46 The PCB Magazine • December 2016
All About Flex: Flex Circuit Specifications
for Commercial and Military Applications
Applications across the various markets for printed
circuit boards can have significantly different spec-
ifications and performance requirements. Circuits
for toys and games logically have lower perfor-
mance requirements than those used in medical
devices. IPC-6013 is an industry-driven specifica-
tion that defines the performance requirements
and acceptance features for flexible printed circuit
boards.
The Sum of All Parts: Three Keys to
Successful Leadership
It is often easy to lose sight of, particularly in the
manufacturing sector, your most valuable re-
source: people. You can't take purchase orders,
operate equipment and develop new strategies all
on your own. With so much focus being driven
toward quality, margins and customer satisfaction,
upper management develops a tendency to forget
what keeps all those things in the positive.
The Sun to Power the Starliner
Boeing will use solar energy to power the com-
pany's CST-100 Starliner for crew missions to and
from the International Space Station as part of NA-
SA's Commercial Crew Program. The sun's energy
offers a reliable and efficient power source for the
Starliner just as it does for the space station and
satellites.
Kitron Receives Contract from
Northrop Grumman
Kitron has been selected by Northrop Grumman
Corp. as an international source for manufacturing
of a sub-assembly for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
It's Only Common Sense: ITAR—The Good,
the Bad, the Ugly, and the Very Ugly
Has there ever been a more nebulous qualifica-
tion than ITAR? It's one of those topics that ev-
eryone has an opinion about, but no one really
understands. To some of us it's a game with ever-
changing rules, and to others it's simply a hurdle
to overcome. And for others, it is something to
ignore altogether.
NASA Small Satellites Set to Take a
Fresh Look at Earth
Beginning this month, NASA is launching a suite
of six next-generation, Earth-observing small sat-
ellite missions to demonstrate innovative new ap-
proaches for studying our changing planet.
U.S. Circuit Goes Green with Solar
and LED Installation
U.S. Circuit has just completed a $1 million instal-
lation of a 251 kWh solar system covering their en-
tire parking lot. This system makes U.S. Circuit one
of a kind within the U.S. PCB fabrication industry.
NASA Aircraft Arrival Technology
Gets Big Test in 2017
Commercial airline pilots who as children played "Fol-
low the Leader" will have no problem with a new air
traffic control innovation NASA and its partners are
working on that also will make passengers happier.
IPC's President on IPC EDGE:
Cutting Edge and Education
Chatting with IPC President John Mitchell is always
a good time—he never fails to be upbeat and full
of ideas, and his eagerness to fill us in on what's
happening with IPC was evident during our recent
interview at the IPC Fall Committee Meetings, co-
located with SMTAI in late September.
Millennials in Manufacturing:
A Long-term Career Prospect
The next millennial in this series is Alex Johnson,
an associate engineer at Saline Lectronics, who has
been with the company for over two years. Even
though Alex received a lot of negative information
about manufacturing throughout his lifetime, his
work experience in engineering has directly chal-
lenged those preconceived notions.
MilAero007
Highlights
