development, and have consistently demonstrated a commitment to global standardization efforts and the electronics industry. Bev Christian is a facilitator for the High Density Packaging User Group (HDPUG) and an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering of the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. In the past 31 years he has held positions at Nortel, BlackBerry, and CALCE; all in the areas of materials and failure analysis. Bev has never missed an IPC APEX EXPO since its inception. He is a member of 27 IPC committees and attends as time and the lack of clones allow.

Lean on Me: A U.S.–Europe Partnership

The United States is not the only region to feel the sting of losing the bulk of its printed circuit board manufacturing to Asia. European countries, such as France, recognize the dire need to modernize their factories, upskill their labor force, and provide for a more secure supply chain. But what are governments doing to help? In this conversation with Nolan Johnson, IPC Europe’s Alison James breaks down the tremendous potential for a partnership between the U.S. and Europe and what that means for a stronger global industry.

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

It’s Friday, and I’ve spent the last few days breaking in my new laptop. It’s a Mac, and it’s been a while since I used one of these. It occurred to me that the last time I used a Mac, there was no email and no internet. I was editor of my college newspaper. I had just voted for Clinton, because that’s what you did in your 20s. We had Apple Classic II monitors with screens the size of a postcard, and we were on the cutting edge of desktop publishing. Students submitted articles on 3.5” loppy disks or on notebook paper, sometimes written in pencil. That’s where I learned to edit, and to do it quickly. We won awards every year. Good times.

New IPC Excellence in Education Award Presented to Tabbatha Greek, Honeywell Aerospace

Tabbatha Greek serves as the Master IPC Trainer for Honeywell Aerospace, where she runs a private IPC Training Center. She has been involved with manufacturing training for more than 15 years. Through her experience, she recognized that the industry needed a better way to bridge the skill-gap in electronics manufacturing. After discussing the issue with IPC, they began work on an introductory course written specifically for operators. Tabbatha continued collaborating with IPC to address the challenges that trainees face when they are new to the industry. Once IPC had released the new online Electronics Assembly Operator course, her team was the first to become certified and provided valuable feedback for further improvements on the Workforce Development Training series.

More Than a Supply Chain Problem

By now, the topic is practically a trope: Supply chain problems abound, and they aren’t going away any time soon. Transportation and logistics are a key part of the challenge, meaning that the shorter we can make the shipping distance, the more resilient the chain will be overall. But that’s only part of the problem. It is currently not possible to simply shorten the chain; there are key elements of the electronics manufacturing process that are only available in a very few places on the planet.

Happy Holden Reflects on Successful IPC APEX EXPO 2022

The attendance at this year’s IPC APEX EXPO seemed higher than I expected, so thank you all for making the necessary arrangements to attend. However, we sorely missed many of our foreign contributors and friends. One of my cherished reunions was with Pete Starkey, who fought through the red tape of government restrictions to make his way from England for the show. Both of us were able to help conduct interviews with many of the industry’s business and technical leaders. For that, I am grateful.

IPC APEX EXPO From a College Student’s Perspective

My name is Hannah Nelson, and I am currently a junior electrical engineering major at Valparaiso University. I was given the honor and privilege to attend the IPC APEX EXPO as the new student director on the IPC Board of Directors. The student director position is used as a voice on the board for all IPC student chapters. It is a way to bridge the barrier between the educational system and the electronics industry and bring students toward the Factory of the Future. By attending APEX EXPO, I was given the opportunity to expand my knowledge regarding the needs of students who are heading into the industry.

IPC Student Director: Three Things IPC APEX EXPO Taught Me

IPC APEX EXPO 2022 was my first in-person APEX EXPO event, and it surely did not disappoint. The show this year was packed with high quality technical courses, engaging professional development courses and, of course, an admirable show floor exhibition. This year APEX EXPO really resonated with me, and I would like to leave you with three insights I learned while attending.

Conversations With Two IPC President’s Award Winners

We interviewed two of this year’s IPC President’s Awards, Joe Kane of BAE Systems and Zhiman (Susann) Chen of Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric Co., Ltd. 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 electronics interconnect industry. The award is a personal honor to recognize the winners’ selfless dedication to the electronics industry in terms of their time, expertise, and leadership.

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

In the news this week we found a synchrony of topics. Much of the world is aware of the speaking points from U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address this past Tuesday. In that speech, President Biden talked prominently about U.S. legislation in process to bring more technology manufacturing back to the states. In fact, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger was not only an invited guest, but was referred to directly in the speech as a positive example. I can only assume that President Biden meant that moment to be a motivator for other CEOs in the industry.

A Hard Look at Strategic Chip Investment

Jan Vardaman is a key contributing author to an IPC report detailing the capabilities gap in advanced packaging capabilities in the U.S. manufacturing ecosystem. We talked with Jan about the report and the current dynamics in the U.S. market. Jan’s comments provide additional detail and insight to the findings published in the report.

Bob Neves: IPC Continues Its Global Reach

During IPC APEX EXPO, Nolan Johnson visited with Bob Neves of Microtek Laboratories China and the new board chair of the IPC Board of Directors. Nolan asks Bob about IPC’s views on the disruption in supply chain, about restoring PCB fabrication in the United States, and how the IPC is looking to resolve supply chain issues from a global perspective.

IPC EMS Leadership Summit: Peer Solutions to Supply Chain and Labor Development

EMS leaders gathered for the EMS Leadership Summit on Monday, January 24 at IPC APEX EXPO. Expert and peer presentations on priorities ranging from the economy to the supply chain, cybersecurity, and software were interspersed with peer-to-peer discussions on several key topics.

SMTA Dallas: Texas Open for Electronics Business

The Dallas SMTA Expo is scheduled for March 22 at the Plano Event Center, and we heard that our Texan friends have quite a gathering set up. Andy Shaughnessy spoke with Gary Tanel, president and ambassador of the Dallas Chapter of SMTA and chairman of the Electronics Alliance. He asked him to discuss what his group has on hand for the Dallas SMTA Expo. As Gary says, “Texas is open for business.”

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Jennie Hwang’s Thoughts on Megatrends

At IPC APEX EXPO 2022, Nolan Johnson catches up with Jennie Hwang to hear her thoughts on industry trends. Her insight ranges from work-at-home dynamics and hybrid work to the impacts of “the new normal” and IOT on the manufacturing floor. Jennie's interview was one of more than 60 interviews conducted by I-Connect007 during this year's show. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO 2022, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

Where Have All the Board Shops Gone?

When I look at the landscape of U.S.-based PCB fabricators, the title of this article reminds me of a 1960s protest song. If you don’t remember the song or that era, you have some interesting research to do. As well, a Hank Williams Jr. song comes to mind, “All my rowdy friends have settled…” Seriously, I am pleased to see many of my old friends taking advantage of the present opportunities.

The IPC STEM Event Inspires

Once again, IPC APEX EXPO featured its successful STEM event, organized by the IPC Education Foundation, and sponsored by several companies, including I-Connect007. The event had nearly 80 students in person for a hands-on introduction to our industry. After the welcoming comments, the students broke into groups for different activities. While some enjoyed a guided tour of the show floor, upstairs the other students learned how to solder. Then they rotated so that they all had the same opportunities.

IPC Education Foundation STEM Outreach

The IPC Education Foundation (IPCEF) hosted its annual STEM Outreach event on Thursday, January 27 at IPC APEX EXPO in San Diego. Due to COVID restrictions and regulations on field trips, the Foundation unfortunately could not host all the schools and students as initially planned, but we were thrilled to welcome nearly 80 students from e3 Civic High School, San Diego. The day was packed with several hands-on technical activities, career exploration, and industry engagement. The students participated in educational tracks with a focus on soldering, PCB design, a roundtable discussion, and a tour of the IPC APEX EXPO show floor.

David Pogue Keynote Opens IPC APEX EXPO 2022

There were just a few empty seats in the huge, main lecture hall of the San Diego Convention Center on January 25 as IPC APEX EXPO welcomed the opening keynote speaker, science and tech writer David Pogue. Despite the early time of 8:30 a.m., the crowd enjoyed his topic, “Disruptive technology and how it will affect your business: What’s coming by 2026?” Pogue took us on a short journey through some of the technological innovations that continue to accelerate the transformation of our lifestyles and gave us a preview of how we might succeed in a world we’ve never seen before.

Automotive Initiatives Make Headway at IPC APEX EXPO

A significant number of automotive activities made notable strides at this year’s IPC APEX EXPO. Several committees dedicated to creating and updating automotive addenda for existing IPC standards, like assembly processes, PCB fabrication, and high-voltage cable, met and were led by companies like Toyota, Bosch, Continental, and Elmatica. Automotive dedicated groups, like the Cold Joining/Press-fit Task Group, also met and discussed inclusions in its next planned revision.

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

Like many of you, for the past few months, we’ve been busier than a farmer with two rattlesnakes and one shovel. As soon as we got home from IPC APEX EXPO 2022 we started work on our post-show publication, Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2022 Show & Tell Magazine. Now in its fifth year, Show & Tell is the best—and most exhaustive—source of in-depth information about IPC APEX EXPO. We published Show & Tell this week, and the response from industry leaders has been off the charts. Show & Tell gives the reader a taste of what it was like to be at the show, from ribbon-cutting and keynotes through the last conference classes.

Chris Mitchell's Top 10 Takeaways from IPC APEX EXPO 2022

The recent surge in COVID cases provoked more than a few questions about what to expect at this year’s IPC APEX EXPO. But as I traversed the San Diego Convention Center last week, the top answer was clear: a lot of smiles! Sure, they were hidden behind masks, but they were evident in the eyes of everyone I met. Attendees were thrilled to be back together in person, sharing ideas as freely as elbow bumps. IPC is a community, and APEX EXPO is the place where we build it.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: The Challenges With Lead Times

Ed Stone of Manncorp understands the challenges with lead times during this time of supply chain disruption. In this interview, Ed and Guest Editor Kelly Dack discuss a variety of strategies for solving these problems by bringing production in-house. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO 2022, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

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

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re now closer to the equinox than to the solstice; change is in the air. Where I live in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve had unseasonably mild and sunny weather, teasing us that spring might be right around the corner. Change is in the air in our news feeds, too. This week, we bring you on-the-grow news from NCAB and Aegis, some market reports on smart manufacturing, and a widely read column on cybersecurity from Mehul Davé. Now that’s something to warm up to.

Finally! A Book About PCB Stackups

‘The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Stackups: The Design within the Design’ is the latest addition to I-Connect007’s comprehensive, educational library. In this book, brought to readers by Siemens Digital Industries Software and I-007eBooks, author and stackups expert Bill Hargin discusses materials, laminate datasheets, impedance planning, and more. This book provides the reader with a broader understanding of stackup planning and material selection in an effort to comprehend what Hargin calls “the design within the design.”

GEN3 Webinar Concludes With Release of Part 11: Historical Background

In this engaging, 11-part micro webinar series, topic experts Graham Naisbitt and Chris Hunt examine the history of the influences of Electrochemical Migration (ECM) and the evolving use of Surface Insulation Resistance Testing (SIR) that has been developed over the past 25 years by GEN3 and its association with the British National Physical Laboratory. GEN3 and NPL have created the standard that has now been in widespread use around the world since the turn of the millennium.

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

This week’s picks comprise a potpourri of published articles, a hodgepodge of helpful hints, and a brood of business news. Our collection includes several interviews from IPC APEX EXPO; we filmed over 60 of these video interviews that week, all shot with our new anti-COVID protocol. The boom microphones, selected so that we wouldn’t have to attach clip-on mics to each interviewee, gave our booth/studio an air of 60 Minutes. But unlike what we see in most news shows, almost all the news at IPC APEX EXPO was positive as companies emerge from the pandemic with even more innovative software, services, and equipment than before. It’s looking like 2022 is going to be a really good year.

Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Dynamics in Soldering

Joe Fjelstad of I-Connect007 speaks with Stan Farnsworth of PulseForge on the changing dynamics in soldering and the new PulseForge Soldering In-Line. Dan also asks about PulseForge’s debut at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO 2022, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2022: The Health of the Electronics Business

If you are interested in the overall health of the electronics business for MAES then you will enjoy this interview with Joe D'Ambrisi of MacDermid Alpha. This interview is conducted by Pete Starkey, and it also covers the recent Electrolube integration. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO 2022, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Time to Design for Test

In this RTW interview, Andy Shaughnessy and Bert Horner of The Test Connection talk about the trends and challenges in test and the need for PCB designers to design for test. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO 2022, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Time to Conform

Joe Fjelstad of I-Connect007 talks with Camille Sybert of Nordson ASYMTEK on conformal coating equipment and process options, and material and market demands. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO 2022, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Full Spectrum of Inspection

Pete Starkey asks Brian D'Amico how MIRTEC is addressing the full spectrum of inspection requirements associated with the electronics manufacturing industry. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO 2022, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: AI and ML for Electronics Manufacturing

Zac Elliott from Siemens Digital Industries Software talks about the advancements in AI and ML for electronics manufacturing with guest editor Steve Williams. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO 2022, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Advanced Metrology and Inspection

In this interview, Steve Williams talks with Subodh Kulkarni, Ph.D., of CyberOptics Corporation, on their new SQ3000+ system for advanced metrology and inspection applications. This conversation looks at the challenges companies are facing with inspection. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO 2022, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

The Under-Reported Story of the Semiconductor Shortage: Counterfeits

At this stage, we are all aware of the semiconductor shortage. While chips are still in short supply, there’s been no shortage of news stories about the chip shortage. If media coverage of the problem actually generated chips, the shortages might well be over. We’ve all seen stories about exploding demand for consumer electronics, factories shuttered during COVID-19 lockdowns, supply chain bottlenecks, a dearth of raw materials, and even drought, all in an effort to explain why we can’t get enough of these critical components.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Quoting, the Supply Chain, and BOMs

During this conversation, Business Development Manager Mark Laing of Siemens Digital Industries Software and Editor Nolan Johnson discuss the latest in EMS quoting and a variety of challenges in the supply chain. They also discuss the quality and accuracy of BOM data supplied to EMS companies. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: With Laser Focus

Stephan Schmidt of LPKF Laser & Electronics, along with guest editor Steve Williams, looks at why, with new technologies, more applications are migrating to laser depaneling and away from traditional singulation methods as cost drops and performance increases. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: New Materials for Additive Manufacturing

Trevor Polidore of Rogers Corporation and I-Connect007 Guest Editor Tara Dunn discuss the introduction of the new Rogers materials designed for use in 3D printing. They also look at the trends and challenges in materials for additive and semi-additive manufacturing. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

Real-time Strategies to Offset Soaring Expenses

Supply chain, distribution, and price inflation are headline news topics these days. To better understand how EMS companies do—or could—respond to pricing pressure from input costs, we asked both EMS industry company representatives and EMS equipment manufacturers to comment on how the industry can respond to current pressures. Editor Nolan Johnson spoke with several EMS executives about a variety of ways for dealing with rising costs.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Smart Factories Demand Total Inspection

Joel Scutchfield of Koh Young America and SMT007 Editor Nolon Johnson discuss the smart factory's need for a total inspection solution that includes SPI, AOI, DPI, API, and KSMART, along with multi-point inspection (SPI, pre, and post) to improve yields. As Scutchfield points out, "Connectivity alone does not equal a smart factory. It's what you do with the data."

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Advanced Packaging Report

Matt Kelly, chief technologist at IPC, provides a quick assessment of IPC APEX EXPO 2022 as of end-of-day Wednesday. Matt reviews the technical programs and shares his thoughts on the importance of the continued evolution of the Factory of the Future. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Digitized Component Storage

Richard Heimsch, Director for the Americas of Totech Super Dry, shares his thoughts with Nolan Johnson on the need and application of digitized component storage to maintain component reliability. Totech successfully demonstrated cutting-edge dry storage products and solutions at this year's show. If you were unable to attend but are looking to better manage your moisture sensitive devices and are not sure of what questions to ask when looking for a dry cabinet, listen to this interview.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Connecting the Digital Thread

Jason Spera of Aegis Software has an interesting conversation with Nolan Johnson on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) digital thread connected data flow. As the move to smarter factories accelerates, the need for managing and optimizing interconnected sensors, instruments, and other devices networked together increases. If you didn't make it to IPC APEX EXPO, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

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

The last time I was in this space, we were busy preparing for our extensive coverage of IPC APEX EXPO, so now I have the honors of compiling the news from the week following the event. We often use the phrase “busy news week” in these compendiums, but this week I have metrics—25% more news items published this week at I-Connect007 than our weekly average. All the more reason to read the website newsfeeds and newsletters, but also all the more reason for me to bring you the best of the best from the past week.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Omron on Their New AOI

Brad Ward of Omron speaks with guest editor Steve Williams about their new VT-S1080 3D AOI, along with the high-speed updates to VT-X750 3D CT AXI. If you didn't make it to IPC APEX EXPO, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.
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