Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1339822
FEBRUARY 2021 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 25 ital twin readiness, followed by deeper dives into the use of digi- tal twin data to enhance and im- prove design and manufacture, as well as how to utilize data in the field from digital twin prod- ucts. We're excited about all three of these sessions. Johnson: Right. You have stan- dards like CFX, IPC-2591, etc., and this begs the question for a virtual IPC APEX EXPO 2021: How are you handling the com- mittee meetings? Jorgensen: e standards committee meetings are a key element of every IPC APEX EXPO, so we will have meetings again this year—with a twist. Being apart for this year's event is not ide- al, but it gave us the opportunity to think out- side the box a little bit when scheduling our meetings. Our committee meetings always run concurrent with the technical program at the event. is means committee members of- ten must miss technical programming and our technical program attendees oen will miss committee meetings they would want to at- tend. is year, we will hold our IPC APEX EXPO committee meetings before and aer the week of the technical conference. As with past in- person APEX EXPO meetings, they will be open to anyone who wants to listen in on what a specific group or groups are working on and, if interested, get involved with those groups. We're already hearing positive responses to this approach from our committee chairs and members, so we anticipate event attendees will also be happy with this move. We will post the full meeting schedule and a mechanism for getting meeting invitations on the IPC APEX EXPO website very soon. Check out the list of meetings. If you see topics of interest, request the meeting invitations, and help to shape our industry standards. Johnson: Matt, IPC has been collaborating even more close- ly than in the past with several industry organizations. Can you tell us about this? Kelly: One thing that IPC has done in 2020 is to reconnect in some cases—and then strength- en in others—our collaboration with other industry groups. is is so that IPC can make sure that we're working directly with these groups to ensure that new information, new research, and new development efforts reflect state-of-the-art advancements and critical is- sues as best as possible. We've recently en- gaged with MTC, PSMA, and AIAG and con- tinue our longstanding relationships with iNE- MI, HDP, and Navy Defense Base as well. iNEMI, for example, will be discussing 5G high-frequency challenges and opportuni- ties. HDP is reporting on latest 2019 and 2020 project updates. Topics include evaluating sol- der joint fatigue performance as a function of PCB thickness, accelerated thermal cycling, and photonic soldering rework. From the Navy DoD workgroup, we've got a session on the de- fense PCB industrial base and their technolo- gy roadmap—things like quilted circuit board assemblies and high-density interconnect de- velopment. When you look at the IPC APEX EXPO program, we have a very nice collection of other industry groups presenting their work. Jorgensen: Another group we have partnered with for the last couple of years is the Ad- vanced Functional Fabrics of America—or AF- FOA. ey and their members have been en- gaged in our e-textiles standards activities for the past several years, and as that relation- ship has grown, so has our work together. We Chris Jorgensen