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Beyond the Rulebook
What happens when the rule book is no longer useful, or worse, was never written in the first place? In today’s fast-moving electronics landscape, we’re increasingly asked to design and build what has no precedent, no proven path, and no tidy checklist to follow. This is where “Design for Invention” begins.
March Madness
From the growing role of AI in design tools to the challenge of managing cumulative tolerances, these articles in this issue examine the technical details, design choices, and manufacturing considerations that determine whether a board works as intended.
Looking Forward to APEX EXPO 2026
I-Connect007 Magazine previews APEX EXPO 2026, covering everything from the show floor to the technical conference. For PCB designers, we move past the dreaded auto-router and spotlight AI design tools that actually matter.
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2024 Stromberg Student Leader Scholarship Recipient Announced
November 5, 2024 | SMTAEstimated reading time: 1 minute
SMTA is pleased to announce Waad Tarman, Auburn University, has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 JoAnn Stromberg Student Leader Scholarship.
The SMTA Awards Committee selected Waad for her committed leadership in the SMTA. Waad is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering at Auburn University. She is currently the President of the Auburn University Chapter and has been involved in promoting the mission and values of the SMTA in the academic community.
The $3000 JoAnn Stromberg Student Leadership Scholarship, given in honor of the nearly 30 years of service dedicated by former Executive Administrator, JoAnn Stromberg, was established following her retirement in 2015. The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage students to take on more leadership opportunities and strengthen the connection between students and the electronics industry.
The Stromberg Scholarship is awarded annually to a student pursuing a degree in electronics and actively involved in the SMTA. The scholarship is intended for the purchase of technical books and research materials, for participation in conferences related to electronics assembly and packaging, and for living expenses if necessary.
The award was presented in person at the 2024 SMTA International Conference, October 20-24, 2024 in Rosemont, IL, USA.
The nomination period will be available early next year for 2025 candidates. Consider making a donation to the scholarship by visiting smta.org/scholarship.
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Punching Out: How Are the Big Boys in Electronics Doing?
05/12/2026 | Tom Kastner -- Column: Punching Out!Let’s see what the public companies are up to in the PCB and EMS industries. In North America, there are only a couple of publicly traded PCB companies: TTM Technologies and Firan Technology Group. On the EMS side, there are a few more: Flex, Jabil, Celestica, Sanmina,, Benchmark, Fabrinet, Kimball Electronics, Plexus Corp, Nortech Systems, and Key Tronic Corp. From an M&A standpoint, these public companies have been fairly quiet in the past five years. FTG completed two deals in 2022 (IMI and Holaday), Flex had three deals, Jabil had five deals, and Sanmina had one deal.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
05/08/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007This week, I’ve selected some outstanding interviews that you’ll want to take note of. First, is a roundtable discussion featuring three dynamic industry cybersecurity experts. Please watch this important discussion that affects us all. Following that, I spotlight the IPC-2581 Consortium, which explains why IPC-2581 is the standard to replace Gerber data for manufacturing. Next, I am including my interview with PCBAA and AAM, who collaborated to release a short documentary on U.S. PCB manufacturing.
A Necessary Shift From Gerber to IPC-2581
05/07/2026 | Tracy Riggan, Global Electronics AssociationIPC-2581 is an open, vendor-neutral data exchange standard developed by the Global Electronics Association to streamline the exchange of PCB design information across fabrication, assembly, and test. It replaces multiple legacy formats—including industry standards, Gerber, and ODB++—with a single, comprehensive, XML-based dataset that captures all manufacturing details.
ViaSat-3 F3 Satellite Successfully Launches from Kennedy Space Center
05/04/2026 | BoeingBoeing mission controllers confirmed that the ViaSat-3 F3 (VS-3 F3) satellite is healthy in orbit following its successful launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at 10:13 a.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
Microchip Expands Post-Quantum Root of Trust Controllers
04/29/2026 | MicrochipAs the industry embarks on the transition to post‑quantum cryptography (PQC), Microchip Technology is expanding its portfolio of Trust Shield, PQC‑ready devices with the TS1800 Platform Root of Trust controller and the TS50x secure boot controller.