Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1471044
20 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2022 the technology, the enabling. I was working with a company the other day on plating a glu- cose monitoring device to go into the human body. Certain parts had to be plated so that it could monitor the individual's sugar level. ese medical breakthroughs are expand- ing into electronics, so it's not just circuitry. Today's opportunities, particularly in IC substrates, offer a great opportunity for young people to get into the electronics industry, especially with the CHIPS for Amer- ica Act and supporting America's electronics industry. I don't care if it's robotics or not, because it's all going to contain circuit boards any- way. Getting in on the ground floor of a circuit board fabrication facility that's really making headway is a great opportunity for a career. en you start learning about imag- ing, solder masks, and board designs. J u s t l e a r n i t , because you don't get a chance to learn that much in school. I love what IPC is doing, working with univer s it ie s on out- reach, and setting up student chapters. at's a great opportunity. ere are some universities that offer a certificate program in printed circuit board fabrication like Michigan Technological University, and more are on the way. Holden: One of the things that helped me a lot was joining the American Electroplaters Soci- ety, which spends a lot of time on electroplat- ing. Living in the Bay Area, you had real the- oreticians such as Lawrence Livermore Labs doing electroplating of thorium and other radioactive materials that were all electro- plated. It was great to talk to those guys. Carano: Absolutely. UCLA has an active met- allization research program, as does the Uni- versity of Arizona. Quite a few places are doing research in technology for metallization and thin films. It goes across many industries, but this is where some of the really cool stuff is happening as well. Shaughnessy: Is there anything we haven't mentioned that you'd like to cover? Carano: It's all about controlling processes. If you take any of my troubleshooting courses that I give through IPC or around the world, I talk about not just finding defects and solving them, but how to control every pro- cess in the printed circuit board facility and what to look for. Te m p e r a tu r e , c o n c e n - trations, water purity, you name it—they're covered. It has to be done. at's the one thing that I see, sadly; when I work with fabricators, the m a j o r i t y o f t h e m don't k now the s e things, even the engi- neers. ey just put the boards in tech and hope they come out good. at's not good. I recommend that you get involved from the ground floor and learn about metallization and electroplating, and learn about the physical chemistry aspects, because it's all physical chemistry. It's V = IR. At the end of the day, everything expands from there. ose are my parting remarks, folks. Shaughnessy: anks for your time. Carano: Happy and Dan, good to see you. You too, Andy and Nolan. PCB007