Satisfying the Hunger for Knowledge

When people decide which trade show they want to attend, they often face a choice that’s a bit like picking a restaurant. They can go to a buffet-like conference where there are many different presentations that don’t have a lot of depth, or go to a specialized show that offers truly good information in a focused area.

IPC APEX EXPO is one of the rare conference and exhibitions that offers a large menu of topics with presentations that have plenty of meat. For example, Lars Bruno of Ericsson and MTEK’s Tord Johnson will team up to discuss quality assurance issues for solder paste printing on double-sided boards that have as many as 35,000 pads with a mixture of power modules and small components.

A presentation by a team from Intel and Arizona State University will describe an automated solder ball height detection scheme that uses stereo vision. They say that’s far easier to implement than existing techniques like laser profiling. This inspection technique can significantly improve manufacturing yields.

Humair Mandavia of Zuken USA tackles the challenges of implementing embedded components, taking a holistic view that runs from concept to manufacturing. He’ll explain tradeoffs that must be made during the conceptual stages through placing the parts. Mandavia will also explain ways to conduct checks to make sure that designs can be manufactured.

Those are just a few of the many technical presentations that will occur at the show, which runs from March 23-27. It really doesn’t matter what you’re hungry for when you go to Las Vegas for APEX IPC EXPO. You’re bound to come home satiated.