My colleague Happy Holden famously stated that only about 10% of design packages received by PCB fabricators are complete and accurate out of the gate. This means unnecessary time and cost are going into the other 90% of jobs. What it also means is that design success and product reliability are in jeopardy if these issues are not identified and addressed. 

Early engagement between a PCB fabricator and a PCB designer is essential to avoid common design issues that will impact the success of any PCB design. Getting the PCB fabricator's engineers together with the PCB designers to understand manufacturing capabilities and collaborate on the optimum design solution for a particular application is mission-critical to the success of the project. This webinar will cover: 
•    Customer service representatives are not engineers; why all technical questions cannot be addressed during the quoting stage.
•    What happens when the customer's netlist does not match the customer's Gerber/3d data.
•    Customer impedance requirements don't match the drawings/data. 
•    Picking the appropriate material set for a given design application.
•    Customized CAM adjustments for manufacturability. 
•    The impact of a PCB designer not understanding fabricator capabilities.
•    Unmanufacturable designs.
•    Inheriting designs from another PCB fabricator.
•    Overdesigning a project from a complexity and cost standpoint. 
•    Early and often engagement; it's all about time and cost.

IPC, the leading association for electronics manufacturing, and the Institute of American Apprenticeship (IAA) will offer two grant opportunities to companies offering apprenticeships.

IPC, the leading association for electronics manufacturing, announces the launch of its new course titled "Foreign Object Debris (FOD) for Electronics Manufacturing," exclusively available for IPC members at no cost

In the intricate world of electronics manufacturing process and precision are not just goals; they are necessities. Amidst the myriad of factors that can affect the quality and reliability of electronic products, one critical issue can go unnoticed – Foreign Object Debris (FOD). Though seemingly insignificant, FOD can have profound implications on the manufacturing process and the end products. This post delves into why managing FOD is pivotal in electronics manufacturing.

This webinar will describe available apprenticeship funding opportunities to support your workforce development costs. We aim to demystify these funding opportunities and make them more accessible. We understand that navigating the labyrinth of government funding can be overwhelming, which is how IPC can help.

In partnership with the Institute for American Apprenticeship (IAA), IPC is pleased to announce that there is funding available to reimburse and incentivize registering in our Apprenticeship program!

IPC India IEMI 2024

Implementation of a new process, machine, or material triggers a qualification event for that change under the new H revision of IPC J-STD-001.

When a change in specific materials is being considered, one must determine and provide objective evidence that the improvement does not increase the quality or functionality risk of the product. In order to quantify the risk, the CM and/or OEM are required to acquire quantitative data before implementing the process change. The methodology developed in this webinar is designed to assist the user in incorporating specific tools and analytical measurements to ensure the product’s reliability via objective evidence and controls. This webinar illustrates the challenges of a real-life implementation of a new material change and the subsequent qualification.

Electronics manufacturers aim to minimize the amount of flux residues. Solder flux residues constitute a significant source of ionic contamination on the manufactured PCBAs, and the activator type in the flux determines their corrosiveness. The risk occurs on low standoff components, such as the QFN, due to blocked flux outgassing channels. The second risk is the number of soldering process steps used to build the assembly. Selective soldering, wave soldering, manual, and rework soldering can spread flux residues across the assembly. Pockets of active residue can be present when the flux is not fully heat-activated. For high reliability, the best practice is to clean the assembly.

This webinar will teach best practices for qualifying and validating acceptable electrical hardware performance. The methods taught during this presentation can be used to meet the requirements of IPC J-STD-001H ~ Section 8: Cleanliness.

How can companies use marketing principles and tools to attract quality job candidates and improve employee retention? Stephanie Austin, director of marketing, Zentech Manufacturing, explains in “Manufacturing a Creative Workforce Development Strategy.” Austin, a member of IPC's EMS Steering Committee, will participate in the upcoming EMS Leadership Summit on April 8, 2024, at IPC APEX EXPO.