Latest Articles

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

The captive shop used to be the rule, not the exception. Until outsourcing caught on, that is. North American captive shops went the way of the dodo bird, and the PCB market hasn’t been the same since. Even R&D went out the window, or offshore, if you want to be technical about it. But Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) is something of a wild card. The company recently opened a new captive facility in Idaho, and the industry is paying close attention.

Sarah Czaplewski-Campbell: Ready to Take Flight

Sarah Czaplewski-Campbell, a materials/product development engineer at IBM, shares her experiences as a young professional who has benefited from the guidance of seasoned mentors alongside her own unflagging drive to expand her industry knowledge. She offers poignant advice for prospective professionals, urging them to assertively seek out advice and experiences that will help them progress in their careers.

Runner-up Discusses IPC Design Competition

PCB designer Adam Thorvaldson of Innovex was a finalist in this year’s IPC Design Competition at IPC APEX EXPO. He came in second place in this final heat, which is quite a feat, considering that the contest started last fall with 49 contestants from around the globe. We asked Adam to share his thoughts on the competition, what it means to be one of the winners, and any ideas about improving the contest for 2024 in Anaheim.

ICT Seminar 2023 Review: Energy, Thermals, and Assistive Technology

Widely believed to be the traditional Centre of England, Meriden was a popular venue for a gathering of the UK printed circuit community this month. They braved the forecast of heavy snow for the Institute of Circuit Technology’s annual general meeting to learn about current developments and challenges in a thought-provoking technical seminar and to network with industry peers and contemporaries. Thankfully, the forecasted heavy snowfall did not reach Meriden until after the event; we only had a few flurries, although the weather caused considerable disruption elsewhere in the country.

IPC APEX EXPO 2023 Special Session: Advanced Packaging

The IPC APEX EXPO Special Session on Advanced Packaging this year attracted enormous interest, with Conference Room 2 at capacity long before the session began. Even with lots of extra seats squeezed around the edges, the session was standing room only for the just-in-time arrivals. IPC Chief Technology Officer Matt Kelly opened proceedings by introducing a distinguished panel of experts: Jan Vardaman, president and founder of TechSearch International; Sam Salama, CEO of Hyperion Technology; Matt Neely, director of process engineering at TTM Technologies; and Jim Fuller, VP of engineering technology at Sanmina.

With Tribal Knowledge, Trust but Verify

Tamara Jovanovic is a design engineer with Happiest Baby, a manufacturer of smart baby beds that alert parents if the infant needs attention and soothes the baby back to sleep. She also recently completed her master’s degree in electrical engineering by studying around her work schedule. Since Tamara has been absorbing new information from the halls of academia and her workplace, we asked for her thoughts on differentiating between tribal knowledge and documented fact. Is tribal knowledge a friend, foe, or a little of both?

Thomas Marktscheffel: Collaboratively Revitalizing the Industry

Thomas Marktscheffel, director of product management software solutions at ASMPT GmbH & Co. KG, reflects on the evolution of industry-wide standards and how his multidisciplinary approach to the development of CFX has been crucial to its success. With the advent of digitalization, cultivating a collaborative spirit is now more than ever an essential component of standards development. Patty Goldman recently spoke with Thomas about what this award mean to him

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

I try to not talk about the weather in this space, but this week I feel compelled. I’m based in the Pacific Northwest, and we’re relatively used to it being wet and rainy. But just south of us in California, the state has gone from what I read has been called the driest period in the West in the past 1,200 years to a right proper drenching. This week’s news cycle felt like one of those California-style “atmospheric rivers.” There was so much worthy reporting worthy that I was a bit overwhelmed in making my final selections. Suffice it to say that, this week, there is quite a bit of news that’s worth your time to read.

Shrinking Silicon, Growing Signal Integrity Challenges

What happens when die sizes shrink? As IPC design instructor Kris Moyer explains, quite a bit. Shrinking silicon can mean rising signal speed and rise times, and traditional PCB designers may find themselves dealing with problems formerly only seen by RF engineers. We asked Kris to discuss the pros and cons of silicon shrinkage and some of the techniques and trade-offs that PCB designers and design engineers need to understand as they find themselves entering the RF arena.

DFM 101: Final Finishes—OSP

One of the biggest challenges facing PCB designers is not understanding the cost drivers in the PCB manufacturing process. The next final finishes to discuss in this series is OSP. As with all surface finishes there are pros and cons with the decision of which to use. It is a combination of application, cost, and the properties of the finish. OSP is RoHS-compliant as there is zero lead content in the finish.


Are You Offering Options in Your Bill of Materials?

In this interview, Saline Lectronics (an Emerald EMS company) President Jason Sciberras talks about PCB designers offering packaging options in the bill of materials. As Jason explains, mil/aero manufacturers like Saline can’t make many changes to a design without getting recertified, so including approved packaging options in the BOM from the start is a great way to go. Are you offering options in your BOM?

Meet Henry Crandall: New IPC Student Board Member

Barry Matties sits down with Henry Crandall, the newly minted Student Board Member on the IPC Board of Directors, to talk about how Henry became the first PhD student in electrical engineering in his family, as well as how his role on the IPC Board will allow him to represent the voices of students and young professionals interested in shaping the future of both IPC and the industry.

A Week-long Industry Extravaganza

We were back in San Diego, maybe for a “long vacation,” as IPC APEX EXPO is in Anaheim next year. Before we get to Anaheim, though, let’s talk about the show: It was a great week. I spent Sunday and Monday visiting some excellent Professional Development courses. As you know, this is a fast-changing industry, and we have to keep learning to stay ahead. On Monday, I attended the Microvia Weak Interface/Reliability subcommittee, and on Tuesday, the Ultra-HDI Technology Committee.

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

It’s been a busy week in our industry. We have a duke’s mixture of news and columns in this week’s Editor’s Choice, starting off with some good news for the American electronics manufacturing industry. In his State of the Union speech, President Biden signaled his support for the CHIPS Act and the U.S. electronics industry, and he promised that Washington would put its money where its mouth is this time. Is it going to happen? Don’t bet the rent money.

Shrinking Silicon, EMI, and SI

Dr. Todd Hubing is a longtime EMC instructor, president of LearnEMC, and a professor emeritus of the Electrical and Computer Engineering program at Clemson University. I asked Todd to discuss the challenges that shrinking silicon can present for traditional PCB designers, as well as the opportunities and benefits of smaller chip features.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2023: IPC Offers Free Training Courses

Guest editor Hannah Nelson speaks with IPC’s David Hernandez about new benefits IPC members can expect in its training programs. These complimentary courses will help workforce development and companies to reduce training costs and standardize training across their organizations.

A First Look at IPC-CFX Box for Legacy Equipment

Although the prevalence of IPC-CFX in the electronics manufacturing industry has increased since the standard’s launch in spring 2019, the committee responsible for the standard has recognized legacy equipment in the field as a significant barrier to widespread industry adoption. To address this, an A-Team under the IPC-CFX Standard Task Group spent the past year working on a project that provides simple, readily available IPC-CFX hardware with supporting SDK that can act as an IPC-CFX endpoint for existing legacy equipment.

Alpha Takes the Greenfield Route

Alpha Circuit is a PCB fabricator located in Elmhurst, Illinois. Given that the launch of a new PCB fab is a rare occasion these days, we caught up with the senior team—Prashant Patel, president and CEO; Steve Smith, general manager; Steve Ryan, sales and direct support—guiding the buildout of Alpha Circuit’s brand new 44,000 square foot facility. They discuss what goes into equipment selection and line design, and the timing couldn’t have been better. At press time, the new facility was on schedule for test production by the end of January 2023.

A Post-show Marketing Plan

After you’ve exhibited at a trade show, then the work really begins. Where do you begin? How do you best capitalize on the leads and other contacts you’ve made? We asked Kiki Shimomae, sales and marketing coordinator for Taiyo, to discuss her pre- and post-show plans for a show like IPC APEX EXPO, and the importance of staying visible on social media.

EIPC Winter Conference 2023, Day 2 Review

Day 2 of the EIPC Winter Conference at the Groupama Stadium in the Décines-Charpieu region of the Metropolis of Lyon in eastern France included a privileged visit to the Bugey Nuclear Power Plant for those who were registered and passed their security clearance. Such was the interest that the party was split into morning and afternoon groups. EIPC board member Martyn Gaudion, CEO of Polar Instruments, made a fine job of moderating Session 6 twice over.


Another Successful STEM Outreach

The IPC Education Foundation (IPCEF) hosted its annual STEM Outreach Event over the course of two days at IPC APEX EXPO 2023 in San Diego, accommodating more than 550 students on Wednesday, Jan. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 26. This was IPCEF’s largest event to date. The event created awareness of the many careers available in the electronics manufacturing industry and helped future talent engage and connect with industry professionals.

Coreen Blaylock: Opening Doors for New Professionals

Coreen Blaylock, recipient of the IPC Excellence in Education Award, is project management and ping operations at Lockheed Martin. She shares her unconventional introduction to the industry and how her work in STEM education and building industry partnerships has been instrumental in reinvigorating the manufacturing workforce. Lockheed Martin’s commitment to continuous education has provided veterans and displaced workers the training and financial support they need to be successful in our exciting industry.

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

This week, I used my super sleuthing skills to select news and articles that are both driven by numbers and themes. Let’s see if my selection matches up with yours. We know our readers are opening our daily and weekly newsletters, scanning the important news of the day. The numbers tell me that. But it’s the content within those clicks that help me lock in on a clear line of thought. This week, the topic of the week: investments.

Shrinking Geometries: Back to Fundamentals to Fight EMI

Dan Beeker is technical director at NXP Semiconductors, a veteran design engineer, and an instructor who has spent years helping students and customers battle EMI through building a better understanding of electromagnetic fields and field theory. In this interview, Dan explains what happens when silicon shrinks, how feature size controls signal speed, and why this marks the perfect time to return to the fundamentals of physics and field theory.

The Industry Is Back and Better Than Ever

To say that anticipation had been building prior to this show would be an understatement. Bearing in mind the various unknowns as we emerge from the worst of the pandemic, IPC APEX EXPO 2023 stood apart as a beacon of cautious optimism. Overall, I don’t think anyone left the show disappointed. There was a real air of resurgence on the show floor related to the many new technologies, innovations, materials, and Smart manufacturing solutions being developed in the industry.

Show & Tell Magazine: Reflecting on Another Unforgettable Year

There’s always a sense of heightened expectation as we prepare for another show, and then a bit of a collective sigh when it’s over—a sigh of relief, maybe, but mostly a sigh of contentment at another job well done. Thank you for a week of unforgettable memories. The close of the show also means it’s time for our annual Real Time with… Show & Tell Magazine, the only post-show guide you’ll need. Why? Because it isn’t just a comprehensive look at what happened at the show—it’s so much more. We have exclusive interviews with IPC award winners, thoughtful observations on the show from industry leaders, pages of image galleries, special STEM event coverage, and a complete listing of the nearly 80 Real Time with … interviews conducted and posted during the show.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2023: An Efficient Software Solution

Susan Kayesar of Siemens PCBFlow and Steven Hughes of Boardera Software, share with Nolan Johnson powerful new software solutions they’re making accessible for small and medium fabrication companies by tapping into a network of experts to optimize designs and minimize time to market.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2023: Industry Trends With American Standard Circuits

PCB fabricator Anaya Vardya and guest editor Geoff Leeds discuss important developments at American Standard Circuits and a variety of industry trends.

Six Money-saving Material Properties When Designing PCB Stackups

Stackup decisions are critical to every PCB and electronic product, but they don’t always get the attention they deserve. With better stackup planning focusing on six key parameters, designers can select the best materials early in the design process and minimize the risk of under- and overdesigning their PCB.

Q&A With the IPC Design Competition Winner

Design engineer Sathishkumar Vijayakumar (aka Sathish Kumar V.) with Tessolve Semiconductor, India, took home top honors in this year’s IPC Design Competition, besting the other four finalists in a rigid-flex design showdown during IPC APEX EXPO. Unlike last year, no one finished the design completely, so judges graded competitors on what they did finish, as well as criteria such as design decisions they made, and whether they followed electrical and DFM rules.


Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2023: We Can All Learn Something

Dylan Nguyen speaks with Charlene Gunter du Plessis, senior director, IPC Education Foundation, about careersinelectronics.com, a newly designed information-driven, industry-focused career website from the IPC Education Foundation.

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

This week, we published a variety of articles, columns, and news items. But let’s have a special round of applause for Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Blake Moore (R-UT), two members of the House of Representatives who sent the DoD a letter detailing the need for more production of PCBs and IC substrates in the United States. Republicans and Democrats have been mixing like oil and water lately, so it’s promising to see these two reach across the aisle and try to get something accomplished for the greater good.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2023: Overseas Production

David Bishop, south regional sales director at ICAPE Group, talks with Andy Shaughnessy about overseas production, specifically out of China, as they respond to customer demand.

DFM 101: Final Finishes—HASL

One of the biggest challenges facing PCB designers is not understanding the cost drivers in the PCB manufacturing process. This article is the latest in a series that will discuss these cost drivers (from the PCB manufacturer's perspective) and the design decisions that will impact product reliability.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2023: Updating Training Methods

EPTAC’s VP and technical director, Leo Lambert, converses with Pete Starkey about the need for updates in training methods and the use of visual tools. Training the next generation is top of mind.

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

We have new projects in the U.S. Army space programs, research on gold thickness and solderability, a call for papers throughout 2023 from SMTA, an investment in Korean facilities by ASM, and an adjustment in TTM’s assignation with the U.S. DoD. All together, these five must-reads represent the hurtling trajectory that R&D seems to be following in 2023.

PCB Designers Are Really Product Designers

As I look back on 2022, I’m realizing that my company plays multiple roles in client projects beyond just designing circuits and PCBs. Sure, we’re primarily a PCB design company, but we also help with things that happen outside the PCB. This includes tasks like enclosure design, defining mechanical constraints, simulating electrical behavior, mating boards into larger assemblies, selecting cabling, and defining test requirements, all of which slowly creep into the standard scope of work for design projects.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2023: Polar Driving Software Development for Customers

Andy Shaughnessy sits down with product specialist Erik Bateham, a new hire at Polar Instruments. Erik explains his circuitous route into circuit analysis tools. He also discusses the challenges that Polar’s customers are facing, and how user input drives Polar’s software development. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO 2023, 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 2023: Automotive Electrification

Nolan Johnson talks with Senior Product Manager Chris Nash of Indium Corporation, who discusses Durafuse LT, a novel solder paste mixed alloy system with highly versatile characteristics that enable energy savings, high-reliability, low-temperature, step soldering, and assemblies with large temperature gradients. It also provides superior drop shock performance to conventional low-temperature solders, outclassing BiSn or BiSnAg alloys, and performing better than SAC305 with optimum process setup.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2023: EMS Leadership Discussion

Guest editor Geoff Leeds meets with John Vaughan of Summit Interconnect to discuss his participation representing the PCB industry on the supply chain panel at the EMS Leadership Summit and the DoD roundtable, as well as trends he’s seeing in those market segments.


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

It’s Feb. 3, 2023—2/3/23—and now we know the results of yesterday’s Groundhog weather forecast straight from Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney Phil says six more weeks of winter. If you’re watching the ongoing ice storms blanketing much of the United States at present, that seems like a safe bet. Also a safe bet is that the most-read news this week is IPC APEX EXPO related. Additionally, this week IPC published its EMS and PCB numbers for December. All told, lots of industry news to read this week.

Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2023: Wise Continues Expansion With Technica Partnership

Andy Shaughnessy sits down with Massimo Passerini, founder of Wise, and Technica's Jason Perry, to discuss Wise's latest PCB manufacturing automation. They also focus on the company's distributor partnership with Technica, which is moving into the PCB fab market. If you were unable to attend IPC APEX EXPO 2023, don't worry. We're bringing you coverage of the week's events in San Diego, from ribbon cutting to teardown.

DesignCon 2023 Opens With Strong Attendance

As George Costanza would say, “DesignCon is back, baby!” The show opened Wednesday morning, and it really felt like old times again. The aisles of the Santa Clara Convention Center were busy, and the classrooms for the technical conference were nearly full. And I spoke—or tried to speak—with quite a few engineers who spoke almost no English. That’s a good sign; in recent years, there were very few attendees from outside the U.S. because of Covid restrictions. The Pacific Rim is well represented this year.

Don't Blink: The IPC APEX EXPO Time-lapse

It’s a tradition here at I-Connect007 to set up a time-lapse for IPC APEX EXPO. There’s something satisfying, mesmerizing even, to watch the show floor build out and see the moment when the doors open and visitors fill the exhibit hall. Based on what others have said over the years, I know I’m not the only one whose favorite part is when the carpet gets rolled out and the whole character of the exhibition changes. This time lapse starts on the Saturday prior and continues through the Thursday tear-down phase.

DFM 101: Final Finishes—Electrolytic Nickel/Gold

One of the biggest challenges facing PCB designers is not understanding the cost drivers in the PCB manufacturing process. This article is the latest in a series that will discuss these cost drivers (from the PCB manufacturer’s perspective) and the design decisions that will impact product reliability.

IPC APEX EXPO Wrap-up

IPC APEX EXPO 2023 is over, and I think it was a successful show no matter how you slice it. There was barely a break in traffic on the show floor on Tuesday and Wednesday, and even on Thursday I saw people sprinting to close one more deal. Some committee meetings had nearly 200 participants; the meetings I sat in on were anything but boring.

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

This week, the IPC APEX EXPO event has cast a long shadow across the news feeds. No, that’s not the right metaphor. No, not a shadow; shadows are dark. It would be more accurate to say IPC APEX EXPO cast a beam of illumination upon the news feeds for the electronics manufacturing industry. To that end, the APEX EXPO news makes a prominent appearance in this week’s editor’s picks.

Advanced Packaging Means Advanced Routing Issues

In today’s ever-shrinking world of electronics designs, the use of BGA parts with very fine pitch features is becoming more prevalent. As these fine-pitch BGAs continue to increase in complexity and user I/O (number of balls), the difficulty of finding escape routes and fan-out patterns increases. Additionally, with the shrinking of silicon geometry leading to both smaller channel length and increased signal integrity issues, some of the traditional BGA escape routing techniques will require a revisit and/or adjustment to allow for not only successful fan-out, but also successful functioning of the circuitry of the BGA design.

Scaling Beyond Silicon

Technology has always invoked radical changes, but unlike today, there used to be one major revolutionizing technology trend at a time. The world is becoming increasingly connected, more automated and more intelligent, driven by generational drivers—hyperscale computing, 5G, artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), industrial IoT (IIoT), and autonomous vehicles—which are invoking disruptive technological forces on vertical markets, unfolding varied levels of microelectronics and digital transformation across the globe. The increasing demand for miniaturization and higher speed is changing the dynamics of the semiconductor components needed to store and process data.

Bright Lights, Big City: STEM Event Kicks Off

The San Diego sun was warm and bright on Wednesday afternoon, but it didn’t stop the crowds from filling the aisles at IPC APEX EXPO 2023 for the trade show’s second official day. Technical conferences, professional development courses, and a keynote from IPC President and CEO John W. Mitchell kept attendees busy. But the real highlight of the day was upstairs where approximately 300 high school students from the local San Diego area rode buses to the San Diego Convention Center for a day full of activities meant especially for them.


IPC APEX EXPO 2023: Face-to-Face Not Mask-to-Mask

It was a bright, sunny California day as IPC APEX EXPO officially opened its doors on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at the San Diego Convention Center. The Technical Conference began on the same day, while the program of standards meetings and professional development courses had been in progress since Saturday, Jan. 21. During the hustle and bustle of the show build-up over the weekend, it was clear to see that so many exhibitors had the confidence to bring so much major equipment and to invest in such spectacular booths to display it.

A Challenge Facing Aerospace Designers In 2023

As the aerospace industry has been tasked with fitting increasingly complex electronics in existing airframes the demands on PCB substrates have begun to overtask the existing state of the art in PCB fabrication. Recently, I was called in to troubleshoot some reliability problems with a very dense PCB that had components on both sides and required the use of stacked blind vias and buried vias. The usual name for this kind of design is “build-up fabrication,” requiring many trips through the lamination, drilling, and plating operations at a fabricator.

Monday Recap: Optimism and Economics at IPC APEX EXPO

It was a packed house for two large events at IPC APEX EXPO 2023 on Monday, Jan. 23, as the EMS Leadership Summit was wrapped in the pale veil of caution, meanwhile hundreds more gathered to hear from IPC’s chief economist, Shawn DuBravac. At the EMS summit, the morning presenters from IPC all shared silver linings they saw inside the fading clouds of uncertainty.

Classes and Meetings Under Way at IPC APEX EXPO

IPC APEX EXPO 2023 doesn’t officially kick off until Tuesday, but there’s plenty of action going on here at the San Diego Convention Center. Booths are sprouting up on the show floor, and exhibitors are starting to arrive. Upstairs, committee meetings have been taking place all weekend; the IPC-J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 Joint Task Group, and IPC-A-600 and IPC-6012 Joint Task Group meetings, were abuzz with activity. The Professional Development classes began on Sunday, covering everything from design through assembly processes, flex and rigid-flex, and technologies of the future.

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

We’re in the middle of show season, and it certainly “shows.” Thank you very much. I’m here all week. Don’t forget to tip your wait staff. This week, we published a variety of articles, columns, and news items, and much of it centered on trade shows. Technical Editor Dan Feinberg brings us a report from CES 2023. IPC announced the winners of the Best Technical Paper awards for IPC APEX EXPO 2023. And we have an interview with Altium’s Rea Callender about the company’s educational efforts at APEX and around the globe.

It’s Here: The Launch of IPC Community Magazine

IPC Community Magazine launches today at IPC APEX EXPO 2023, both in digital and print form. It is now widely available for download at no cost. This magazine helps tell the stories of IPC, particularly for IPC members who use and interact with the trade organization. IPC worked closely with I-Connect007 (IPC Publishing Group) to develop the concept for the publication, and asked John W. Mitchell, president and CEO of IPC, to share a few thoughts as he looked at the magazine for the first time in print.

Setting Expectations for IPC APEX EXPO's Women in Electronics Reception

Emily Calandrelli, IPC APEX EXPO’s opening keynote speaker and featured speaker of our Women in Electronics Reception, is an MIT-engineer turned Emmy-nominated science TV host. She’s the host and co-executive producer of “Emily’s Wonder Lab” on Netflix, she's featured as a correspondent on Netflix’s “Bill Nye Saves the World” and an executive producer and host of FOX's “Xploration Outer Space.”

Altium Focuses on Design Education

Altium keeps its eyes on the designers of the future. The company has been working with colleges and universities for years, providing free seats of Altium Designer for the next generation of PCB designers and design engineers. At IPC APEX EXPO 2023, Altium will be providing software for the finalists in the IPC Design Competition just as it did last year. They offer a variety of other educational programs as well, including Upverter classes and a design competition that aims to address environmental change. Here, Rea Callender, Altium’s VP of education, discusses its educational programs and plans for the week of the show.

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

“New year, new you.” That tagline seems to be everywhere right now. All five must-reads this week reflect this theme. Does this apply to you and your company? We have quite a duke’s mixture of articles. We’ve got AT&S outlining their market position on advanced packaging, and Auburn University doing research on smart manufacturing processes. Keysight is coordinating practical 6G research in Europe, Technica shares where they see the market growing, and SEMI adds new members to a key board responsible for market guidance. These five stories drew a lot of reader attention this week.

The Battle of the Boards

Last year, IPC held its first-ever design competition at IPC APEX EXPO in San Diego. PCB designers from around the world competed in a series of heats during the months before the show, culminating in a showdown on the show floor between the top three finalists. Rafal Przeslawski, now with AMD, took home the top prize last year. This year, the competition is back for its sophomore year. I asked Patrick Crawford, manager of design standards and related programs for IPC, to “layout” the details on the design contest, including lessons learned in 2022 and what’s new for the 2023 competition.


Copyright © 2024 I-Connect007 | IPC Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. Log in