High density interconnect (HDI) technology makes it possible to place more components on both sides of a raw PCB and from a design perspective, HDI technology requires different setup and thought as to what is needed and how to accomplish it. As a result, designers need to understand the structure of the HDI traces and vias, and what their options and effects are to the cost and electronics involved.

IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries, the global industry association representing the $2 trillion global electronics industry, applauds a U.S. Senate committee for its work in advancing a workforce education and training bill.

IPC reports that 85 percent of exhibit floor space has been sold for IPC APEX EXPO® 2019. Three hundred twenty-seven exhibitors have been assigned to 134,200 net square feet of exhibit space, marking a 5 percent increase in square footage compared to 2018’s booth space selection event. The premier technical conference and exhibition for the electronics manufacturing industry will take place January 29–31, 2019, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, Calif.

IPC launched a global survey of printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturers in the electronics industry this week. This confidential survey is part of a global data collection effort for the development of IPC’s 2018 PCB Technology Trends study. The deadline for PCB fabricator survey responses is July 13.

IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® has extended the deadline of their invitation for engineers, researchers, academics, technical experts and industry leaders to submit abstracts for IPC APEX EXPO 2019 to be held at the San Diego Convention Center. The technical conference will take place January 29–31, 2019. The extended deadline for technical conference abstracts is June 29, 2018.

IPC launched a global survey of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the electronics industry this week. This confidential survey is part of a global data collection effort for the development of IPC’s 2018 PCB Technology Trends study. The deadline for OEM survey responses is July 6.

The competition was fierce as 27 competitors went soldering iron to soldering iron in IPC’s Hand Soldering Regional Qualification Competition at SMT Hybrid Packaging 2018 in Nuremberg, Germany. Of the 27 boards submitted by the competitors only four of the electronic assemblies were functional. Taking first place and a cash prize of €300 was Catherine Cardinal-Simoan, Thales International, who earned 422 points out of a possible 445.

Reflecting input from IPC and its collaboration with Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Section 862 of the bill calls on the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Executive Agent for Printed Circuit Board and Interconnect Technology (based at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana) and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to prepare a report to Congress by January 2019 on the health of the defense electronics industrial base.

If your company has e-textiles and/or stretchable technologies on its roadmap and you find yourself asking the question, “How can I merge smart fabrics with smart engineering?” IPC has developed a technical and business education workshop to answer these questions and more. IPC E-Textiles 2018 will take place on September 13, 2018 in Des Plaines, Ill., and will bring together innovators, technologists and engineers to collaborate, and identify partners and solutions to propel growth for the e-textiles market.

IPC's Validation Services Program is proud to announce Alternative Manufacturing Inc.’s (AMI) IPC J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 Qualified Manufacturers Listing (QML) recertification. AMI is an electronics contract manufacturing company based in Winthrop, Maine and provides PCB assembly, wire harness production, and product assembly for a variety of industries. To earn recertification of the QML, AMI successfully completed an intensive audit based on two of IPC's foremost standards: IPC J-STD-001, Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies and IPC-A-610, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies