Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1520492
REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2024 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 99 APEX EXPO to develop IPC-9716, Require- ments for Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) Process Control for Printed Board Assemblies. This standard, which will be one in a full series of automated inspection standards, will provide requirements for AOI systems to define, set up, establish, and apply process control for manufacturing printed board assemblies. During APEX EXPO, Hercule members locked themselves in a room for a day to begin the process of putting the fin- ishing touches for preparing the standard for Final Draft for Industry Review call for com- ments by this summer. The work this A-Team put into the develop- ment of this draft standard is not only speed- ing up this standard's release for industry, but it will also ensure task groups forming to develop other standards in the series will also be on a fast track. We are already see- ing this magic happen with the AOI Process Control for IC Substrates Standard Task Group using the draft content from IPC- 9716 to develop IPC-9712, Requirements for Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) Pro- cess Control for Integrated Chip Substrates, which they plan to release early in 2025. There is also already interest in additional groups forming to develop other similar pro- cess control standards for AOI for printed boards and subsystems/final system assem- bly, SPI, and even AXI. California Stars During IPC APEX EXPO, IPC and the industry celebrated three of our finest whose work has brought and continues to bring these Factory of the Future standards to industry. We honor and recognize those who received these awards and the work they have done to further the industry. For a full list of IPC's Factory of the Future standards, click here. If you have a topic in mind that you don't see on that list, let us know. It is quite easy to bring a group of people together to develop a new standard to help our industry build electronics better. S&T What are you really hoping to get out of this week? I'd say it's networking with people. I want to make more contacts. But I'm definitely looking at additive manufac- turing, and seeing what else is new around the industry. Tell me about the additive manufacturing you've seen here. I went to a technical session this morning about it. I've seen different companies that are selling their own addi- tive manufacturing equipment. There's been a lot of new information that I haven't seen before. What's driving your interest in additive manufacturing? There's a need for rapid prototyping, as opposed to going to a board shop and going through the process of making multiple prototypes. You can just build it yourself or have someone build it quickly, just to do quick testing. Interview by Dylan Nguyen Jacob Denney FROM THE