Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1473479
70 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2022 By Mike Carano CHAIRMAN, IPC THOUGHT LEADERS PROGRAM Electronics are a global driver for the world's economy. ey are omnipresent in every- thing from life-saving medical equipment to safety and security systems, telecommunica- tions, and automobiles. Electronics manufac- turing involves significant job creation within the industry itself as well as in other industries through improved productivity and constant innovation. Applications such as wearables, augmented and virtual reality, and high-end graphics and video are just a few of the elec- tronics-based innovations coming our way. In many respects, the technological advance- ments that make these electronics possible are nothing short of amazing. And the heart of the electronic system is the printed circuit board. Without the printed circuit board, there is nowhere for semiconductor chips and other components to go. As the saying goes, "Chips don't float," meaning the printed circuit board is the interconnection of the entire electronics system. Trusted manufacturers of these complex interconnection substrates are needed to sup- port mission critical applications. And yet the manufacturing landscape for printed circuit boards has largely shied to Asia; and domes- tic expertise has shrunk along with the indus- try's footprint in North America. Significant investments in printed circuit board technology and manufacturing are crit- ical to the continued strength of the strategi- REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM IPC