Audio Interview: Dieter Bergman on the IPC Design Conference in Montreal

Dieter Bergman discusses the IPC Design Conference, to be held in Montreal June 23-28.

Jisso Conference Highlights Industry's Innovations, Challenges

Editors Joe Fjelstad and Andy Shaughnessy filed this report from the 2nd Jisso International Forum in Atlanta. Technologists from around the world gathered to discuss the latest in packaging, materials and environmental regulations, as well as how to get industry buy-in for potentially disruptive technologies.

Video Interview: Harris Communications' Andrew Palczewski on Embedded Passives

Embedded passive technology has been around for decades, but for various reasons many PCB designers and fabricators avoid utilizing it. But the technology is slowly growing in popularity.

Video Interview: Joe Zaccari of Stilwell Baker

The best companies change with the market and the industry, and the service bureau Stilwell Baker has been evolving steadily over the last five years. Stilwell Baker Vice President Joe Zaccari sat down with Marcy LaRont to discuss the award-winning company's new focus.

Video Interview: Richard Snogren Discusses Designers' Slow Adoption of Embedded Materials

Embedded materials have been around for quite some time, yet they have not met great expectations of materials makers.

The Gold Record: New Proposed California Enviromental Regulations Must Be Stopped

Will proposed regualations by the California Deptartment of Toxic Substances deal yet another unnecesary environmental blow to our industry? An interview with California Circuits Association Executive Director Richard Crowe discusses how the entire electronics supply chain can start acting on its own behalf.

The Shaughnessy Report: Canada Gets New Design Conference

O, Canada: Is it time for Canada's PCB designers to have their own conference? IPC thinks so.

IPC Offers New Design Conference

IPC announces a design conference including educational courses, technical presentations, designer certification workshops and tabletop displays that will give designers a step up on current industry trends and the knowledge necessary to succeed.

Video Interview: Jack Olson on his First Standards Committee Meetings

Jack Olson, a PCB designer with Caterpillar, attended his first standards committee meetings at IPC Printed Circuits Expo in Las Vegas. Jack explains what he gets out of the meetings as well as what he gives back to the industry.

Lead-Free Materials: The Difference Between Data Sheets and Practical Usage

Firan Technology Group technical leader Gary Ferrari, a PCB design guru, gives his thoughts on lead-free materials--including how the claims materials suppliers make aren't necessarily what PCB fabricators find when processing them.

Video: Global Market Forecasts for the PCB and EMS Industries

Listen to IPC's Director of Market Research, Sharon Starr, and industry market guru Walt Custer discuss the US and global markets. With a US recession looming, will the electronics industry decline in 2008?

Video: Looking at the Latest Developments in Printed Electronics

John Andresakis, VP of Strategic Technology, talks about the developments in printed electronics. This emerging technology will soon reach the mainstream markets with high volume RFID tags to simple flex and rigid circuits. It's only a matter of time until these "printed" circuits enter the mainstream PCB/flex circuit industries.

A Best Practices Design Audit

There are good PCB designers, and there are great designers. How can you go from good to great?

Video Interview: Dieter Bergman Talks Standards, Volunteering and Vegas

During the final hour of IPC Printed Circuit Expo, we caught up with Dieter Bergman, IPC's director of technology transfer.

Counterfeit Products Plaguing Industry

Though most people are aware of our counterfeit component problem, the issue runs much deeper than that. WKK Technical Director Lionel Fullwood issues a straightforward assessment of what could be a critical global industry epidemic.

The Greatest Show on Earth!

IPC Expo, APEX and the Designers Summit concluded last week in Las Vegas. In partnership with the IPC, I-Connect007 covered this major industry event from end-to-end.

Video Interview: Jack Fisher on Technology Roadmaps

Watch this video interview with Jack Fisher captured at the ECWC11 in Shanghai China as he discusses the the different industry roadmaps and how they guide our industry.

CrossTalk: Is Lean Manufacturing Necessary?

Lean Manufacturing discussion from Dan Beaulieu, Steve Gold and Steve Williams.

Design For Reliability: What Does DfR Really Mean?

The interest in DfR is understandable. Reliability assessment and assurance early in the design phase can reduce development time and introduce amazing leverage into eventual product cost and performance.

The Gold Record (VIDEO): A Brief Consultation

A conversation with venerable consultant Dan Feinberg looks at how a successful executive fails miserably at retirement.

The Shaughnessy Report: Conference Highlights Lead-Free Issues

Lead-free processing took some manufacturers by surprise. But now it's time to work out the details.

Video Interview: Jean Hebeisen, Director of the Designers Council

IPC's Jean Hebeisen, director of the Designers Council, explains what's in store for PCB designers at Printed Circuits Expo in Las Vegas.

Slate for IPC Board Member Elections Announced

Nominated for Chairman: Nilesh Naik, CEO, OneSource Group, Dallas Texas. A Board member since 2001, Naik has been involved in the electronic manufacturing services industry for the past 19 years.

IPC's Denny McGuirk on This Year's Expo, Apex in Las Vegas

What will the new Las Vegas venue bring to the table? Listen to the IPC President as he lays out some of the plans for this year's show and conference.

The Myth of the Half-Million Chinese Engineer Grads

Does China really graduate a half-million engineers per year? That all depends what you mean by "engineer."

IPC's Greg Munie and Tom Newton Discuss Conference Highlights for IPC Expo, Apex

Tom and Greg discuss the process used to develop the programs for this year's Las Vegas event. The pair also discuss the conference focus as priorities shift from year to year, with this year looking at new regulations coming out of the EU and China.

LAS VEGAS: IPC's Jim Herring and Denny McGuirk Discuss the Move of Expo, Apex

Will Vegas be a boondoggle? They believe not. A very strong technical program will ensure that attendees walk away with the latest information from the industry's best minds.

VIDEO: Electronic Circuits World Convention to Convene in Shanghai

IPC's David Bergman and Tom Newton discuss what to expect at the conference, which opens March 17. Though there have been grumblings about the venue, located an hour from the CPCA Show in Pudong, the technical content should overcome this obstacle.

IPC - NA Rigid PCB Bookings Up 13.7% in January

For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in January 2008 increased 4.0 percent from January 2007, and orders booked increased 10.9 percent from January 2007.

Video Interview: John Isaac of Mentor Graphics

John Isaac of Mentor Graphics sat down for an interview with Andy Shaughnessy during DesignCon 2008.

Video Interview: Brad Brim of Sigrity

Andy Shaughnessy interviewed Brad Brim, Sigrity's product marketing manager, during DesignCon 2008.

Sony's Revenge For Betamax

Blu-ray finally beats HD DVD in the HD format battle. It's amazing what a little industry support can do.

The Gold Record: Does ITAR Matter?

Why is ITAR important to U.S. companies dealing in military electronics assemblies and PCB manufacture? This week's video edition of The Gold Record answers this and other ITAR-related questions.

Video: An Interview with Tom Hausherr of PCB Matrix

Video Interview: PCB Libraries has changed its name to PCB Matrix. CEO Tom Hausherr explains how the new moniker reflects the firm's push into developing more software tools, particularly solutions that optimize other tools and IPC standards.

IPC Signs Agreement with Tsinghua University for Vocational Training Program

"Through the reach of Tsinghua University, we hope to spread the knowledge of IPC to 5,000 students annually; educating them on soldering and printed board assembly quality inspection and promoting standards in advanced electronics manufacturing technology."

Hunter Expands, Adds National PCB Design & Engineering Services

This expansion allows Hunter to further build on their vertically integrated EMS model thus providing customers a complete design, fabrication and assembly solution.

Collaborative Systems Can Revolutionize Industry

Open tools have made significant strides in recent years. A collaborative open tools system can break through barriers between design and manufacturing.

SI Insights: Five Rules of Thumb You Need for High-Speed Serial Link Analysis

A rule of thumb is the tool to use when an OK answer NOW! is better than a good answer late.

Copper Pillars Poised to Replace Solders

Replacing the vertical solder ball connections between chips and boards with copper pillars creates stronger connections and the ability to create more connections.

Strutting Their Stuff at DesignCon

High-speed tools and software were on display at DesignCon, as the trade show season kicks off.

Interview with Softeq CEO Michael Keer

Take a look at the unique business-education partnership between Softeq and National University (Silicon Valley) that produced a one-of-a-kind cross-functional training course.

Gerry Gaffney of Altium

Gerry Gaffney describes the Altium Innovation Station, which combines Altium Designer unified electronics design software and the Altium NanoBoard reconfigurable hardware platform.

DesignCon Interview With IBM's Dr. Bruce Archambeault

IBM Distinguished Engineer and EMC expert Dr. Bruce Archambeault talks about the failure of signal integrity and EMC tools to function correctly in the multi-gigahertz range.

Inside the SMTA Medical Electronics Symposium

While medical electronics promises to be a strong growth market, it requires answers to some critical concerns. RoHS challenges, reliability concerns, lean manufacturing and the convergent future of medical electronics were all addressed last week in Anaheim.

APEX/Expo Technical Conference Promises a Sure Bet with Major Industry Payoff

A who's who lineup of the major players in the electronic interconnect industry will descend upon Las Vegas, April 1-3, 2008, for the technical conference of the annual IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX and the Designers Summit.

A New Power Delivery System Design Practice

Optimizing power delivery system design has always been a time-consuming affair. But a new PDS design practice can save PCB designers time and money, with current tools.

Interview With Dr. Barry Sullivan, DesignCon Program Director

The industry's trade shows in the U.S. keep shrinking, but DesignCon bucks the trend.

DesignCon 2008 Exhibitor Preview: Oak-Mitsui Technologies

An interview with Oak-Mitsui Technologies' John Andresakis looks at the differences between DesignCon and other design events, along with what printed circuit board materials the company will be showcasing in Santa Clara next week at DesignCon 2008.

Taking Stock of Public Companies in the Electronics Manufacturing World

This edition of Crosstalk looks at both sides of the public company argument. Are they slaves to the quarterly balance sheet or can they follow a long-term strategy that marries product performance with profitability?

Design Reuse: Fact or Fiction?

Design reuse, both physical and logical, can save time and money. But some design engineers see it as an extra step in the process.

When Will That Elusive Liquid Crystal Film Polymer Market Break into the Big Time?

It's coming sooner than you might think, and, when it does, LCP films will be the universal substrate, crowding out polyimide, epoxy glass, and a few others.

RoHS Under Review: IPC Urges Commission to Aim for Science-based Regulations with Thorough Consideration of Life Cycle Impacts

"The industry is still dealing with the reliability effects of the lead free provisions of RoHS. We're urging the Commission to allow for a complete understanding of the effects of what has already been regulated, as well as new proposed regulations, before they are enacted into law."

Design For Profitability: What DFP Means for PCB Designers

The electronics world is full of buzz words like DFM. But in the end, Design For Profitability, or DFP, may be the most important consideration of all.

Differentiation by Design

UK digital TV set top box manufacturer TVonics cites pcb design as a key factor in its ability to bring innovative, reliable products to market quickly.

ITAR: Best Practices Webinar - March 5th, 2008 11:00-1:30pm PST

Best Practices webinar will benefit any defense company that seeks to ensure full compliance with U.S. federal government International Traffic in Arms Regulations requirements.

Occam Process Developer Joe Fjelstad to Keynote MEPTEC Symposium

Mr. Fjelstad will briefly trace the history of thermal management across the various stages of electronics and at different hierarchical levels, reviewing some of the innovative ways that thermal management engineers have responded to the challenges over time in his presentation.

Power Integrity in Complex PCB Designs

Designing power distribution systems early may yield positive power integrity results when designing complex PCBs.

Drive Your PCB Design Career

Take charge of your design education. Start off by getting involved with your local Designers Council chapter.

E/CIT Program Yields R&D, Training

Military and industry collaborate at the Crane naval facility. The Emerging Critical Interconnect Technology Program continues.

Valor Files for IPO in US

Valor expects to offer $50 million of its ordinary shares and selling shareholders will be offered the opportunity to include up to an additional $20 million of their ordinary shares in the offering.

Ron Cosper Named President and COO of The Millennia Group, Inc.

Brings Award-Winning Tier-One Electronic Manufacturing Services Expertise to The Millennia Group's Three Divisions

RFI: Keeping Noise Out of Your Designs

Noise from cell phones, digital oscillators, and even fluorescent lights is assailing your electronic designs. Learn what causes this noise and what you can do to increase your system's immunity to radio-frequency interference.

Mentor Graphics Announces 20th Annual PCB Technology Leadership Awards Program

Mentor Graphics Corporation today announced the call-for-entries of its 20th annual Technology Leadership Awards competition, continuing its tradition of recognizing excellence in printed circuit board (PCB) design.

From the CES Show Floor: Day One

I-Connect007 columnist Dan Feinberg meets with nVidia CEO Jen-Sun Huang on the first day of CES in Las Vegas.

Robotics Guru Rodney Brooks to Keynote IPC Expo, APEX

A technology visionary, ground-breaking scientist, creative entrepreneur, and according to Time Magazine, "a voluble Australian ... famous for finding radical, counterintuitive approaches to intractable problems," Brooks is arguably the world's most important figure in robotics.

Coretec CEO Paul Langston Discusses Strategy for 2008

Coretec CEO Paul Langston discusses what his company is doing to make sure 2008 is a success--including an increased focus on flexible circuitry, design engineering and key end markets.

IPC Intl Conference on Flexible Circuits February 12-13

Fine lined? Multilayered? Highly dense with IC packages on top? Flex offers an array of choices with a growing number of benefits.

Trilogy Circuits Receives ITAR Registration

Administered by the Office of the Defense Trade Controls Compliance (DDTC), under authority established by the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), ITAR regulates the manufacture, export, import and transfer of defense related articles and services.

IPC Issues Call for Nominations for Corporate and Individual Awards

Industry members are encouraged to highlight the special achievements of their companies and their colleagues by nominating them for one or more awards.

What if the Occam Process Actually Works?

If the right OEM is first to jump, and Joe has indicated that his discussions are with just such a company, then Occam will begin to spread to other OEMs and their suppliers.

The Gold Record: ITAR Confusion Could Prove Costly

ITT Corp. is forking over $100 million for unwittingly breaking international arms rules. Are electronics manufacturing companies at risk?

Video: Walt Custer's Outlook for 2008

The Industry's foremost prognosticator reviews 2007 and previews 2008 in this exclusive interview.

The Shaugnessy Report: Cowboys Punch Holes in WEEE Legislation

PCBDesign007 Editor Andy Shaugnessy looks at how WEEE legislation has some serious design flaws.

HKPCA & IPC Show Video: Is the Chinese Bubble Ready to Burst?

Dr. Hayao Nakahara details some of the problems the Chinese PCB and PCBA sectors face as the industry matures. Environmental rules, labor and materials problems, and currency concerns are covered in this exclusive interview.

VIDEO: The iNEMI Technology Roadmapping Initiative Gains Steam in Europe

Grace O'Malley talks about what iNEMI is doing in Europe and what technology roadmapping activity they are planning over the next year.

VIDEO: HKPCA & IPC Show 2007 Interview with Meadville CEO Canice Chung

The CEO of Meadville discusses his company's past year performance, new HDI capacity coming online in 2008 and their new Aspocomp joint venture. Check out this same-day exhibition coverage!

AUDIO: The Shaughnessy Report: PoP Goes the Package

Package-on-Package is a technology that should make designing PCBs easier--a simple yet elegant solution.

Ansoft Corporation CFO Announces Retirement

Ansoft Corporation today announced that Thomas A.N. Miller, the company's Chief Financial Officer, will retire on December 31, 2007.

PCB Substrates Lead Semiconductor Packaging Materials Market

The market for semiconductor packaging materials, including thermal interface materials, is expected to reach $15.5 billion in 2007 and grow to $20.2 billion by 2011.

Back to Basics - Dan Beaulieu Talks With David Price About DFM

Enter the world of Auto routing with David Price, President of DFM a company that trains people on how to better use auto routers particularly the Cadence Allegro auto router.

The Gold Record: The Sun Also Rises in 2008?

Productronica has proven that Europe is taking solar cell production seriously. Is this new market for PCB manufacture and assembly processes in your plans for 2008?

Video: Automotive Substrates - An Interview with BPA's Francesca Stern

Francesca Stern, a senior consultant for BPA Consulting Ltd., discusses her findings from her company's recent study on the automotive substrate market.

Quiet Optmism for European PCB Industry

With Productronica 2007 behind it, European industry companies are moving forward with a healthy, if somewhat subdued, outlook on 2008.

Sunstone Circuits Releases PCB123(TM) Version 3.0

"We're offering powerful, industrial-grade PCB design software to all PCB designers at any level of expertise and on any budget."

The Shaughnessy Report - Talking Turkey

As we enter the holiday season, Andy Shaughnessy explores why this is a good time to be designing, fabricating and assembling circuit boards.

Zuken Introduces New PCB Manufacturing Solution in Europe and North America

Zuken is now offering the proven PCB manufacturing design and verification system, DFM Center; to its customers in Europe and North America.

VIDEO: What Lies Ahead for European PCB Technology?

EIPC Technical Director Michael Weinhold, one of the European industry's most respected technical voices, reviews new PCB technology at Productronica. Weinhold also issues a warning for the European electronics manufacturing industry to pay attention to a critical emerging substrate technology.

White Electronic Designs' Interface Electronics Division Recognized for Going 'Green'

White Electronic Designs Corporation today announced that its Interface Electronics division is a recipient of the U.S. Department of Energy's "Energy Saver Plant" award for achieving a significant reduction in energy use.

The Gold Record: A Viewer's Guide to the Productronica Galaxy

With over 30 videos in three different languages, I-Connect007 Editor Steve Gold offers some of his favorite interviews conducted last week in Munich.

The Shaughnessy Report: A Weekly Column from PCB Design007 Editor Andy Shaughnessy

Andy Shaughnessy lays out his plans for PCB Design007 promising to take the industry's only online magazine, dedicated to PCB design, to another level.

IPC/JEDEC Seminar: The Challenges of Going Green, January 7, 2008, Las Vegas, NV

IPC and JEDEC are sponsoring a technical conference in conjunction with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV on January 7, 2008.

VIDEO: Inside Sanmina's New Product Introduction Division

An interview with Vice President, NPI, John Buckley examines how Sanmina manages its new product introduction process, as well as looking at how high-mix, low-volume production is handled in one of the world's larger EMS companies.

Intel and IPC to Hold Halogen-free Technology Symposium

IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries is teaming with Intel Corp. to produce a symposium on halogen-free technology, which will be held January 15-16, 2008, at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort and Villas, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Video: The Occam Process: A Rapidly Evolving Paradigm Shift in Electronics Manufacturing and Assembly

The Occam Process will change the way electronic products are made, lowering cost, improving reliability while eliminating lead and lead-free solders.

The Gold Record: The Spirit of Coopetition

As Productronica nears, I-Connect007 and EMSNow will partner to produce Real Time with...Productronica.

Mentor Graphics Reports 3Q Results Below Guidance

Mentor Graphics' revenue is expected to be approximately $185 million versus guidance of $200 million

The Gold Record: Last Lam Standing?

A look inside Copper Clad Multilayer Products, which could be the last surviving North American mass laminator. I-Connect007 Editor Steve Gold talks with co-founder Bill Schwerter in this video edition of The Gold Record.

Shaughnessy Joins I-Connect007 as Editor of PCBDesign007

Shaughnessy has been a journalist for 14 years, including a tenure as editor-in chief of Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture.

PCB Design East 2007 Review

The conference began Sunday with classes on PCB design basics, high-speed design, lead-free and HDI. This year marked Lee Ritchey's return to the Design Conferences after a four-year absence.

Endicott Interconnect's SiP Designs Reduce PWB Size, Weight, Complexity and Cost

System in Package (SiP) designs from Endicott Interconnect (EI) Technologies reduce size and weight, sweep multiple packages from a printed wiring board (PWB) into a SiP for improved electrical performance, and reduce PWB complexity and cost.

EPTE Newsletter from Japan - The Korean Electronics Market - Stuck in the 1980's

The buzz within the industry is the increase in orders to component suppliers and circuit board manufacturers due to the increase in demand within the electronics market.

The Occam Process: One PCB Fabricator's Perspective

My take on the Occam Process, today, is there's still a lot of R&D to do before it will become a reliable and cost-effective alternative technology for the industry.

Real-world Impedance: It's All in the Build

Discrepancies in impedance calculations can mean the difference between fast PCB fabrication and a return to the drawing board. eXception PCB's Mike Devine considers design guidelines for real-world fabrication of controlled-impedance PCBs.

iNEMI Publishes 2007 Research Priorities

"It is only through effective prioritization of limited R&D programs that the electronics industry will be able to maintain the technology leadership that it has enjoyed for the past 50 years," said Alan Rae, iNEMI's director of research and vice president for NanoDynamics, Inc

IPC Midwest Wrap Up

Does this new show have legs? Did it meet the expectations of the industry, the exhibtors and attendees? As part of the "Real Time with IPC Midwest" show coverage, EMSNow's Phil Stoten and I-Connect007's Steve Gold offer their views of this new show for the industry.

"Mr. Reliability" Werner Engelmaier, Discusses Critical Reliability Issues

Solder joint reliability is taking a backseat to problems with the printed circuit board as higher temperature lead-free processes push PCBs to their limits

UP Media Group Issues Call for Abstracts for PCB East 2008

UP Media Group Inc. has issued a call for abstracts for PCB East 2008, which will be held on May 11-16, 2008.

Mentor Graphics Accelerates FPGA / PCB Design Collaboration with New I/O Designer Product Targeted at PADS Users

Mentor Graphics Corporation, today announced the availability of the PADS I/O Designer(TM) product specifically targeted at its PADS(R) product user community.

Back to Basics - Interview: Terry Heilman, President and CEO of Sunstone Circuits

Hear Dan's interview with Terry Heilman, President and CEO of Sunstone Circuits one of the fastest growing PCB companies in the United States. Dan talks with Terry about the phenomenon that is Sunstone.

Board Designers Learn to "Design the Future"

Happy Holden, Mentor Graphics, will discuss the risks and rewards of high-density interconnections (HDI) and how to implement it within designs.

9 Trillion Solder Joints--The Occam Razor Will Cut Them Away

Occam's key advance is separating components and wiring so the placement and routing of each may be optimized independently of the many constraints imposed by the other.

Lead-free Solder and the Occam Factor

Lead-free solder percent of Global sales is 55.2% in Q2-'07, up only 1.5% from 53.7% in Q1-'07. That's reported in the new IPC Solder Quarterly Survey.

How Design Trends Have Influenced Manufacturing Economics In Handheld Diagnostic Devices

One of the largest markets for electronic medical devices is blood glucose meters. Millions of these meters are manufactured and sold every year.

Designing Robust Circuit-Board Products for Military and Aerospace Applications By Zulki Khan

Military and aerospace designs are demanding more product functionality than previous generations; consequently there is ever-more pressure on making printed-circuit-board (PCB) assemblies robust enough to comply with growing functionality.

The Gold Record: Clyde Coombs Discusses Upcoming Book Release

Industry legend Clyde Coombs, editor of The Printed Circuit Handbook, discusses this week's release of the book's sixth edition.

IPC Releases PCB Industry Results for July 2007

Rigid PCB shipments are down 7.1 percent and bookings are down 1.8 percent in July 2007 from July 2006. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments are down 10.4 percent and bookings are down 14.6 percent

Chip Packaging 2.0 - User Definable Chip Pinout Packaging For Optimized PC Board Design

Since no communications channel exists between the Chip Packaging 1.0 silicon design team and the board designer, boards are chronically constrained from being fully optimized.

Mentor Graphics Chairman and CEO to Present Keynotes at EDA Tech Forum Events in Asia

Mentor Graphics Corporation today announced that Walden C. Rhines, Chairman and CEO, will keynote at a number of EDA Tech Forum Events throughout Asia.

A New Process for Fabricating Low Cost Advanced Interconnects

Dynaco has recently developed a revolutionary new process that potentially goes much further than ink jet technologies to cost reduce traditional PCB processes for flex, rigid or rigid-flex constructions.

Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc. Wins Raytheon Multi-Year Production Contract

The CIP is the "brains" of the avionics system and provides a fully integrated, flexible and expandable architecture for performing communications, navigation, identification, electronic warfare, radar, and sensor fusion functions.

The Best Defense is a Good Offense

White Paper from Avnet Electronics Marketing Details How to Manage Obsolescence

Occam Process Webinar Scheduled for September 11th

"We will be unveiling some of those alternatives during this webinar, which may both enhance and accelerate delivery of the promise the Occam Process holds."

Sanmina-SCI Manufactures World's First Prototype PCB with 100 Percent Embedded ESD Protection

Sanmina-SCI and Shocking Technologies have announced the production of what is claimed to be the world's first PCB with embedded ESD protection covering 100 percent of the components on the board.

Department of Defense Awards Endicott Interconnect Technologies $19M Contract Modification

The MCM's result from the precision placement of semiconductor die, logic and prepackaged memory along with passive components on an organic substrate (produced at EI).

Tessera Introduces Next-Generation Interconnect Platform

The novel interconnection is achieved through low-profile, pin-shaped contacts which replace conventional technologies used today, such as solder balls on semiconductor packages and plated vias in package substrates and PCBs.

Planning Technology for the Future: From the Eyes of Intel

IPC and Intel Corp. have announced a technology interchange, "Where Are We Going? Where Do We Need to Be?" The one-day forum will be held May 23, 2007.

IPC Issues 2006-2007 International Technology Roadmap for Electronic Interconnections

"Unlike other roadmaps, the IPC International Technology Roadmap is the only one that exclusively focuses on the printed circuit board and electronics assembly industries."

Pitfalls to Avoid When Designing with Flex

When you consider the design objectives of modern medical electronics, there is tremendous synergy with the capabilities and advantages of flex circuits.

CCA Golf Tournament Highlights: Exclusive Video

Did you think golf was a serious game? Our industry proves how much fun it can be in front of our PCB007 cameras. Make sure you watch some embarassing outakes at the end of one of our industry's funniest videos.

Can Microelectronics Save PCB Fabrication in the Western World?

Tarzwell asserts that other fabricators need to follow suit or they will be left behind in a shift from standard PCB production to sub-two-mil lines and spaces.

Interview: Dr. Frank Bai Discusses PCB Trends in China

The Taiwan Printed Circuit Association Technical Director talks about some of the trends he's been observing in the Chinese PCB market.

Randy Holt Inducted into the PCB Top Gun Hall of Fame at PCB West 2007

There were five entries into the PCB Top Gun Hall of Fame contest. Holt was announced as the winner after an intense two-day competition that began Sunday, March 24.

Mentor Graphics Announces Winners of its 19th Annual PCB Technology Leadership Awards

The longest running competition of its kind for PCB designers in the EDA industry, this year the program attracted a record number of submissions from countries around the world, including Germany, Switzerland, China, Norway, Singapore, Austria, Canada, Korea, India, Israel, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

Interview: Dr. Nakahara Discusses China PCB Capacity and Technology

"Naka" offers his perspective on the capacity buildup in China: Is this a ticking time bomb or simply a misunderstanding of the market?

High-resolution Circuit Layouts on Complex Three-dimensional Carrier Structures

With LPKF's Laser Direct Structuring process (LDS) it is possible to produce high-resolution circuit layouts on complex three-dimensional carrier structures, thus integrating casings and PCBs within one unit that previously were separate.

A Discussion of the Chinese Specialty Laminates Market from the CPCA Show

Representatives from Arlon and DuPont sit down at the CPCA show in Shanghai this week and talk to PCB007's Steve Gold about the demand for high-tech materials in China.(Video Interview)

CPCA Show 2007 Takes Off

The sixteenth annual CPCA Show is being held for the first time at the Pudong New International Expo Center, this week, from March 21-23, 2007. It will be held in conjunction with three other Electronics Shows: Electronica & Productronica China, Semicon China and Laser World of Photonics China.

Interview: CPCA President Wang Long Ji

The CPCA president talks about Chinese PCB industry capacity, the need for technology and their efforts to help transform the industry into a global powerhouse.

Embedded Passive Materials: Ohmega Ply and Farad Flex

The combining of these two different products has had a synergistic effect. John Andresakis and Bruce Mahler discuss some of the properties discovered as a result of unique product partnership.

IPC Honors Best Papers at IPC Expo, APEX

"Use of EDXRF for RoHS Compliance Screening in PCBA Manufacturing" by Jasbir Bath, Pan Wei Chih, Saludsod Hamlet Jr., Roger Jay and Tzu-Chein Chou, all of Solectron Corporation, received the Best U.S. Paper Award.

iNemi Introduces its Latest Technology Roadmap Effort

iNemi CEO Jim McElroy talks about some of the highligts of this lastest Roadmapping effort during an interview at IPC Apex Show in Los Angeles.

Interview: Industry Icon Happy Holden

Happy Holden discusses his long career in the printed circuit board industry, shares some memories and talks about some of the issues facing the industry, today.

Sunstone Circuits' Internet-based Sales and Marketing Strategies are Paying Off, Big Time

Sunstone CEO, Terry Heilman, talks about his company's Internet-based marketing and sales strategies and how this has completely transformed the way the company does business.

Bending, Forming and Flexing Printed Circuits

This article addresses the bending, forming and flexing circuits built with non-glass woven circuit materials.

Mike Freda, Sun Microsystems: Future Product Reliability Strategies

Bob Neves, President of Microtek Labs interviews Sun's packaging specialist about what Sun is doing to ensure reliability for their next generation products.

European PCB Leaders Meet in Salzburg for EIPC Winter Conference

A review of the European Institute of Printed Circuits' Winter Conference in Salzburg, Austria.

Interview With Voya Markovich, CTO Endicott Interconnect Technologies

EI's Chief Technology Officer talks about his company's efforts to develop the next generation of PCB and electronics packaging technologies in this exclusive interview.

Stablcor Moves Into the Market: Doug Tullio Talks About the Company's Progress

Although the product fits well with today's applications, the next phase of electronic products will require permanent solutions for CTE.

Exclusive Interview With DDI's Raj Kumar, VP Product Development

Kumar describes the company's approach to new product development and takes a look into the future of the printed circuit board.

Brad Bourne, CEO FTG, Discusses His Company's Focused Business Strategy

This North American PCB fabricator has successfully carved out a niche in the Aerospace market and continues to refine its product offering.

Exclusive Interview With Coretec CEO Paul Langston

Langston talks about his company's push into the rigid-flex market and its Toronto expansion.

Custer's Market Outlook Presented at IPC Expo, Apex

Market forecaster, Walt Custer, presented his latest prognostications at IPC Expo, Apex.

PCB West 2007 Announces the "FREE Tuesday" Event Lineup

UP Media Group Inc. is pleased to announce this year's "FREE Tuesday" program of events at PCB Design Conference West 2007.

New IPC Board Members Nominated

The Nominating and Governance Committee of the IPC Board of Directors will present five candidates for election at the IPC Annual Meeting.

IPC and iNEMI Sponsor Reliability Summit in Conjunction with IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX and the Designers Summit

Discussions to focus on reliability testing protocols

I-Connect007, EMS007, PCB007 Announce An Exclusive "Real-Time with IPC" Interview: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin

"As you can imagine, we are quite excited about this opportunity. It's not everyday you get a chance to speak with an American legend," said I-Connect007 Publisher Steve Gold. "We are honored that he accepted our invitation."

Mentor Graphics' Topology Router Technology Wins Product of the Year Award

"Mentor's topology router technology significantly decreases design cycle time, increases designer productivity and quality of the board, and optimizes performance."

Sanmina to Close Karlsruhe PCB Operations

In a letter to customers, the company stated they are closing the facility "due to adverse trading conditions on the European market."

IPC and CPCA Announce IPC-4101 Lead Free and High Performance Base Materials (CCL) Conference

Tuesday March 20, 2007 Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibition International Hotel Shanghai, China

DesignCon 2007 Conference and Exhibition Hosts Thousands of Design Engineers, Award-winning Products and Industry Leaders in Santa Clara

The exhibition featured product announcements, Hot Technologies and pavilions that focused on PCB technology, design verification, and semiconductor and IP technology.

Bleeding Edge: A New Thermal Printed Circuit Technology: Thermal Plane

On some designs, the drill loss is a significant amount of copper or aluminum volume. As the drill-out area increases, the number of possible shorts from stringers increases.

IPC's Jean Hebeisen Discusses Professional Development Courses, Designers Summit

A look at what courses IPC is offering in L.A. and what the Designers

Sanmina-SCI to Demonstrate a High-Speed Backplane Capable of 12.5 Gbps Data Transmission Rates at DesignCon 2007

"For DesignCon 2007, we plan on introducing some novel methods for improving signal integrity performance of high-speed serial data links operating at data rates in excess of 6.125 Gbps."

Development of Multilayer Flex Substrates Using Liquid Crystal Polymer Film

A look at manufacturing highly dense, reliable flex substrates with LCP material. Read on for a summary and link to complete PDF article...

System-In-Package Tools Lacking, Users Say

"SiP represents the convergence of IC, package, and PCB design, and all these things need to be integrated together,"

IPC Releases New Book-to-Bill Ratios and IMS/PCB Business Report for December 2006

The North American rigid PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for December 2006 held steady at 0.92. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio edged up to 0.90.

Mentor Graphics' Henry Potts to Deliver PCB West 2007 Keynote Address

Industry trends, technology to be covered in Potts' address, Cross Currents: Where PCB Design Meets ICs and Hardware.

A Reader Survey Reveals 2007 Will Be the Year Microvias and Embedded Passives Make Their Mark

What bare board technologies are expected to gain ground during the next 12 to 18 months?

Prominent Electronics Manufacturers Commit Support of IPC Midwest Conference & Exhibition

Leading companies that have confirmed their participation in the event include Assembleon America; DDi; Fuji America Corporation; Juki Automation Systems; Panasonic Factory Solutions Company of America; Speedline Technologies, Inc. and SPEA America.

CES 2007 Day 2: Dan's Diary

Greetings all. Day Two at CES was an absolute zoo. I spent the day at the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Las VegasConvention center. I had morning appointments at Asus and nVIDIA and my intention was to then walk the floor and try to talk with various people at Microsoft, Intel and AMD/ATI.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

PCB007 Launches 'Voice of the Industry' Forum

PCB007 creates a user forum where the industry can get its questions answered quickly.

Embedded Resistance and Capacitance in One PCB Material: A PCB007 Exclusive Audio Interview with Patent Holders John Andresakis and Bruce Mahler

Oak Mitsui and Ohmega Technologies have just been granted a brand new patent that could give embedded materials users exactly what they've been wishing for--a lower cost embedded resistance/capacitance solution.

Microsoft's Gates Opens CES 2007

Bill Gates gives a Sunday night speech that touts Microsoft's new Vista software--and what that means to hardware providers.

Advanced Packaging Technologies and Future Trends

Understanding the basics of IC packaging - how they are constructed, what drives cost and what limits performance - is critical to the successful product design.

Mentor Confirms ESL Buy with SpiraTech

Boosting its electronic system level (ESL) portfolio, Mentor Graphics Corp. has confirmed reports that it has purchased SpiraTech Ltd., but has declined to release any further details.

Changes of Emphasis Revealed at Printed Electronics USA 2006

A December conference in Phoenix shows that printed electronics is coming. The question is: how soon will it arrive?

Matsushita Sets Up Multilayer PCB Material Company in Suzhou

This plant will be the 18th manufacturing subsidiary of MEW (and the second laminate manufacturing base following the one in Guangzhou) in China.

Challenges of Heat Removal from Flex Circuit Technology

This article explores the traditional methods and design options available to manage the thermal load on whatever flexible circuit materials are selected. It also explores the thermal problem of flex circuits with point heat sources.

CADParts & Consulting Appoints Raymond Smith CID as VP Technical Design

CADParts & Consulting LLC has announced the appointment of Raymond F. Smith, CID as its new VP of Technical Design.

Industry Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing Expert Joins Mentor Graphics as Senior Technologist

Happy Holden, formerly of Westwood Associates, has joined Mentor Graphics Systems Design Division, located in Longmont, CO as senior technologist.

Technology, High Speed and Living Without Lead

The comprehensive program ensures designers get the tools and information they need to stay competitive, innovative and in demand.

IPC Releases New Book-to-Bill Ratios and IMS/PCB Business Report for October 2006

The North American rigid PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for October 2006 decreased to 0.99.

Ottawa's Fidus Reaps Best-ever Third-quarter Revenues

Fidus Systems reports a 33 percent increase in third-quarter revenues, over the same period last year.

Need-to-Know Imperative Permeates Technical Conference Sessions at IPC Expo, Apex

Tin whiskers, materials and regulatory issues, assembly reliability and embedded passives are just a handful of the critical topics that will take main stage

Back to the Future: Endicott Interconnect Technologies Uses Vertical Integration, High-Tech Capabilities to Return to Profitability

An exclusive PCB007 video interview with Endicott Interconnect Technologies President and CEO Jay McNamara reveals how the company reversed its fortunes and returned to profitability by capitalizing on its vertical integration, investing in high-technology infrastructure and attacking new end markets.

Flexible Circuit Technology, 3rd Edition: Over 3000 Downloads in 60 Days!

Flexible Circuit Technology has set a new standard for niche book distribution, making this exciting technology available to all in the industry.

World Electronic Circuits Council Issues Seminal Report on Global PCB Production

"This effort took nearly two years to bring to fruition, but we overcame the hurdles and are now able to move forward with a new and extremely valuable source of global PCB statistics for our members."

Defect Clinic Solves Mysteries at IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX and the Designers Summit 2007

Sherlock Holmes may have been a savvy English gent, but his compatriot Bob Willis, Electronic Presentation Services, clinic coordinator, has the edge when it comes to the electronics industry.

Conductive Ink Technologies for Digital Printing of Flexible Circuitry

Digital printing of conductive materials allows a flexible method of production of flex and rigid PCBs without the necessity to provide expensive tooling beforehand.

Mentor Graphics Strengthens ESL Offering with Acquisition

Mentor Graphics Corporation today announced that it has completed an acquisition of Summit Design, a leader in ESL (Electronic System Level) design solutions.

A Tale of Three Innovative Interconnection Companies and Their Impact on Printed Circuits

There is no Moore's Law for Interconnection, multiplying density every year.

Smaller, Faster, Better, Cheaper: Trends in Electronics Manufacturing

This event brings together OEMs, EMS providers, PCB manufacturers and suppliers for a one-of -a kind gathering of decision makers.

Kingston to Continue Evaluating PCBs with Embedded Resistors

While some industry experts believe that PCBs with embedded resistors may save about one third of DRAM-module assembly time, Kingston considers the technology still more risky compared to the traditional way of mounting resistors on a PCB on an SMT line.

UK Electronic Design Company's Name In Lights

The unit comprised of, a back plane PCB, control board PCB, driver board PCB and LED boards which were placed within the road studs.

IPC Releases New Book-to-Bill Ratios and IMS/PCB Business Report for August 2006

Rigid PCB shipments are up 8.0 percent and bookings are up 7.7 percent in August 2006 from August 2005.

Valor Announces vShare-a New DFM Collaboration Solution for Electronics Designers and Manufacturers

vShare provides a centralized, scalable platform with secure access to important design information and DFM issues that form part of the product development process.

SiliconPipe Announces New Interconnector Design Tool

"Interconnector tool is unique among design tools. It offers system and silicon architects the ability to analyze chip-to-chip interconnections early in the design phase rather than making multiple passes using signal integrity tools with final chips and initial PCBs."

Flexible Circuit Technology: Completely Updated Third Edition Released; Download Available Now at No Cost

"It's been eight years since the second edition was published", said Fjelstad, "and much has changed since the last edition, and the rate of change has been impressive, making this edition well past due."

IPC Releases New Book-to-Bill Ratios and IMS/PCB Business Report for July 2006

The North American rigid PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for July 2006 remained positive at 1.02

Ansoft Corporation Earnings Nearly Double; Revenue Increases 17%

"For the next fiscal quarter, we anticipate continued revenue growth of around 10-15%."

Integrated Performance Systems Announces Expanded and Improved PCB Design and Manufacturing Capabilities

"This improved and enhanced service offering is further evidence of our commitment to providing our customers with a unique suite of supply chain services and solutions."

PCB Design Survey Finds Conflict Between Thermal, SI/EMC

Fifty-nine percent of respondents agreed that thermal, signal integrity and EMC requirements are usually in conflict in PCB design

DesignAdvance Names Edward Pupa as CEO

DesignAdvance(TM) Systems, Inc., a leading developer of innovative design automation software for users of EDA and MCAD tools, announced today the appointment of Edward Pupa as its new chief executive officer

Managing PCB Signal Quality

Driven by advances in lithography, IC switching speeds continue their progressively-faster march.

Leaving Behind Old Trends in Board Design to Beat Interference

The old concept to use alarge' capacitors for low frequencies and asmall' capacitors for high frequencies is therefore not necessarily correct and successful.

Interview With Frank Frank, Accelerated Designs Inc

Frank talks about Ultra Librarian, a universal component management tool supporting over a half million components.

DesignAdvance Enters China PCB Design Market

DesignAdvance appointed Shenzhen EDA Technologies Co. Ltd as a distribution partner in its aim to enter China's PCB design industry

IPCWorks 2006 Highlights Lead Free Implementation, Reliability and Eco-Compliance

This year, the event, featuring technical conference sessions, professional development workshops, the designer's certification program, standards development meetings, and free roundtables and forums will take place September 7 - 14

Stepping Up to Challenges in FR4 Microcircuit Imaging Technologies

We found a physical optical limit using our standard, noncollimated, 356nm light-imaging source, the 7mil photo tool and 1.5mil dry film. At about 1.7 mils (42.5 microns) of space, the straight lines start to form wavy lines

Glenn Wells New Chairman of IPC Designers Council Executive Board

He is one of Printed Circuit Design and Manufacture Magazine's Top Gun winners, an IPC Certified Master Instructor, and an internationally known lecturer and instructor on printed circuit design topics

Comtech Group CDMA Business with Huawei Grew by 50% Year-on-Year

Comtech is responsible for providing various customized module design solutions for both CDMA 1X/EV-DO infrastructure equipment and mobile handsets to Huawei

EDA Consortium Reports 10% Revenue Growth in First Quarter 2006

Printed Circuit Board and Multi-Chip Module revenue decreased 4% in Q1 2006 to $84 million

Minco Helps Engineers Meet Industry Need for Smaller, Thinner & Lighter Components With New Instructional Flex Circuit Design Kit

Minco is responding to OEM design engineers' need to understand how the dynamic nature of flex circuit technology allows for a multitude of design options.

Mentor Graphics Announces User2User 2006 Best Paper Award Winners

User2User 2006 was held May 2 through May 5, 2006, in San Jose, California, and was attended by approximately 500 Mentor customers from 12 countries.

Nanotech Finds a Home in Memory

Honolulu -- With memory bits set to take up the vast majority of tomorrow's system-on-chip solutions, new forms of memory technology will be needed to keep power consumption under control, according to Yoshio Nishi, director of the Center for Integrated Systems at Stanford University.

Nano World: Advanced Circuits

An international team of university and industry scientists has discovered a way to improve nanoparticles used to make advanced circuits. These findings could help improve the reliable large-scale manufacture of high quality chips, experts told UPI's Nano World.

Dan Beaulieu Interviews Bill Loving of ScanCAD International

ScanCAD's unique strategy of utilizing commercially available, high resolution, flat bed scanners versus custom made, expensive, high maintenance imaging systems has consistently set new price-performance thresholds in the electronics industry

White Paper: FAB Notes Recommendations for RoHS-Compliant Lead-Free-Capable PCBs

Recommendations for PCB FAB Notes and Specifications in Printed Circuit Board Drawings for SnPb and Lead-Free Soldering Assemblies, the Qualification of PCB Shops and Activities to Assure Continued Quality

Free Webinar: Taking PCB Documentation out of the Stone Age with BluePrint-PCB

Still Doing PCB Documentation Like you Live in the Stone Age? Learn How to Revolutionize It... Using BluePrint for Printed Circuit Boards!!!

Mentor Graphics Platform Express is the First Platform-Based Design Solution to Support The SPIRIT Consortium's New Specification

Mentor Graphics Corporation today announced support for The SPIRIT Consortium's new 1.2 XML specification in the newest release of the Platform Express(TM) product.

IPC Releases New Book-to-Bill Ratios and IMS/PCB Business Report for March 2006

The North American rigid PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for March 2006 remained strong at 1.14, but the North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio dipped to 0.94

PCB West Exhibition Kicks Off This Week

The 15th anniversary PCB Design Conference West, scheduled for March 26-31 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center, will feature more than 45 exhibitors of printed circuit board design products and fabrication services

Zuken and PCB Libraries Inc., Launch CADSTAR IPC Land Pattern Wizard

Zuken has launched the CADSTAR compatible land pattern generator; IPC-7351A LP Wizard for CADSTAR

Electronic Interconnection Files No. 7 - Whither the Future of the Electronic Interconnections?

Given this strong sentiment in favor of optoelectronics by some industry pundits, the question is begged: What is the future of electronic interconnections?

Electronic Interconnection Files - Number 6 -- Breaking the Memory Bottleneck

Moreover, it appears that data rates up to 12.8 Gbps/pin are possible for first-generation double-data-rate (DDR) SDRAMs

PCB007 Exclusive Interview with IPC President Denny McGuirk

What is the IPC doing today, where's it headed and what will the US industry look like in five years? These and other questions were addressed in this exclusive interview

Sanmina President and COO, Randy Furr Resigns

"I would like to personally thank the Sanmina-SCI employees and industry friends for their years of support in helping the Company grow from approximately $60 million annually to a $12 billion leader

The Board Authority Live Examines the Impact of Green Technologies

This is the first international conference series, addressing the greening of the PCB industry

Step 1: Design for Manufacture

The advantage of parallel design architecture is that it lets multiple designers work on the same design simultaneously without needing to partition the design.

Light Reading: Thoughts on Attending Conferences

Columnist Ron Schaeffer offers his thoughts on one of his favorite occupational roles: conference attendee.

Video: An Interview with John Isaac of Mentor Graphics

Video Interview: At DesignCon 2008, Andy Shaughnessy sat down with John Isaac, the director of systems market development for Mentor Graphics. John discusses the company's plans for its PCB design software tools in 2008.