A confab at PCB West connected chapter members from around the world.

The IPC Designers Council (DC) Executive Board held its semiannual meeting on Sept. 10 at PCB West. This year, the Executive Board decided to open the meeting to the public. This decision bore good fruit, as we had roughly 30-plus attendees at the meeting. Gary Ferrari, who is an IPC Hall of Famer, and DC Executive Board Chairman Mike Creeden and I facilitated the meeting, with Gary taking the lead.

This was the second time we implemented a Webex for those who could not attend the conference in person. As a result, domestic and international executive board members were able to attend remotely. We also had individual chapter leaders connecting online and an IPC staff member in attendance. Further, there were a few representatives from several industry ECAD tool suppliers, including Mentor, Altium, Cadence and DownStream. We also had representatives from industry media and EPTAC.

The meeting was very positive. Each attendee added to the buzz in the room. Everyone was given the opportunity to introduce themselves and speak regarding the agenda. The main topic of discussion involved individual chapter activities. During the open floor dialogue, I provided a status update that covered the ongoing success of the eight local chapters and their respective activities, as spotlighted in this column series. Gary also presented updates from overseas chapters covering Southeast Asia and Paris.

The feedback from all attendees of this open meeting was very constructive, and I doubt it will be the last. A lot of excitement and collaboration took place that will help take the local chapters to the next level and hopefully start new ones. Stay tuned for announcements and activities that may be coming to your area.

Also, after hours, the Porch Dawgs were let out of their kennels and made a rare appearance at this year’s PCB West. Pete Waddell, Andy Shaughnessy and Kelly Dack – the original Porch Dawgs – played music in the conference hotel lounge for conference attendees accompanied by backup singers Frances Stewart, Judy Warner and Tara Dunn. Songs included “Mustang Sally” with Kelly Dack on lead vocals (and occasionally on harmonica).

IPC CID/CID+ Certification Success

We continue to have successful IPC CID and CID+ certification classes. This year, 23+ participants took part in CID/CID+ certification at PCB West. The four-day IPC certification sessions kicked off the weekend before the conference start date. The certification sessions were followed by four days of jam-packed professional development sessions that included a show floor filled with enthusiastic professionals and ever-evolving industry content.

The excitement in the air at the PCB West conference did not disappoint! If you didn’t, or couldn’t, attend this year, I highly recommend you attend next year’s event. The conference presents a great opportunity for networking and professional development in PCB design in our advancing industry.

In the next section, you will find the remaining training sessions to take advantage of, as well as upcoming PCB design events.

2019 Training and Certification Schedule

IPC Certified Interconnect Designer (CID)

• October 8–11: Carmel, IN
• October 21–24: Anaheim, CA
• November 2–5: Raleigh, NC
• November 5–8: Dallas, TX

IPC Advanced Certified Interconnect Designer CID+ 

• October 21–24: Anaheim, CA
• November 2–5: Raleigh, NC
• December 3–6: Manchester, NH

Note: Dates and locations are subject to change. Contact EPTAC to check current dates and availability. A minimum enrollment of seven students is required for a class to be held.

PCB Design Events

AltiumLive 2019

• October 9–11: San Diego, CA

PCB Carolina 2019

• November 13: Raleigh, NC

PCB West 2020

• September 8–11: Santa Clara, CA

Stephen Chavez is a member of the IPC Designers Council Executive Board and chairman of the communications subcommittee. To read past columns or contact Chavez, click here.

At their semiannual meeting at PCB West in September, Designers Council members reviewed plans for the coming year.