Features Articles
The six functions every successful NPI needs.
A recent exchange on LinkedIn about the EMS industry got me thinking about the many good, bad and ugly NPI processes I have been part of or audited over the years. While there is no one right answer to launching first articles in the EMS space, far too many unrepeatable and inefficient NPI processes are “time eaters,” enabling first-article failures and taking the NPI team away from their day-to-day duties. This month, we examine some basic principles to consider if your NPI process is not consistent from NPI launch #1 to NPI launch #100.
Hope that nothing will interrupt imports of PCBs and parts is not a strategy.
There’s a crisis in our industry that few want to talk about and even fewer want to admit. It’s not a quality crisis. It’s not a pricing crisis. It’s not even a technology crisis. It’s a dependency crisis, and it threatens our companies, our customers and our country.
How fully has AI taken over packaging, power and manufacturing priorities?
With more than 92,000 visitors and 1,850 exhibitors, Nepcon Japan celebrated its 40th anniversary in Tokyo in late January. Exhibit areas included IC and sensor packaging, power devices and modules, test, electronic component and materials, fine process technology and printed wiring boards, plus halls devoted to automotive, smart factory and robotics.
The Summary Drawing Report in OrCAD X compiles key PCB layout metrics to support design accuracy checks.
When completing a PCB design, it is important to obtain a summary of the design to determine your PCB design statistics and verify accuracy. PCB design statistics can include:
From x-ray hype to AI black boxes, progress works best when curiosity is paired with caution.
Throughout history, our enthusiasm for new technology has often outpaced our ability to fully comprehend its risks. From the industrial revolution to the digital age, we have repeatedly embraced innovations with excitement while ignoring caution, sometimes overlooking potential hazards in our eagerness to advance. In healthcare, where technological breakthroughs promise transformative benefits, new capabilities can come with severe risks that demand careful scrutiny.
IPC-2581 replaces fragmented PCB data handoffs with a single intelligent file.
For decades, the electronics industry has accepted a painful reality: design data handoffs are messy, incomplete and almost always require follow-up emails, spreadsheets and PowerPoints to clarify intent. We’ve normalized inefficiency.
But here’s the real question: Why are we still working this way in an AI-driven world?
