Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1176876
OCTOBER 2019 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 9 There will be solutions to these new safety concerns. As humans, we are good at inno- vating things; we just don't know how those changes will play out. And this is true in park- ing lots as well as fabrication floors. For print- ed circuit fabricators, the terrain continues to change under our feet. I'm almost hesitant to list them once again: ever-smaller fabrication dimensions; new yield expectations; environ - mental extreme survivability; high-speed per- formance, requiring new materials; chip and component packaging changes; advances in 3D printing that now include the ability to print passive components into the substrate itself; and other additive processes that enable those small fabrication dimensions. At this moment, our list has come full circle—an upward tech - nology spiral. This issue considers the current, ever-chang- ing landscape of our industry—a landscape be- ing reshaped by "industrious laziness." New application spaces will continue to drive our in- dustry to improve our capabilities, and chang- es to our market landscape will only continue. We're automating manual processes with the in- tent to make our results better. But, like autono- mous vehicle enhancements, human awareness and supervision are required. The skillset for the operator may change, but if we leave every- thing to the machines, eventually, something bad is bound to happen. As we survey the moving, changing land- scape, we begin with John Mitchell's column "Opportunities for Learning Abound at IPC." Then, we bring you a perspective from China; Yonglin Gong files this report, "Chinese Review: The 2018 NTI-100 Top Global PCB Fabricators." Next up is Raymond Goh's column titled "The Laminate Market: What Will the Future Bring." Then, we focus on a new technology that aligns with changing methods in the landscape with a piece from Chemplate Materials' Víctor Lázaro Gallego, discussing induction lamination in "Multilayer Press Technology Using Magnetism to Produce Lamination Heat." Mike Hill writes Part 2 of his column on "Technology and Reliability Demands Drive Designers and MIL-PRF-31032 Specification." Tara Dunn considers one of the key new mar - ket drivers in her column "Additive Electronics Momentum," which is in line with the SMTA Additive Electronics Conference on October 24, 2019. Right behind is Mike Carano with "Via Hole Filling and Plugging, Part 2." Turning technical, Nikolaus Shubkegel ex - plains solder mask tack dry. And Joan Tourné continues his series on VeCS with the fourth in- stallment on "Tuning Your Signal Performance." In this changing industry landscape, ask yourself the question: are you asleep at the wheel? PCB007 Nolan Johnson is managing editor of PCB007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electronics de- sign and manufacturing.To contact Johnson, click here. At the recent SMTA International 2019 Conference and Exhibition in Rosemont, Illinois, Lenora Clark, di- rector of autonomous driving and safety technology at MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions (and co- organizer for the upcoming SMTA Additive Electronics Conference), and Nolan Johnson discuss her new role, recent company reorganization, and the synergies cus- tomers are seeing. Click on the image to watch the interview. RTW SMTAI 2019: Lenora Clark Discusses Company Changes and Her New Role