Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/845602
10 The PCB Magazine • July 2017 Patricia Goldman is managing editor of The PCB Magazine. To contact Goldman, click here. WHAT HAPPENS IN WASHINGTON DOESN'T STAY IN WASHINGTON—IT REACHES ALL OF US Next, we have an ar- ticle by Didrik Bech, El- matica, on compliance strategies for supplying the DoD. He thoroughly discusses both ITAR and DFARS regulations, so get to reading if those acro- nyms are not familiar to you. Viking Test's Marc La- dle gives us a general dis- cussion on manufactur- ing products for the mili- tary industry and the im- portance of doing it right, not just for your own profitability but keeping in mind those who are out there with their lives on the line and counting on our electronics. As is our custom, the I-Connect007 team put together a conference call with a few peo- ple to talk about the challenges associated with supplying to the military world. Freedom CAD's Scott Miller, Lenthor's Dave Moody and John Rolle, and Zentech's Matt Turpin and John Vaughan had plenty to say on the subject, espe- cially about the new cybersecurity requirements that mean a whole different level of compli- ance. Dealing with lead-free requirements and reliability were additional subjects. All were ex- pecting an uptick in business with the new ad- ministration in Washington, but perhaps it's best to refer back to Vaughan's column. Speaking of reliability, Steve Williams (The Right Approach Consulting) attended IPC's re- cent Reliability Forum in Chicago, Illinois, and reports on it in detail. Topics included design- ing for reliability, use of embedded passives, re- liability versus quality, and military reliability requirements. It should be noted that one of the reasons to attend such an event is the oth- er attendees, as evidenced by the who's who of companies represented that Steve lists. Mike Carano with RBP Chemical Technol- ogy takes us back to the nitty gritty of board manufacture with a discussion on the impor- tance of rinsing. Any of you involved in the day to day of PCB building know that this most ba- sic of steps is one of the most critical. On to other sub- jects—and this one is up- permost in the minds of most management these days. I'm talking about the manufacturing skills gap as discussed by IPC's John Mitchell in his col- umn this month. He doesn't just talk, but pres- ents three ways to address it. Time to move beyond talk and into action, the sooner the better. Lastly, we have Der- rik Snider of IMDS Data LLC to discuss supplying to the automotive indus- try and managing the reporting aspect of it. Pay attention, as the separate markets we ser ve with PCBs are merging and this may be automotive- centric, but it seems to fit into military and oth - er industries as well—as your car becomes a com- puter with extensive communication built in and reliability becomes ever more critical, per- haps even passing that for the military. So there you have it. I am still thinking about IMPACT. In one of the interviews, I be- lieve it is with Dave Raby, Kim Ford (Dept. of Education) mentions a website. Please look at that, as it contains a wealth of information, in- cluding ways to contact her and others to pro- vide your input. Next month we will be talking about stream- lining your manufacturing process. Can you re- move steps? Are there ways to automate that perhaps you haven't thought of? Check in and find out. You know the drill—subscribe here to get the magazine (and your choice of newslet- ters) delivered to your virtual door the moment it publishes. PCB