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98 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2018 flex high density interconnect (HDI) PCBs are not that exotic designs now; trace width re- quirement is 35 μm, and some even require 25 μm. As spacing becomes denser and the data rate of high-speed signals get quicker, the re- quirement of the trace geometry consistency needs to be better. However, today's technol- ogy could not make the copper thickness the same on the surface and in the hole. We hope that there will be new technology that could solve this in the future. Conferences and forums also cover a wide range of hot topics of this industry including market and technology developments of pho- tosensitive coating in flexible printed circuits (FPCs) and rigid-flex boards, silver catalyst chemistries, using cellphones to manage facil- ity operations, and how to be competitive us- ing enterprise resource planning (ERP), manu- facturing execution syetems (MES), advanced parts manufacturing (APM), total productive maintenance (TPM), and warehouse manage- ment systems (WMS.) We hope the three-day exhibition and activities will drive the industry forward rapidly. PCB007 China: What is your opinion on the development of the global PCB industry, and what are your expectations for market devel- opment trends in 2019? IPC: After the adjustments in electronic indus- try in recent years—developments in smart factories, 5G communication, artificial intelli- gence (AI), new energy vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and device data interconnections— these trends have emerged, which gives the electronics industry, PCB manufacturers, and electronic assemblers new opportunities to grow. These new opportunities are applica- tions of advanced technology in high-reliabil- ity products. How can we seize this opportu- nity? Do the skills of the workforce, manufac- turing capability, and product quality of elec- tronics manufacturing companies meet the requirements of high-reliability products? IPC provides training programs and certification services designed to improve product reliabil- ity, and they are very helpful for companies looking to enter the high-reliability market. PCB007 China: This year, the PCB industry mar- ket has been changing rapidly. Business devel- opments such as expansions, industrial trans- fers, listings, mergers and acquisitions, and technical cooperation are very active. What new developments and business opportunities do you think there are in the PCB and electron- ic assembly industry? IPC: High-end electronics manufacturing in- cluding 5G, IoT, cloud computing, new ener- gy vehicles, autonomous vehicles, smart man- ufacturing, automation, and military and aero- space (milaero) will be the top opportunities for the next few years. PCB007 China: The theme of this show is "In- spire the Industry, Explore the Infinity," and the scale of the show will surpass previous ones. Do you think that PCB production tech- nology is still advancing, and if so, what tech- nological breakthroughs would you like to see the most? Will the organizer help with techni- cal exchanges and promotions? IPC: PCBs are switching from mass production to low-volume, high-mix production. In this transition, productivity and yield will drop. CFX (Connected Factory Exchange) technolo- gy can help enterprises achieve this low-vol- ume, high-mix requirement with low costs. CFX technology also improves the efficiency of the supply chain. CFX is a basic standard that is the realization of data acquisition, transmis- sion, exchange, analysis, modeling, and con- trol of Industry 4.0. IPC has joined hands with the world's leading equipment, software, and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) com- panies to develop the IPC CFX-2591 standard collaboratively, and has exhibited the CFX demonstration successfully. We will also work together with experts to discuss CFX technolo- gy at the IPC WorksAsia conference, and invite