54 The PCB Design Magazine • November 2017
3D Printed Electronics for Printed
Circuit Structures
Printed electronics is a familiar term that is tak-
ing on more meaning as the technology matures.
Flexible electronics is sometimes referred to as a
subset of this and the printing approach is one of
the enabling factors for roll-to-roll processes.
Bay Area Circuits Celebrates
Manufacturing Day 2017
"Manufacturing Day continues to be an opportu-
nity for us to connect with engineering students
and introduce high-technology manufacturing to
them as a viable career path," said Brian Paper,
chief operating officer at Bay Area Circuits.
All About Flex: Flexible Circuit
Failure Analysis
Design reviews and early involvement by a circuit
board fabrication house can minimize the possi-
bility of field problems, but despite best efforts,
there remain occasions when diagnosis of a poorly
performing design is required.
A Guide to IPC Survey and Report Season
IPC Director of Market Research Sharon Starr
found time to discuss the recently conducted and
published surveys and research reports and a few
others still in the works. These reports are free
to survey participants, which is certainly a great
incentive for taking the time to complete them.
(Hint: That's a call to action for those of you sitting
on the sidelines.)
EPTE Newsletter: Can Toshiba Survive?
Toshiba was the leader in the electronics industry,
and developed and marketed many types of elec-
tronic equipment and devices that included word
processors, printers, VCR cameras, tape recorders,
hard disc drives, transceivers, laptop computers,
facsimiles, cellular phones, and more.
The Right Approach: Navigating
Process Change? TPC is the Key
Change is a given. While this adage may be quite
true and normally a good thing, it can wreak pro-
cess engineering havoc in a printed circuit op-
eration. Change is good, but the operative word
phrase is controlled change relative to the complex
processes involved in manufacturing a printed cir-
cuit board.
Flex Talk: The Man Behind the Curtain
"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."
This famous quote from The Wizard of Oz conjures
up the image of Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cow-
ardly Lion and the Scarecrow discovering that the
great Wizard of Oz isn't as grand or as magical as
he seems.
Catching up with FineLine Global
With locations all over the world and technology
offerings covering all technologies, I wanted to see
for myself what this "broker on steroids" was all
about—how they got started and how they grew.
So I was delighted to have a conversation with Eli
Ikan, Fineline Global's General Manager.
RTW SMTAI: Prototron Continues
its Growth
Dave Ryder and Russ Adams of Prototron Circuits
discuss the firm's 30th anniversary and their con-
tinued growth. Prototron recently hired several
new staff members, and the company still has one
open position to fill.
American Standard Circuits Upgrades
to ISO 9001:2015
American Standard Circuits has recently upgraded
their ISO quality management certification to the
latest standard, ISO 9100:2015.
PCB007
Highlights
