September 2016 • The PCB Magazine 81
5
FTG:
Focus to Expand
Firan Technology Group
(FTG) is a Canadian cir-
cuit board and cockpit
product manufacturer.
With a newly estab-
lished global footprint,
they look now to grow
within that footprint,
particularly by way
of acquisition. I-Con-
nect007's Judy Warner and Barry Matties met CEO
Brad Bourne at FTG's Chatsworth, California facil-
ity to learn more about the acquisitions, their suc-
cess in China, and the overall challenge of working
in the aerospace and defense market.
6
IPC Releases Final 2015 PCB
Market Size Estimates and
Growth Rates Report
The North Ameri-
can PCB Market
Report, published
last week by IPC,
reported IPC's fi-
nal estimates of 2015 market size for rigid PCBs
and flexible circuits in North America. Although
North American PCB production decreased 4.3%
in 2015 to $2.9 billion, the PCB market grew 1.4%
to an estimated $3.4 billion.
7
All About Flex: Considerations
for Impedance Control in
Flexible Circuits
Impedance can be thought of as a system's oppo-
sition to alternating or pulsing electronic current.
The unit of measurement is ohms, the same unit
of measurement in a direct current system. How-
ever, the components for calculating impedance
are much more complex than DC resistance.
8
Weiner's World
This month's column
has a higher percentage
of IC coverage than nor-
mal for several reasons.
The end of Moore's Law
regarding transistor
scaling will be dead by
2021 as will be replaced
by 3D integration ac-
cording to the International Technology Roadmap
for Semiconductors (ITRS).
9
Inside Spirit Circuits
I was recently treated to
a factory tour with Spirit
Circuits' Managing Direc-
tor Martin Randall, to learn
more about their process
line and how it has evolved
over time. In the discussion
following, I learned about Spirit's involvement in
the China market and how they've structured their
business to handle quick turn prototypes locally
and high volume abroad.
J
Congressman Scott Peters
Tours TTM Technologies'
San Diego Facility
Today, TTM Technologies Inc.
held a town hall-style discus-
sion with Congressman Scott
Peters (D-CA-52) on the leg-
islative issues impacting the
manufacturing industry. Ex-
ecutives and employees of
TTM gave Congressman Pe-
ters a first-hand look at the
work taking place in their San Diego facility.
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