44 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2020
An Update on Walt Custer's EIPC
Business Outlook Webinar E
"We're not out of trouble yet, but it's a whole
lot better than a couple of months ago." Walt
Custer's business outlook update, with empha-
sis on the European electronics industry,
attracted a capacity audience to EIPC's webi-
nar on October 2. Pete Starkey details how it
wasn't all bad news.
Just Ask John Mitchell: The Exclusive
Compilation E
We asked for you to send in your questions
for IPC President and CEO John Mitchell, and
you took us up on it! We know you all enjoyed
reading these questions and answers, so we've
compiled all of them into one article for easy
reference. We hope you enjoy having another
bite at the apple. And if you'd like to hear more
from John Mitchell, view his column series
"One World, One Industry."
Trouble in Your Tank: A Process Engineer's
Guide to Interconnect Defects E
For those associated with PCB fabrication, one
of the biggest nightmares is often the infamous
interconnect defect (ICD). Essentially, an ICD
is a separation of the plating from the intercon-
nect foil. In this column, Mike Carano focuses
on Type 1 ICD and D-sep.
The Big Picture: Globalization—Imagine a
United States That Isn't United E
What if the U.S. was fragmented with 50
state fiefdoms, each with their own rules and
barriers blocking the free flow of goods and
services across state lines? We cannot even
imagine such a scenario, yet that is exactly
what's happening—fortunately not across state
lines, but across global borders. Mehul Davé
advocates for starting the hard work to get
globalization back on track.
Punching Out! Bringing PCB and PCBA
Industries Back to the U.S. E
Although U.S. PCB companies have been wav-
ing the flag for years, the COVID-19 crisis has
shined a spotlight on the U.S. dependency on
overseas suppliers for many electronics prod-
ucts. Tom Kastner lists five ways production
will come back to the U.S.
American Standard Circuits Now Offers
Copper Filled Blind Vias E
West Chicago circuit board fabricator Ameri-
can Standard Circuits now offers copper filled
via technology.
Insulectro Opens Shop With All-New
Printed Electronics E-Commerce Site E
Insulectro, the largest distributor of materi-
als for use in the manufacturing of PCBs and
printed electronics, rolled out its new online
shopping center (insulectro-pe.com) for con-
ductive inks and pastes plus advanced sub-
strates and films.
EIPC Technical Snapshot: Automotive
Technology E
Although current circumstances have forced
the postponement of its live conferences, sem-
inars, and workshops, EIPC continues to pro-
vide a platform for the exchange and dissemi-
nation of the latest knowledge and technical
information to the European interconnection
and packaging industry. Pete Starkey details
how its current series of technical snapshots,
delivered in a webinar format, address tech-
nology challenges facing the automotive, tele-
com, and high-speed sectors of the industry.
