100 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2020
machines are obvious—such as the low power
usage and long service life of the light source—
but without good process results, there is no
way forward.
If you are concerned about the ongoing
availability of vapour lamps, then perhaps the
future is a little brighter when it is lit with UV
LEDs. PCB007
Marc Ladle is a director at
Viking Test Ltd. To read past
columns or contact Ladle,
click here.
The significance of this result is that the LED
machine has the potential to be fitted directly
to the end of the solder mask developer, greatly
simplifying the process route. The component
ident will still adhere well to the panels. When
processed with the vapour bulb, the panels
have to be notated after developing and then
run through the UV bump as a separate stand-
alone operation.
I spoke again to the ink supplier after the
tests had been completed, and he told me they
were very impressed with the results. In all
tests, the LED machine performed well and
achieved a good level of cure. For all parties
involved, this was certainly a big step forward.
Some of the potential advantages of LED-based
On July 1, 2020, the USMCA trade act (United States-
Mexico-Canada Act) phased in as a trade agreement guid-
ing economic trade and growth in North America. Nolan
Johnson spoke with both Shawn DuBravac, IPC's chief
economist, and Chris Mitchell, IPC's vice president of
global government affairs and an I-Connect007 colum-
nist, about the impact of USMCA on North American elec-
tronics manufacturing.
DuBravac and Mitchell use the automotive industry as
just one example of how the electronics manufacturing
networks in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are interwo-
ven. They discuss the interaction between pre-existing
market forces, such as tariffs and the coronavirus, and
the intended goals of the USMCA. Together, DuBravac
and Mitchell outline not only the competing forces at
play but IPC's ongoing work to facilitate stronger regional
economics in North America.
Click here to read the full transcript of this audio
interview.
IPC: Shawn DuBravac and Chris Mitchell on USMCA
