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52 The PCB Magazine • September 2014 by Judy Warner transline teChnologY Making the Impossible Possible f e a t u r e C o l u m n field Notes 2014 IPC APEX Newcomer If you had the good fortune to attend IPC APEX EXPO in Las Vegas earlier this year, you probably caught wind of a newcomer among us. eSurface Technologies burst onto the scene at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center with as much subtlety as a small herd of elephants. They came holding the keys to the promised land clenched firmly in their fists: A viable ad- ditive technology for the PCB industry. This technology garnered favorable reviews from several persons of note on IPC's leadership team (among others), some of whom had already witnessed live demos before the show. While my curiosities were piqued, my time in Vegas was too brief to learn all that I wanted to about this new kid on the block. Coincidentally, immediately following IPC APEX EXPO, an article of mine was published in the April issue of The PCB Magazine. In the article, I bemoaned the shortcomings of print- and-etch technology when it came to boards re- quiring high speed and miniaturization. I con- cluded that we were "ripe for a breakthrough." Little did I know, when writing that article, that eSurface was about to unveil just such a tech- nology. Since our company, Transline Technology, specializes in RF and microwave bare board applications, we are keenly aware of the woes of engineers in this field. This made eSurface claims of keen interest to me. So, I reached out to the company to learn more about their tech- nology and what it may mean for our industry. Since then, I have spent a couple of months div- ing in and learning all I can about the technol- ogy. I've also had the privilege to meet with all the key leaders of the company and have asked innumerable questions. Now I have the oppor- tunity to share what I've learned with you.