-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Growing Industry
In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we talk with leading economic experts, advocacy specialists in Washington, D.C., and PCB company leadership to get a well-rounded picture of what’s happening in the industry today. Don’t miss it.
The Sustainability Issue
Sustainability is one of the most widely used terms in business today, especially for electronics and manufacturing but what does it mean to you? We explore the environmental, business, and economic impacts.
The Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
June 30, 2023 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
It’s a heady time here in the U.S. between the summer holidays of Memorial Day (last Monday in May) and Independence Day (July 4). This four-week period straddles the Northern solstice, boasts the longest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the high season for outside activities, which may be pulling you away from the office. Am I right? Never fear, I-Connect007 is here to deliver the “must know” news stories.
I’m bending the rules (again) this week by adding some additional links to some of the news items, so as to provide a more comprehensive picture of the story. So, what do we have? A conversation with Omron, news from Isola and Insulectro, Pete Starkey’s EIPC Summer Conference coverage (keynote, Day 1 and Day 2 summaries), and IPC monthly sales reports for EMS and PCB fab.
If you’re in the U.S., have a wildly independent holiday weekend; for our global readers, we’ll still be here, watching the news for you. Stay tuned.
Omron Discusses SPI, AI and More
Published June 26
At the recent SMTA Oregon Tech Forum and Expo, Tim Anderson, a senior account manager at Omron, presented his insights on SPI, the latest trends in the industry, and some solutions to consider. Afterward, Barry Matties caught up with Anderson for a follow up discussion. As Anderson points out, the SPI, AOI, and AXI systems of today do far more than simply catch defects. This is a short and informative read for anyone following these machinery applications.
Isola Changing With the Times
Published June 29
Changing market conditions require changes in approach. I-Connect007’s Barry Matties and Nolan Johnson spoke with Isola’s Travis Kelly, Sean Mirshafiei, and Kirk Thompson about Isola’s recent responses to market conditions. In this interview, Kelly, Mirshafiei, and Thompson outline recent changes to Isola senior leadership, optimizing manufacturing to meet the needs of the global market, and the strategic importance of advanced packaging to the global economy, and to the U.S., in particular.
EIPC Summer Conference 2023: The Keynote Session
Published June 26
The EIPC technical sessions–whether the monthly snapshot sessions, or the semi-annual conferences– are eternally full of high-value technical updates. This year’s summer session follows that same tradition. Of course, Pete Starkey’s detailed narratives always bring an extra bit of humanity to the sessions. We’re leading with Mr. Starkey’s coverage of the keynote, but I’ve added links to the summaries for Day 1 and Day 2 here, as well.
Insulectro Announces New Partnership With Laminate Suppliers Arlon Electronics Materials and EMC
Published June 27
Insulectro announces its new status as exclusive distributor for North America of Arlon copper clad laminates beginning Sept. 4, 2023. In addition, Arlon is the master distributor for Elite Materials Company (EMC), based in Taiwan. This brings both product lines to the Insulectro line card. Read here to get the details.
North American EMS Industry Up 7.1% in May
Published June 22
Read the whole post here, but just to tease the content, “EMS bookings in May increased 0.8 percent year-over-year and increased 4.4 percent from the previous month.” Also linked to the EMS report is the PCB fabrication report: North American PCB Industry Sales Up 6.7% in May
Suggested Items
The Chemical Connection: Reducing Etch System Water Usage, Part 2
05/02/2024 | Don Ball -- Column: The Chemical ConnectionIn my last column, I reviewed some relatively simple ways to reduce water usage in existing etch systems: cutting down cooling coil water flow, adding chillers to replace plant water for cooling, lowering flow rate nozzles for rinses, etc. This month, I’ll continue with more ways to control water usage in your etcher. Most of these are not easily retrofittable to existing equipment but should be given serious consideration when new equipment is contemplated. With the right combination of add-ons, it is possible to bring the amount of water used in an etch system to almost zero.
Designer’s Notebook: What Designers Need to Know About Manufacturing, Part 2
04/24/2024 | Vern Solberg -- Column: Designer's NotebookThe printed circuit board (PCB) is the primary base element for providing the interconnect platform for mounting and electrically joining electronic components. When assessing PCB design complexity, first consider the component area and board area ratio. If the surface area for the component interface is restricted, it may justify adopting multilayer or multilayer sequential buildup (SBU) PCB fabrication to enable a more efficient sub-surface circuit interconnect.
Insulectro’s 'Storekeepers' Extend Their Welcome to Technology Village at IPC APEX EXPO
04/03/2024 | InsulectroInsulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of PCBs and printed electronics, welcomes attendees to its TECHNOLOGY VILLAGE during this year’s IPC APEX EXPO at the Anaheim Convention Center, April 9-11, 2024.
ENNOVI Introduces a New Flexible Circuit Production Process for Low Voltage Connectivity in EV Battery Cell Contacting Systems
04/03/2024 | PRNewswireENNOVI, a mobility electrification solutions partner, introduces a more advanced and sustainable way of producing flexible circuits for low voltage signals in electric vehicle (EV) battery cell contacting systems.
Heavy Copper PCBs: Bridging the Gap Between Design and Fabrication, Part 1
04/01/2024 | Yash Sutariya, Saturn Electronics ServicesThey call me Sparky. This is due to my talent for getting shocked by a variety of voltages and because I cannot seem to keep my hands out of power control cabinets. While I do not have the time to throw the knife switch to the off position, that doesn’t stop me from sticking screwdrivers into the fuse boxes. In all honesty, I’m lucky to be alive. Fortunately, I also have a talent for building high-voltage heavy copper circuit boards. Since this is where I spend most of my time, I can guide you through some potential design for manufacturability (DFM) hazards you may encounter with heavy copper design.