Rev. 3.0 will incorporate user input. What should be on the next layout?

The current SMTA Miniaturization Test Vehicle was released in 2018 and is projected to have an effective lifespan of three to five years. Its design has served the SMT community well – and will continue to do so with an updated layout, bill of materials (BoM) and associated programming and analysis files slated for release in late 2022.

The board is used for standard tests, such as solder paste selection, wipe frequency and pad or aperture design, which will remain the same in the new revision, albeit with some components removed and others added. FIGURES 1 and 2 show the top and bottom sides of the board with the footprints that will be removed outlined in orange, and ones that may be removed outlined in blue:

Mexico’s appeal over other geographies is driving big expansions at EMS companies looking to supply the North American market.

Mack Technologies is one of the largest family-owned EMS companies in North America and probably the world. Headquartered in Westford, MA, it also has facilities in Melbourne, FL, and Juarez, Mexico. It recently completed a move to a factory in Juarez that is more than double the previous plant’s footprint.

We talked in January with president Will Kendall and vice president of operations, Mexico Oscar Gonzalez about the expansion, doing business in Mexico, and why when it comes to retaining employees, the stomach rules the body.

With recycling efforts well below international targets, will manufacturers be forced to adapt again?

Environmental issues have been front and center in electronics for decades. Most engineers today remember when the Restriction of the Use of Hazardous Substances in Electronics (RoHS) first went into effect in July 2006.

Michael Kirschner is president of Design Chain Associates, where he helps manufacturers understand and ensure their products comply with health and environmental regulatory, customer and market requirements. He has broad expertise in areas including semiconductor quality and reliability, software design and development, hardware design, development, and manufacturing, as well as manufacturing processes and supplier/supply base management.

The annual trade show was slow by historical standards but attendees were pleased to be there. 

The annual IPC Apex Expo trade show, traditionally the largest assembly show in the US, was more “expo” than “apex” when it resumed as a live event in San Diego in late January. Traffic was certainly lower than typical, and notably quiet at times. See what Covid hath wrought.

Several suppliers decided not to bring equipment. Some others cut back on the number of machines they brought. Many exhibitors reduced their employee headcount as well, leaving those East of the Mississippi at home and counting on their West Coast staff to carry the load.