Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1517668
48 PCB007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2024 years. We have had all the patents on that. We have been able to continue R&D and improve it over the years. is e n s u r e s w e a r e w e l l prepared to meet our customers' future needs f or manufac tur ing and advancing their offerings. More people are inquiring fre- quently; it's definitely trending. Kaal, I understand that R&D is something that excites you. Kaal Glazier: Yes, I was interested in R&D as a college student. Now, in my job, I always look at the next trends and ask how we can exper- iment and create new products to meet those trends. IPS is committed to ongo- ing R&D, and in many cases, we work closely with our custom- ers in that process. For example, I can only talk about this generally (for confidentiality reasons), but a particular customer asked us about doing a small test piece. We worked with them on their spe- cific needs, and we pro- duced a small machine that easily fit their foot- print requirements. It also met their technical requirements to run a few high-end test panels at a time. Additionally, it provided them with a com- petitive advantage. Larry Boehm: Our smaller machines enable people to run that small test panel with a min- imized floor footprint. For example, once a new chip comes out, how will it inter- face with these new PCBs? Does it need a new PCB? at's where some of our smaller machines can help them. ey can produce just three to four panels to see whether their technology works. Now they have a small machine they can afford, and they can install it immediately and do those proof tests. Overall, the total cost to the customer that Kaal mentioned was much lower to produce test panels with the small line than if the cus- tomer went with a full-scale line. Cost is always a concern, but maybe even more so today. Are you seeing increases? Are things stabilizing? Houchin: Everything has been stabilizing. Some of our supply chains have eliminated the extremely long lead times and the price uncer- tainty of not knowing whether an item will cost more in a week or two. Occasionally, we may bump into long lead times on some items, but we can forecast and know the forecast is solid. Larry, overall, what do you expect from IPC APEX EXPO? B o e h m : R i g h t n o w, we're at a techno lo g- ical high point where everybody will want to go to the show to see what's out there and the new technologies that are developing. I think it will be a good show with a pretty high attendance rate. Also, many people are curious about the change in venue to Anaheim. Over- all, it should be a busy show, and we expect our booth will have a good crowd to look at the latest technology. Great. Thanks to all of you, and we look forward to seeing you there. Houchin: Thank you. PCB007 Visit Integrated Process Systems (IPS) online >