68 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2022
EIPC Technical Snapshot: High-end
PCB Market Requirements and
Technology Trends E
e European Institute for the PCB Commu-
nity (EIPC) continues to provide an efficient
platform for following and pursuing new devel-
opments. Its Technical Snapshot webinar has
become established as a must-attend monthly
event, and consistently delivers essential infor-
mation of the highest caliber and relevance.
Improved Thermal Interface Materials
for Cooling High-Power Electronics E
Heat has been a significant concern in electronics
since the beginning of the electronics age when
hot glowing vacuum tubes were first used to
receive and transmit data bits. e transistor and
integrated circuit effectively solved that basic
problem but increases in integration resulted in
increased concentration of heat, exacerbated by
relentless increases in operating frequency.
Insulectro Gears up for More
Business in Canada E
Insulectro, North America's largest distributor
of materials for use in manufacture of printed
circuit boards and printed electronics, has
broadened its commitment to Canadian busi-
ness. It has acquired more warehouse space in
Scarborough, Ontario, significantly increasing
its local presence and capabilities in Canada.
Testing Todd: Has Universal Fixture
Testing Gone the Way of the Dodo? E
Although flying probe testers have become
common place in today's manufacturing the-
atre, one must wonder if the fixture tester,
specifically the universal grid or "pin in hole"
fixture has any valuable use in the electrical test
arena? e advancements in flying probe tech-
nology are undisputed with the new abilities
to do many of the tests that benchtop testing
historically required.
Measuring Multiple Lamination
Reliability for Low-loss Materials E
Taiwan Union Technology Corporation (TUC)
provides copper-clad laminates and dielectric
resin composites used to manufacture PCBs.
e enthalpy of these resin composites meets
and exceeds customers' objectives and shows
the deterioration of the resin's physical proper-
ties because of multiple lamination cycles.
The Plating Forum: How the Pandemic
Impacted PCB Manufacturing E
anks to its classification as an essential busi-
ness associated with national security, PCB
manufacturing in the U.S. was exempt from
pandemic shutdowns; it was not, however,
immune to supply chain disruption. Raw mate-
rials shortages set the stage for higher prices.
Companies that relied on just in time (Kan-
ban) inventory management held back prod-
uct, further burdening the supply chain.
Happy's Tech Talk #6: Looking at the
Process of Repanelization E
I have spent many years in printed circuit fab-
rication, including nearly 20% of my career in
Asia. One problem that concerns all fabricators
is the issue of how many 'X-outs' are allowed
per assembly sub-panel array. Here are a cou-
ple of solutions I have used and encountered in
my travels.
