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REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 35 a long time, most PCBs have been primarily manufactured overseas. Now that there is a major push to bring manu- facturing back to the United States, people in the industry are looking to adapt their PCB fabrication process accord- ingly. At last year's IPC APEX EXPO, automation technology was undoubtedly in the spotlight. While that was still the case this year, the overall number of people seeking that tech- nology was much higher. This growing demand can likely be attributed to the reshor- ing of PCB manufacturing, but I think it is also due to the industry just now beginning to understand the capabili- ties of today's technology. Another theme that came up in my conversations was that people underestimate the versatility of newer technol- ogy. In some cases, they were concerned that they would not be able to implement tools like robotic loaders with their current equipment. It may surprise those people to hear that this is not a major issue anymore. With the flexibil- ity of today's technology, you can virtually integrate it with any piece of equipment you have, whether old or new. This is typical for many automation technologies. After this year's show, I believe more people will rec- ognize this, and we will see them implement- ing automated solutions into their current manufacturing processes. From there, we will see a major improvement throughout the whole PCB industry as well as the industries it supports. This year's IPC APEX EXPO certainly gave me some insights into the electronics indus- try and where it will be soon. If you had the chance to visit the Chemcut booth while at the conference, thank you for stopping by. If you did not get the chance, please con- sider stopping by next year. Even if you are not involved in the PCB industry, it is always insightful to have conversations with people with outside perspectives. S&T Christopher Bonsell is a regular columnist for I-Connect007. To read past columns or contact Bonsell, click here.