Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1535414
MAY 2025 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 9 Marcy LaRont is the managing editor of PCB007 Magazine and executive director of IPC Pub- lishing Group. Marcy started her career in PCBs in 1993 and brings a wide array of business experience and perspective to I-Connect007. To contact Marcy, click here. ity. Every scrap, rework, or latent failure adds cost and risk to a demanding process. Because each board passes through dozens of intricate steps—from material prep to imaging and cop- per etching to via formation and final finishes— there's no shortage of opportunities for some- thing to go wrong. As PCB designs shrink and tolerances tighten, even the smallest variation can ripple into field failures, despite appearing "passable" during inspection. In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we explore critical areas where precision makes all the dif- ference: imaging, etching, plating, and trace- ability. We provide a practical guide for man- ufacturers on continuous improvement and defect reduction, sharing practical insights on minimizing defects and improving yields with expert perspectives from Kurt Palmer at Schmoll, and Josh Krick and Tim Blair of IEC, as well as from our talented columnists, Don Ball and Mike Carano, who tackle reducing defects and increasing yields head-on. Like many of you, I'm on a personal and pro- fessional journey using AI tools to optimize my productivity and quality, another important step toward the pursuit of perfection. I'm just getting started and, so far, it has been both illu- minating and enjoyable, yielding better-than- expected results. In this issue, with the help of AI and industry experts, we have articles on surface preparation and cleanliness toward the reduction of defects, especially when it comes to HDI/UHDI; and Lean and Six Sigma approaches toward continuous improvement and reduced defects, waste, and downtime in manufacturing. Relevant to our daily news cycle, I want to highlight an important conversation I had recently with Rich Cappetto, a member of IPC's government relations team, on the impli- cations of tariffs and legislation on the elec- tronics industry. is interview is timely and speaks to many of the issues we are all paying very close attention to. I look forward to a continued discourse on these and other important topics and wel- come your thoughts and comments. Do you have another PCB, business, or market-related topic that you'd like to see discussed? Please contact me at marcy@iconnect007.com. Now, let's dive into the May issue of PCB007 Magazine. PCB007