Judy Warner Blog postings

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 For the better part of the last year, I have been watching, with great interest, a company and PCB technology that may be a real game-changer. In fact, I became such an enthusiastic fan of eSurface that they invited me to join their advisory board last summer. eSurface Technologieshas developed a chemistry that enables PCB manufacturers to deposit metal directly to an unclad substrate, as opposed to subtractive print and etch processing.  

 Since I am a writer, as well as an electronics professional, I have the quirky habit of really thinking about words. Which is why I started thinking about the commonly (if not overused) term Supply Chain Management recently. Having pushed off from the dock of my former narrow focus on Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication--particularly those of the RF and Microwave variety--I now find myself in the deeper and more complex waters of Contract Manufacturing. 

A few weeks ago I spent a week in Baltimore Maryland at Zentech Manufacturing, my new employer and professional “home.”  Zentech is a rising star among North American contract manufacturers that has captured the heart and loyalty of the DoD, DARPA and an impressive host of major Mil/Aero contractors in the high-technology corridor of Northern Virginia, Baltimore and Washington DC. As you might imagine, many of these applications are RF/Microwave based.

Professional transitions are inevitable.  Even so, I was startled when Opportunity came knocking at my door recently nudging me to move on to new territory. For over 4 years I have enjoyed the grand adventure of working for Transline Technology and becoming immersed in the world of RF/Microwave PCBs. Now I am moving on.

 Unlike other areas of advancing technology, PCB manufacturing isn’t very “sexy.” It doesn’t begin to compare with the innovation-per-minute, adrenaline pumping pace that semiconductor companies keep. PCB processes are fairly static. Outside of incremental advances in chemistry, photolithography or the advent of things like laser drilling, we pretty much rely on well-founded, albeit old, technology. What progress we have made, has enabled us to barely keep-up with the driving forces of miniaturization and speed. PCB technology has not enjoyed any fundamental, game-changing innovation for decades. In other words, we have risen to meet industry demands by improving the existing subtractive (print-and-etch) processes that is unfortunately fraught with inherent limitations—especially for high performance boards. 

 If you were fortunate enough to attend IMS 2014 in Tampa, I hope the packing guidelines in my last post were helpful. But, whether you made or not, I thought you might enjoy nosing through my metaphorical “backpack,” once again, to see what memories and lessons I brought back from my whirlwind week to Florida. (Warning: This backpack is huge, untidy, and bulging at the seams!) 

Not a single year of the MTT-IMS show goes by where I don’t feel completely inundated going in and overwhelmed coming out. It reminds me of feasting at a massive buffet in which I must pace myself, plan ahead and choose wisely.  The only thing that saves me is careful packing—and I don’t mean my toothbrush and dental floss!

Well, it’s that time of year again, when many of us turn our attention toward the MTTS-IMS show. Besides all the technical sessions and New Product Introductions that many of us look forward to, the rare opportunity to see one another face-to-face is highly anticipated. Our mass convergence on Tampa this year will be no exception. While the Microwave universe is a comparatively small one, we are spread widely across the country and globe. For this reason, we eagerly await the chance to meet up at the IMS show year after year.

I recently had the pleasure of attending the IPC Apex show in Las Vegas. This marked my second year as volunteer guest editor for IConnect 007’s Real Time with IPC. During the three day exhibition portion of the conference, experts from the PCB fabrication and assembly industries (and their suppliers) are interviewed, on camera, to share information and updates on developments in our industry. New product introductions along with IPC announcements are also made during this time.