It is very easy to overlook how important the Printed Circuit Board industry is, both domestically and worldwide.  Many designers, fabricators, and assembly shops have voiced their desires for greater recognition, and the IPC is even lobbying on Capitol Hill for increased federal notice and support.  And yet, I truly believe the greater danger is that WE (the designers, fabricators, and assemblers) might forget how important our role is.  Even more specifically, I want to challenge us as an industry to step back and remember who our real customers are… …

A big topic in the last few years has been the occurrence of (and the damage caused by) the growth of tin whiskers in high-profile and high-reliability products.  Elusive, often misunderstood, and difficult to prevent; tin whiskers have posed significant problems.  In fact, even just two weeks ago TechEye.net was speculating that tin whiskers may be behind the massive Toyota recalls. Whether the whiskers are out to race cars, or are turning into conductive plasma arcs capable of carrying hundreds of amps, it is clear that they are a force …

A little before 9am this morning, I had a great conversation with a PCB Designer in Ireland while also talking to a designer in Georgia.  No, I wasn’t in Ireland or Georgia, and no it wasn’t over the phone.  Instead we typed back and forth in a private chat, courtesy UP Media’s Virtual PCB show currently underway. Virtual Trade Shows are rising in popularity and I fully expect to see them more often in the future.  But as with anything, there are benefits and drawbacks depending on your role and …

It has been interesting to read both the 2009 “end of the year recaps” and the 2010 predictions for the printed circuit board (PCB) industry as we have drawn close to the New Year.  Most have been quite comprehensive and informative, yet I hope to add value by also providing some impressions, critiques and praises.  Many refer to me as the fresh, young kid… and so it is my hope that I can provide a unique and valuable perspective.
The year 2009 has been an intense crash-course and immersion into the …

Within one of the presentations last week at the IPC Technology Interchange in Washington D.C., the question was raised of whether printed circuit board technology will reach a plateau or whether it will continue to keep pace with the technological demands and innovations to come.  Restated, the question could be:  as trace widths get smaller, nanotechnology improves, and demand for greater performance continues to increase – when/where/will PCB technology hit a plateau?
This is a complex question with a large number of factors.  One focus of the discussion could be on …

Last week I had the valuable opportunity to speak at the PCB Atlanta show put on by UP Media in Alpharetta, GA.  The show is designed to serve professionals within the PCB industry by offering technical seminars for further education and by allowing pertinent companies to exhibit in a table-top format.  The show went very well, and I will be writing more about my experience there in the coming few days.
Below is the media portion of my presentation.  It gives a very general outline of the topics I covered and …

by Liam Morris
I have been blessed with the opportunity to speak during the afternoon sessions at PCB Atlanta on October 22.  UP Media has always been very kind to us and have now provided me with this opportunity.
The seminar I will be teaching will be on the topic of marketing yourself using the social media and online tools that are currently available online.  Below is the abstract I submitted when I approached them with the idea.
Are you trying to find a way to stand out among the crowd?  The field …

We at HotPCB would like to invite a few individuals/organizations to contribute to HotPCB.com.  This blog seeks to serve individuals in the Printed Circuit Board design, fabrication and assembly industries. It is meant to be a place where interested readers can find articles that pertain to them, although the articles are not always technical in nature.
The more authors we have, the more dynamic and informative the site will be.  I hope that over time we will have about 15 independent contributors who are able to provide a short 250-500 word …

I had the opportunity to sit down with Eric Austin, an Electrical Engineer with Skyworks Solutions, Inc this past week.  He is an avid photographer, cyclist, musician  and HAM Radio enthusiast.  We had a great time, and I would love to take a minute or so to tell you a little more about him.  This is the story behind Eric’s Resume.
Eric grew up in Swampscott, MA – 25 minutes or so north of Boston.  As a boy scout he became fascinated with Ham Radios, went on to get licensed, and …

The printed circuit board (PCB) industry is vital to manufacturers of computing components, automotive parts, cellular phones, flat-screen television displays and other devices considered essential to our modern lifestyles.
In addition to a large number of PCB enterprises in Taiwan, many PCB operations are located in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces.
Among them are leading PCB makers earning hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenues and employing thousands of workers.
They also spend huge sums on environmental protection, including the disposal of manufacturing wastes from production processes and everyday operations.
The major pollution …