Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1493016
10 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE Advancing in a New Era What goes down must also come up. This is not the idiom we're used to hearing, but I'd like to apply it to IPC APEX EXPO 2023. After a few years of lower attendance numbers due to the COVID pandemic, 2023 ushered in a re-invigorated group of attendees, exhibitors, speakers, event contractors, and staff to the show floor and meeting rooms. IPC APEX EXPO 2023 was fueled by the possi- bilities of new advances in electronics manu- facturing. We saw this in the exhibition, where a multitude of high-tech machinery (and arti- ficial intelligence, in some cases) showcased cutting-edge assembly, testing and inspec- tion equipment, software automation, laser systems, additive manufacturing, and Factory of the Future technologies. The Technical Conference sessions and Professional Devel- opment courses covered such hot topics as Smart factories, PCB fabrication and materi- als, and high-density interconnects. From what I observed and heard directly from exhibitors, the exhibition experience was positive for the 376 exhibitors who show- cased their products and services on 122,700 square feet of show floor space. Davina by John W. Mitchell • IPC PRESIDENT AND CEO show review