I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
August 12, 2022 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
There was some good news this week, as Republicans and Democrats managed to cooperate long enough to pass the CHIPS Act. Sure, it’s a little late, and I think Washington only acted because they realized that they had to at least act like they were doing something about semiconductor supply chain problem. But this act might keep us from getting in this same situation a few years down the road.
Members of the House and Senate don’t usually act until they get worried about being voted out of office, so pardon me if I’m not ready to sing “Happy Days Are Here Again” just yet. But this is still really good news; the politicians are on the record now, and we can hold them accountable.
As Winston Churchill once said, “America can always be relied upon to do the right thing—after exhausting all possible alternatives.” We’ve tried everything else; now it’s time to cooperate, even with competitors, for the good of the industry, and the country.
IPC Lauds Passage of 'CHIPS and Science' Act; Electronics Industry Calls for a Holistic Approach to Reviving Domestic Electronics Capabilities
Published August 9
Congress and President managed to pass the CHIPS Act. Yes, as the saying goes, “Better late than never,” but we’ll take it. This legislation won’t make any difference in our industry in the near future, but maybe it will preclude future semiconductor supply chain jams. At least the DoD has gotten its head out of its hindquarters with regards to the American electronics industry. Hope springs eternal.
SMTA International 2022 Conference Program Finalized
Published August 9
SMTAI is just around the corner, and if you’re not registered, what are you waiting for? I’ve never been to Minneapolis, so I’m looking forward to it. Co-located with the Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) show at the Minneapolis Convention Center, this show is going to be a big one. SMTA should organize a trip to Prince’s purple palace after the show. Just a suggestion.
Myths vs. Facts: The Printed Electronics Roundtable, Part 1
Published August 11
The buzz about printed electronic circuits has been going on for a decade now, but I still hear a lot of questions from engineers who are curious about how to get into this segment. So, we convened a roundtable of PEC experts—fabricators and OEMs—and asked them to dispel some of the myths surrounding this process. One takeaway: PEC are in more products right now than you would imagine.
Fein-Lines: Live in Person—PCEA/Orange County Meets Up Again
Published August 11
It’s been too long since the last meeting of the Orange County Chapter of the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA). Two years, in fact. Technical Editor Dan Feinberg has a great review of this event. Freedom CAD’s Scott McCurdy has built the OC chapter into the largest in the world, and these meetings always draw a huge crowd of designers and other PCB technologists.
Business Email Compromise: The $43 Billion Scam
Published August 10
Our tagline reads “Good for the industry.” So, this week we published a PSA from J. Edgar Hoover’s boys about a very sophisticated transfer-of-funds scam that’s affecting a lot of American companies now. I know some of you have been hit with all kinds of cyber skullduggery, so we wanted to get the word out about this BEC/EAC craziness. The people behind this stuff would be the perfect IT guys, if they ever decided to don the white hat. Watch out, folks.
Suggested Items
iNEMI Webinar: Humidity Robustness and Insulation Coordination for e-Mobility
03/27/2024 | iNEMIThis webinar is a follow-up to the recent Seminar on Humidity Robustness and Insulation Coordination for e-Mobility, organized by iNEMI and ZESTRON Europe and supported by the ECPE.
Electronics Industry Sentiment Rises in March
03/27/2024 | IPCIPC releases March 2024 Global Sentiment of the Electronics Supply Chain Report
Mycronic to Showcase More Versatile, High-productivity Assembly Solutions at IPC APEX EXPO 2024
03/27/2024 | MycronicMycronic, the leading Sweden-based electronics assembly solutions provider, will continue to respond to growing customer demand for high-flexibility, high-productivity solutions for zero-defect PCB assembly at IPC APEX EXPO 2024 in Anaheim, CA on April 9 - 11.
Don Dennison Appointed to Roll Out KIC’s Latest Thermal Analysis System Software in the Northeast
03/26/2024 | KICKIC, a renowned pioneer in thermal process and temperature measurement solutions for electronics manufacturing, is pleased to announce the appointment of PIT Equipment Services, LLC, led by Don Dennison, as its representative for New York, New Jersey, and Eastern Pennsylvania.
The Many Complexities of PFAS
03/26/2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineIn its simplest definition, PFAS is a group of chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. Fluoropolymer coatings can be in a variety of products. Though this definition is not inaccurate, it can be misleading. Depending on who you ask, there are upward of 10,000 PFAS chemistries that can meet various definitions.