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

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PCB fabrication is back in the news this week and posting high readership numbers as well. Among the most-read news, we see industry leaders changing roles, capital equipment shipment milestones, operational cost efficiencies, and, last but not least, cybersecurity.  

Mike Carano Joins the Averatek Team as Vice President of Quality 
Published June 3 

As a former VI at RBP Chemical Technology, and Global R&D director at OM Group, as well as an influential advisor for IPC, I-Connect007 columnist Mike Carano brings a deep skillset to this new role with Averatek. Read the details here. 

The Double-edged Sword of CMMC 2.0 
Published June 6 

MX2 Technology’s Divyash Patel updates readers on CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) overall, and the upcoming version 2.0 criteria specifically. Given the likelihood that CMMC will touch most of us in the industry eventually, readers clearly wanted to know more. 

Atotech Sells 1,000th Horizontal Electrolytic Copper Plater 
Published June 8 

Atotech announced the sale of its 1,000th installation of the Uniplate horizontal plating line to a Taiwan-based PCB manufacturer. The article also includes a timeline of milestones in the Uniplate line.  

Isola Lays Groundwork for Faster, Higher-Frequency Circuits at 2022 IMS 
Published June 7 

If you’re visiting the 2022 IEEE International Microwave Symposium in Denver, Colorado, June 21-23, Isola will be present, discussing hybrid design and fabrication and dielectric constants in materials. Readership was high for this article; find the details inside. 

Candor Nails the ROI With InduBond 
Published June 7 

Sunny Patel is engineering manager at Candor Industries. We follow up on Sunny Patel’s initial interview about the economics of this new InduBond X-Press 360 lamination press. It sounds like Sunny has hit the “easy” button with the installation of this machine.

 

07/07/2022 | Denis Jacques, Technic Inc.

About three decades ago, immersion silver, a nitrate-based process, gained a lot of market share in the world of PCB final finishes. More economical than ENIG, flat, solderable, and conductive, it had everything going for it—everything but corrosion resistance in a harsh environment, that is. Champagne voids were also an issue, along with line reduction. But the worst drawback, the characteristic that made the part short over time, was creep corrosion. A build-up of copper sulfide salt that grows in contact with a sulfur-rich environment, heat, and moisture resulted in failures in the field. This was enough to scar the process for good.

06/29/2022 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007

Örebro, Sweden on June 15 brought a bright and early start to Day 2 of the EIPC Summer Conference for those who had enjoyed the previous evening’s networking dinner, but had resisted the temptation to over-indulge or to carry on their long-awaited catch-up conversations with old friends into the small hours. All but a few were in their seats for 9 a.m., awake and attentive for Session 4 of the conference, on the theme of new process technologies, moderated by Martyn Gaudion, CEO of Polar Instruments.

06/28/2022 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007

At last, a live EIPC conference and this time in the Swedish city of Örebro, “where history and contemporary culture converge,” a pleasant and convenient location for an event that included a privileged visit to the Ericsson facility in Kumla. Around 100 delegates made the journey and the Örebro Scandic Grand Hotel was an excellent conference venue for the June 14-15 conference.