64 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2024
I-Connect007 is thrilled to announce the release of the
latest episode in Series 3 of its popular podcast, On the Line
With... , available now on Apple and Spotify. In "PCB 3.0:
A New Design Methodology—More Power to the EE," we
continue the theme of bringing more decision-making power
to the design process.
This industry just doesn't like to change. Line width/space
is consistently narrowed; layer counts are now over 120
layers; via diameters constantly shrink. But a fabricator still
can't build per the supplied data package because of
design, document, and capability mismatch errors.
The final heat of the
2024 IPC Design Com-
petition took place on
Tuesday, April 9, dur-
ing IPC APEX EXPO.
IPC's Kris Moyer and
Patrick Crawford served as judges and onsite
supervisors for the event, which featured five
competitors—four online and one live at IPC
APEX EXPO. I met with Kris and Patrick dur-
ing the final heat of the design competition
and asked them to walk me through what
was happening.
In the PCB industry,
high-quality front-end
engineering differen-
tiates top-notch com-
panies from those
struggling to keep
their customers sat-
isfied. But what determines good quality?
Beginning with careful attention to design
specifications, front-end engineers meticu-
lously plan layouts while adhering to indus-
try standards such as IPC guidelines.
TOP TEN
Dana on Data: The Insane PCB DFM Process
The Thrill of Victory:
IPC Design Competition
Listen to I-Connect007's Latest Podcast
Episode: Empowering Electrical Engineers
EDITOR'S
PICKS
The Big Picture:
Quality Front-end Engineering
as a Core Differentiator
