2015 Magazine Archives

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FEATURES

IPC APEX RECAP
Going Vertical
The annual IPC trade show was bigger and more built up than ever, which had the (unintended) net effect of making attendance look like it was down. Still, the show had its share of innovations – albeit primarily on the assembly side – that made the trip to San Diego worthwhile.
by Mike Buetow

CONFORMAL COATINGS
IPC-CC-830B vs. the ‘Real World’
A variety of commercially available, internationally qualified conformal coatings were applied in varying thicknesses to SIR coupons by dip, spray and selective-spray, then subjected to thermal shock. The results demonstrated that the flat FR-4 test board used for IPC-CC-830 qualification does not adequately stress conformal coatings during thermal shock testing, leaving open the question whether the standard is sufficient for simulating actual use environments.
by Carolyn Taylor and Phil Kinner

QUALITY CONTROL
Color for PCB Control
Some colors are so standardized that changing them serves no purpose and could indeed be counterproductive  or even dangerous. Likewise, printed circuit boards are always green – except when they are not.
by Robert Sergio Simon

FIRST PERSON

• CAVEAT LECTOR
  Attack of the OEMs.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• ROI
  When will the new guard arrive?
  Peter Bigelow
  

• FOCUS ON BUSINESS
  Putting manufacturing back into the local economy.
  Susan Mucha
  
  

TECH TALK

• DESIGNER’S NOTEBOOK
  Watching the parts go ‘round.
  Duane Benson
• THE FLEXPERTS
  The cost of getting bigger.
  Mark Finstad
• GETTING LEAN
  Is the Pull Signal Lean Enough?
  Michael Ford
• DEFECTS DATABASE
  LGA/QFN: Focus on the bottom.
  Dr. Chris Hunt