Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1487920
8 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2022 If you ask anyone in this industry to describe IPC APEX EXPO, they'll probably call it a PCB manufacturing show. ey're not wrong, by any means; the show was created to serve the PCB fabrication and assembly markets. But this year's event has quite a bit to offer PCB designers and design engineers. Is this event becoming a PCB design show as well—a show within a show? Between the Professional Development Courses and Technical Conference, I counted 15 classes that focus on PCB design or design- related topics. ere are also plenty of fabrica- tion courses on the roster, which many design- ers would likely benefit from. Have you visited a board shop since "Cheers" went off the air? e IPC Design Competition is returning for its second year. e first heat of the com- petition has already begun, with 47 contestants from around the world slugging it out. e sur- vivors will face off in San Diego next month in a competition that will be live streamed on YouTube and Twitch.io. ere's certainly a thirst for knowledge among PCB designers. Every year, more of the "silverback" senior designers retire to the pick- leball courts (seriously, pickleball?), taking with them decades of design knowledge and experience. Many companies are facing a lack of subject matter experts in PCB design, and the problem is likely to get worse before it gets better. With The Shaughnessy Report by Andy Shaughnessy, I-CONNECT007 Design at IPC APEX EXPO 2023: A Show Within a Show