IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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JUNE 2026 I I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE 79 and technology change, but the human side of the work still matters most. With each generation, it's clear that the future of PCB design is in capable, curious, and passionate hands. Our future is bright. Not because PCB design will stay the same; I know it won't, and honestly, I hope it doesn't. Progress demands change. But what must remain is the mindset behind the work: curi- osity, discipline, imagination, and the determination to turn ideas into something real. As an instructor, I often remind my students that they are the builders of the dream. They carry forward the lessons of the past, use the tools of the present, and bring the courage to imagine what BELOW THE SURFACE From Nanometers to 10-Gauge: It's More Than Just a Wire Modern life runs on printed circuits: Your phone, your car, satellites overhead, and even everyday appliances rely on carefully patterned pathways that guide electricity where it needs to go. From nanometer-scale traces integrated into semiconductor chips to thick film conductors printed onto ceramic substrates—and ultimately connected to heavy 10 gauge wires delivering power—it's easy to think of them all as the same thing and say, "It's just a wire." But that simplicity hides the real story: In printed circuits, those "wires" are engineered materials and structures, designed across multiple scales to perform far more than just carrying current. The real sophistication lies not in the conductor alone, but in the engineered materials and struc- tures around it—the layers that insulate, protect, support, and interconnect printed paths while withstanding heat, voltage, vibration, and long- term use. Advanced packaging and substrate technologies make this possible, ensuring that the entire system operates reliably under de- manding conditions. BY C H A N D R A G U PTA , R E M T EC A Wire Is Easy, a Reliable Wire Is Not At its simplest, a wire is a conductor, usually copper, that allows electrons to flow. If all we cared about was turning on a light for a few minutes, that might be enough. But in real systems, wires must: • Carry precise amounts of current without overheating • Maintain signal integrity at very high speeds • Survive years or decades of thermal cycling • Operate safely at thousands of volts • Function in environments ranging from humid factories to space When engineers design electronic systems, the wire is only the starting point. Everything around it matters just as much, if not more. Click here to read the full column comes next. Every schematic, layout, and solved problem becomes part of something larger than the board itself. In that, Karr was right. Fortunately, the more things change, the more they stay the same. I-CONNECT007 John Watson is a professor at Palomar College, San Marcos, California. To read past columns, click here. E L E M E N TA RY, M R . WATS O N