IPC introduces our latest online instructor-led course: Introduction to Wire Harness Design I. This online training program is crafted to equip emerging and seasoned professionals with the essential skills and knowledge required to excel in this critical field.

This one-hour webinar will teach you how to design printed circuit boards (PCBs) that are easy to manufacture, test, and assemble. You’ll learn about three important design principles: Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Test (DFT), and Design for Assembly (DFA). These principles help you create PCBs that save time, lower costs, and ensure the final product works as expected.

We’ll explain what DFM, DFT, and DFA mean and why they matter for your design. You’ll see how DFM makes simple PCBs by choosing the right materials, layer stack-ups, and trace sizes. Then, we’ll explore DFT, ensuring your board can be easily tested to catch any issues before production. Finally, we’ll cover DFA, which helps make assembly smoother by correctly placing components and avoiding errors.

Throughout the webinar, we’ll share real-world examples of what happens when these principles are followed—and when they’re not. You’ll also learn about necessary IPC standards, like IPC-2221 and IPC-A-610, that guide good PCB design practices. By the end of the session, you’ll know how to create reliable, cost-effective, and easy PCBs.

This webinar is perfect for anyone working on PCB designs, from beginners to experienced designers. Whether creating your first board or looking to improve your process, this session will give you the tools and tips to succeed. Join us to learn how to design PCBs that work perfectly from the start!

IPC, a global leader in electronics industry standards and training, is excited to announce the launch of two new courses designed to optimize electronics manufacturing processes: "Ensuring Excellence: IPC-J-STD-001 Process Optimization" and "Ensuring Excellence: IPC-A-610 Process Optimization."

In a time that feels more politically divided than ever, there are still policies that Americans generally agree on—and expanding workplace apprenticeships is one of them. Last week’s commemoration of National Apprenticeship Week gave us the opportunity to take a deeper dive into why apprenticeships have such bipartisan appeal and the important role they can play in supporting the U.S. electronics manufacturing industry.

IPC is proud to announce its participation in National Apprenticeship Week, scheduled for November 17-23, 2024. This annual event highlights the critical role apprenticeships play in fostering a highly skilled workforce and supporting the U.S. economy.

This webinar discusses new methods and techniques that use 3D X-ray microscopy (XRM), nanoscale imaging, and deep learning (DL) to visualize the internal structures and assemblies of electronic devices, e.g., ball grid array components (BGAs), column grid arrays, solder connections, underfill/staking, etc.

Key discussions include:
• Deep Learning Algorithms: These improve the quality of scans by enhancing contrast and reducing noise.
• DeepScout Tool: This tool uses 3D XRM scans from specific areas to train a neural network, allowing for high-resolution images to be created from lower-resolution data over a larger area.

These methods can be used independently or complementary to other multiscale correlative microscopy evaluations, e.g., electron microscopy. They provide valuable insights into electronic packages and integrated circuits, revealing details from large features (hundreds of mm) to microscopic details in electronic components (tens of nm). By using X-ray imaging and machine learning, along with other imaging methods, we can speed up development time, reduce costs, and simplify failure analysis (FA) and quality inspection of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and electronic devices assembled with new emerging technologies.

Today, IPC released a new offering in its series of short “explainer videos” – this one tackles the critical labor shortage faced by the electronics manufacturing industry. The United States is expected to have an unprecedented 2.1 million unfilled jobs in manufacturing by 2031. More than two-thirds of IPC’s U.S. members report that an inability to find and retain skilled workers is limiting their growth and competitiveness.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has officially designated IPC an apprenticeship ambassador. This prestigious recognition underscores our commitment to fostering and expanding registered apprenticeship programs across the United States, contributing to a more robust and more diverse workforce.

Discover how to optimize your PCB design process with rigorous constraint management. Join this webinar to learn about the power of model-based PCB design and the importance of digital twins in creating high-quality, manufacturable boards.

Key Topics:
• Model-based PCB design engineering: Understand the benefits and techniques of using models to drive your design process.
• The need for digital twins: Learn how digital twins can provide a comprehensive representation of your PCB, enabling better decision-making and risk mitigation.
• Winning design constraints: Discover effective strategies for defining and implementing design constraints that ensure manufacturability and yield.
• Putting it all together: See how to integrate model-based design, digital twins, and constraint management to achieve optimal results.

Leave this webinar with a clear understanding of how to:
• Create stable and manufacturable PCBs
• Improve design efficiency and reduce errors
• Maximize yield and minimize costs

Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into the future of PCB design.

In this first webinar — Complex Integrated Systems: The Future of Electronics Manufacturing — guest speakers Dan Gamota (NextFlex) and Girish Wable introduced the concept of CIS and discussed current trends.