By Mark Pritchard, director, media training
Safari Circuits of Otsego, Mich. has once again provided technical and financial assistance to help create a new IPC training video, SMT Component Removal.
Chris Barrett, quality inspection and training manager at Safari Circuits travelled to the IPC Video office in Taos, N.M.
By Kelly Scanlon, director, EHS policy and research
The European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive, known as RoHS, aims to protect human health and the environment and maximize recovery of certain hazardous substances after their use. How well is the RoHS Directive working? We’re about to find out.
Specifically, there are several opportunities between now and December to express feedback to the European Commission regarding the existing directive, the methodology for exemptions, and whether the list of restricted substances should be altered.
By Sharon Starr, director, market research
IPC's biennial Wage Rate and Salary Survey for the North American Electronics Assembly Industry is much more than its name implies. It collects data on compensation for 40 hourly and salaried technical, manufacturing and sales positions at original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and contract electronics manufacturing services (EMS) companies in North America.
“We have certified and educated the industry for decades and wondered what more we could do,” IPC’s John Mitchell, president and CEO, discusses IPC’s commitment to create 1 million new skilled workforce opportunities for the #electronics industry within five years on the #podcast Manufacturing Tomorrow’s Workforce.
Listen here: https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-5a5r5-c554c4
By Aidan Turnbull, managing director, BOMcheck; Kelly Scanlon, director, EHS policy and research, IPC
At a recent stakeholder workshop in Helsinki, Finland, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) shed more light on its upcoming Substances of Concern in Products (SCIP) Database and how IPC standards factor into it.
Starting January 5, 2021, all manufacturers will be required to report information into the new ECHA SCIP Database if their products include articles that contain REACH Candidate List substances above 0.1%.
By Tara Dunn, president, Omni PCB
Can you imagine the benefits of routing with a 25-micron trace and space? Just to name a few; complex pin outs would require fewer layers and a decrease in costly lamination cycles, the overall size of the PCB could be dramatically reduced, or conversely, additional electronics could be fit into an existing footprint. What if the 25-micron technology could be integrated into a stack-up with traditional subtractive etch technology?
It is with deep sadness that IPC announces the passing of electronics industry pioneer and IPC Hall of Famer, Bernard (Bernie) Kessler. Bernie passed away on December 2, 2019 at age 96.
Active in IPC for more than 50 years, Bernie served as IPC’s first chair of the Technical Activities Executive Council (TAEC).
Representatives of electronics companies from across Europe gathered last week in Brussels to call on European policy makers to ensure the right policy and regulatory environment to stimulate innovation in the electronics value chain and boost its competitiveness in Europe.
Held annually, IMPACT Europe is our premier annual advocacy event in Bru
To determine the effects the U.S./China tariff dispute has on U.S. electronics manufacturers, IPC conducted a survey of its U.S. members. The results reflect how difficult it is for a global industry to navigate this uncertainty. IPC President and CEO John Mitchell provides details in his monthly IPC president's message.
https://youtu.be/hiLojHk6I7A
The following statement can be attributed to John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO:
“The electronics manufacturing industry welcomes the announcement that the United States and China have agreed to a "phase one" trade deal bolstering enforcement of China's intellectual property laws and rolling back or postponing retaliatory tariffs on thousands of goods traded between them.
“As documented in a recent IPC study, many IPC members are feeling the pain of higher costs, supply chain disruptions, administrative hassles, and reduced access to valuable markets as a result of the U.S.-China