Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1307491
NOVEMBER 2020 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 11 We have an article by John McMillan of Mentor, a Siemens Business, that focuses on criteria for selecting your next PCB design software tool. And Chris Clark of Minco dis- cusses how rigid-flex circuits are now driv- ing innovation around the world. We also have columns from regular contributors Jade Bridges, Barry Olney, Matt Stevenson, Kelly Dack, Patrick Crawford, John Talbot, and Dominique Numakura. We're coming up on the end of the year, and I, for one, can't wait for 2021. Next year is looking promising so far. IPC APEX EXPO and DesignCon are set for live, in-person events in March and April, respectively, and PCB East is making a comeback, set for May in Marl- borough, Massachusetts, which will also be a live event. If these events go as planned, we'll be there to provide complete coverage. Let's hold a good thought! DESIGN007 Andy Shaughnessy is managing editor of Design007 Magazine. He has been covering PCB design for 20 years. He can be reached by clicking here. designing reliable vias and microvias. First, we start with an interview with PCEA Chair- man Stephen V. Chavez, Happy Holden, and Dan Feinberg, who discuss everything from microvia failures to the challenges the design- ers face when laying out ever-shrinking traces and components. Next, James Hofer of Accurate Circuit Engineering explains the problems he encounters with customers' HDI designs, particularly with PTFE laminates, and some of the remedies he utilizes, such as landless vias. We have a really informative "Stacked Micro- via/Weak Interface Reliability Study" edited by Happy Holden, which provides a snapshot of the investigation into the military microvia failures and the work that remains to be completed from Marc Carter's IPC High-Reliability Forum presen- tation. Tim Haag discusses the many ways that vias can alleviate pain on one part of the board but can cause trouble elsewhere when design- ers don't follow best practices. Mark Thompson, CID+, offers a wide-ranging look at the design and fabrication of vias and microvias and shares examples that illustrate why attention to detail and communication are so vital to via design. And Joe Fjelstad shares a brief history of vias from the 1950s on.