Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1516724
46 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2024 "wandering off course" with lively interactive discussions on specific topics from the class. Gerjan Diepstraten, manager of advanced technology at ITWEAE, will discuss how to develop a robust selective soldering process. "Boards can be soldered in different ways," he says. "What is the best method and how can we define this in the design phase?" Dr. Jennie Hwang, CEO of H-Technologies Group, will present a course on the oppor- tunities, challenges, and possi- bilities of artificial intelligence. "As we move into an artificial intelligence (AI) era, the new AI tools and plat- forms are remaking our daily lives and every aspect of workplace, including design, research, engineering, manufacturing, and management across all industries, from semiconductor and printed circuit board design to life sciences and new material design," Hwang says. "Even not being an AI technologist, staying in the core knowledge zone is a viable strategy to remain proficient and competitive in the workplace." Fi l A r z o l a , s e n i o r P C B design engineer at Raytheon, will teach a course on how to set up, organize, and engineer a mixed-signal wire-bonded board design. is course will instruct technical professionals to understand the basic guidelines. is course is intended for PCB designers at all levels of design experi- ence. Arzola will present material on improved design methodologies, how to define a well- defined stackup to engineer to the ideals of packaging complexity, and the need to under- stand basic structures of wire-bond design. SMT007 Julia Gumminger is manager of professional development and events at IPC. Rita Mohanty, senior scien- tific principal at Henkel, pres- ents a course on the fundamen- tals of thermal interface mate- rial. "e cooling of electronics is critical to the safety, perfor- mance, and reliability of contemporary elec- tronic systems," Mohanty says. "Electronics industries continue to move toward highly inte- grated devices with smaller feature sizes and higher currents with smaller footprint devices. Higher functionality comes with the price of high heat generation due to higher power dis- sipation. In general, heat from a system can be removed by conduction, forced convection, and radiation. For most electronic applications, heat is primarily removed by transferring heat by conduction through a solid medium. Poly- mer-based thermal interface material (TIM) is one of the most effective solid media used in thermal management today." Mark Finstad, director of engineering at Flexible Circuit Technologies, and Nick Koop, director of flex technology at TTM Technologies, will give a joint "ask the flexperts" course about lessons learned in design through test. ere will be two sessions. Mark is the IPC-2233 committee chair, and Nick is the IPC-6013 committee chair. ey will cover the following topics: mechanical design/material selection, cost drivers, bending and forming concerns, testing, and issues unique to rigid-flex. is course also includes a complete virtual plant tour of a flexible circuit manufacturing facility to help attendees understand the manufactur- ing processes. roughout the presentation, the instructors will share many real-life stories of flexible circuit applications gained over 35+ years in the industry. Some of these are success stories and others not so much, but all provide excellent lessons learned. e instructors also welcome and encourage questions, and enjoy Mark Nick