Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/921680
54 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2018 We have a design session looking at differ- ent redesigns and how to do it the right way, ECAD/MCAD tools, etc. We have a session on flex with areas covered including minimiz- ing signal degradation for flex PCBs. We have sessions on conformal coatings covering issues on high temperature protective coatings, and nano coatings, etc. We are also looking at reli- ability modeling and reliability of adhesives. That pretty much covers the conference. We have some new sessions, some sessions on existing material developments, where we're going, and then test and papers to cover some of the challenges and development that we need for new technologies. Goldman: How many papers total for the 32 sessions? Bath: Approximately 75. The sessions are either two-or three-paper sessions running from Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday all day, and then Thursday morning. Stephen Las Marias: Compared to last year, do you have more papers for 2018? Bath: It's about the same. If the paper is being presented in another conference we don't accept it. Basically, we want what is new. We set a higher bar for our criteria for acceptance. Our philosophy is not quantity, but quality. If it doesn't add value we won't include it within the technical conference. Our review process is such that, when we're reviewing papers and presentations, we're reviewing for technical content, as well as grammatical issues, and making sure that the paper is a good read for the audience. We're reviewing papers to make sure they read well. That's something that I don't think other conferences do as well. Our process for review can take 2–6 weeks because of the back and forth with the authors. When we do reviews on the papers or presentations, we generally get good feedback. Some people don't like some aspects when we ask them to update them. But, in general, we get a lot of feedback that says, "Thank you for help- ing me to provide a better paper and presen- tation." Because, at the end of the day, we're trying to enhance the informationvalue to the audience.That's the idea. Goldman: Do you also put together the buzz sessions? Bath: The buzz sessions come in with industry challenges. Typically, we ask within IPC, "What sessions do you think would be of use to the industry?" The sessions typically are presented by IPC staff, but buzz sessions could be from somebody who comes to IPC and says, "We would like a session in this area." These are free sessions which are giving the status of some area of interest. For example, the first buzz session this year is a politics and policy roundtable. What's going on in government relations? What are the issues? Your typical technical confer - ence session may not have this kind of discus- sion. These usually have two or three speakers, a panel, a short presentation, and then ques- tion and answer with the audience, and more inter action. The second buzz session will be a standards update. Three is on printed electron - ics. Where are we going? Where do we need to go to get to the next level? These are things that someone who is a chair of a standard commit - tee, or an IPC staff standard commitee liaison, has been talking within their committees, and is saying, "Couldn't we have a buzz session on this area?" Maybe it's not fully developed, but it's developing, and they can give a status of where they are at and say, "Here's where we need to go to." It should be of inter- est to the audience. Goldman: I see there's one also called student presentation, although there's nothing listed yet. Bath: Yes. The suggestion came during the Technical Program IPC APEX EXPO 2018 PRE-SHOW SPECIAL COVERAGE