Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1520492
REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2024 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 105 ments, it meant our usual synergy would require individual energy spent in different locations throughout the show. Sometimes, when things shift left, I remem- ber the adage, "Blessed are the properly designed flex circuits, for they bend but do not break." I would have to re-form my plans. How would I become flexible myself? IPC APEX EXPO offers a wide array of Pro- fessional Development (PD) Courses before the trade show floor even opens. On Sunday, I sat in on a superbly well-rounded presenta- tion on flex circuit DFM, led by Mark Finstad of Flexible Circuit Technologies and Nick Koop, director of field application engineer- ing for TTM. As a PCB designer and contrib- utor to the I-Connect007 editorial efforts, I considered this a front-row-worthy presen- tation. I was not disappointed. As flex manufacturers like to say, "There are a thousand ways for your flex design to fail if you don't pay attention to a few basic con- siderations." Mark and Nick presented unified reasoning for choosing materials and design tip examples for yielding success in flex cir- cuit design. The sessions held the attention of 30-plus PCB design engineers and even provided take-home reference flex design examples for the attendees. The exhibition opened Tuesday with a rib- bon-cutting ceremony and a rush of excited attendees entering the exhibition hall. The show was underway thanks to many who plan years in advance to host and share their machines, materials, processes, and ser- vices within the electronics industry. I felt a familiar sense of comfort bumping into so many people I had met over the years at previous shows. I felt proud to be part of this industry, seeing many machines, some with facelifts or new capabilities. I began to settle in and enjoy this show that, in my opin- ion, has everything a PCB design engineer could im agine. We closed the day in front Nick Koop answers a query during a break in his presentation. Examples of reference flex designs.