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Get Ready for APEX: Preview of Technical Sessions and Noteworthy Events
January 19, 2009 |Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
LAS VEGAS IPC's flagship tradeshow and conference for the electronics industry, IPC Printed Circuits Expo/APEX/Designers Summit, is scheduled to take place March 31 to April 2 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, www.goipcshows.org. These are some of the technical presentations, keynotes, and panels to attend while at the show.
By 2020, IPC APEX EXPO keynoter Ray Kurzweil suggests that the battle may be pretty well lost for the human brain. Author, inventor, entrepreneur, and futurist, Kurzweil predicts that the reverse engineering of the brain will be completed in the next 20 years and that humans will merge with technology to take advantage of the stunning capabilities of technological intelligence. Kurzweil forecasts that nonbiological intelligence will be a billion times more powerful than all of the biological intelligence possessed by humanity by 2040. Significant changes will take place with the deep integration of man and machine. He also predicts that nanotechnology will allow "almost anything" to be built at low cost, with a huge impact on transportation and energy. In 20 years, he believes that 100% of our energy needs will be met with nanoengineered solar panels and fuel cells. Kurzweil notes that it will only take 3% of 1% of the sunlight that reaches earth to satisfy our energy needs because of nanotechnology capabilities. He was the principal developer of the first omni-font optical character recognition, the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, the first CCD flat-bed scanner, and the first text-to-speech synthesizer. He successfully founded and developed nine businesses in areas such as virtual reality, cybernetic art, and artificial intelligence. Kurzweil's keynote, "The Accelerating Future of Electronics and Information," will take place on March 31 at 8:30 am.
Keynoter Walt Custer, president, Custer Consulting Group, will discuss our industry and the current economy. An experienced forecaster, Custer will give insights into the leading global indicators he tracks. Recognizing signs of recovery and planning for the rebound will be discussed. Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research, will team with Custer and present IPC survey data showing the latest trends in demand and production for worldwide PCB, EMS, and supplier industries. Custer and Starr will also share forecasts and trends for electronics equipment and component markets and discuss how seasonal and cyclical trends affect the industry and the supply chain. The "Global Business Outlook" keynote will take place Wednesday, April 1 at 8:00 am.
Discovery Channel's Les Stroud will talk about the raw intelligence needed for survival in the wild in his keynote. Stroud, star of the acclaimed TV series Survivorman, produces an internationally broadcast series entirely written, videotaped, and hosted by one person. On Survivorman, Stroud shows his ability to survive in the wild for one week, entirely alone, depending on his wits and stamina for food, shelter, water, and protection from climate and predators. Stroud will give his speech on his adventures; the craft of filmmaking; and his ability to combine his three life passions outdoor adventure, music, and film into a successful career. See his presentation on April 2 at 2:30 pm.
All keynote sessions are free to anyone registered for IPC APEX EXPO.
SMT will chair a free panel at APEX, titled "Industry Cost Challenges: EMS Solutions." Presenters include James Scholler, speaking on reducing time to market; Tony Musto, talking about how to fill gaps in the supply chain; Ryan Wooten, who will explain how to enhance throughput with root cause identification; and Kevin Stone, who will describe developing a robust high-mix manufacturing process. Come to the free forum on April 2 at 10:15 am. Learn more about all the free forums at APEX by visiting www.goipcshows.org.
IPC also will host a wide spectrum of technical presentations. Here is a sample of the work to be shown. Gerjan Diepstraten, Ing. and Di Wu, Ph.D., of Cobar Europe B.V. will co-present a technical paper titled "Estimating Stencil Life and Ideal Heating Profile of Solder Paste Using Advanced Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis" in technical session S19, Paste & Printing I, on April 1 at 10:15 AM. The paper describes and demonstrates through experimentation how a manufacturing engineer can use thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) tools to develop optimal solder paste heating profiles for SMT reflow under both nitrogen and air atmospheres. The paper maintains that the conditions for each vary considerably, because the chemistry of a solder paste responds differently when the atmospheric conditions change.
IPC also will be using APEX to present its corporate and individual awards. Awards will be presented at IPC APEX EXPO the week of March 30, 2009. Nominate individuals or corporations whose efforts have helped our industry. The IPC Peter Sarmanian Corporate Recognition Award honors and recognizes a corporation (or division) in the printed circuit board industry (supplier, board manufacturer or OEM) that has taken a leadership role and made contributions to the industry while demonstrating support of IPC through participation in technical and/or management programs. The award is named for former IPC Board Chairman Peter Sarmanian, former president of Printed Circuit Corp.
The IPC Stan Plzak Corporate Recognition Award honors and recognizes a corporation (or division) in the electronics assembly industry (supplier, EMS company or OEM) that has taken initiative to actively contribute to enhancing the industry while demonstrating support of IPC through participation in technical and/or management programs. The award is named for former IPC Board Chairman Stan Plzak, former president of Pensar Corporation and a founding member of the IPC Electronics Manufacturing Services Industry Management Council.
The IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award is bestowed upon an individual in recognition of extraordinary contributions with broad significance to the electronic interconnection industry and distinguished service to IPC. The nominee must support the advancement of the industry, including a spirit of mutual esteem and respect among members consistent with the goals and mission of IPC. This is the highest level of recognition IPC can give to a member and is based on exceptional merit over the long term.
The Presidents Award honors individuals from IPC member companies who have demonstrated ongoing leadership in IPC and have made significant contributions of their time and talent to the association and the electronic interconnection industry.
Committee Leadership Awards are given to committee chairs upon completion of a standard or specific program. Individuals may receive this award more than once. This award can also be presented to an outgoing chairman who has made contributions over a period of time.
Distinguished Committee Service (DCS) Awards are presented to committee members who have contributed to a specific standard or other IPC program through consistent participation or regular contributions; ballot submission; and significant impact on a document or project.
Individuals or companies who have given exceptional service to an IPC program or to the industry are honored with the Special Recognition Award. Their activity can be short term or a one-time event.
Nominations must include the candidate's name and contact information along with a statement describing his or her contribution(s), how he or she meets the criteria and why he or she deserves recognition. For more information on the awards' criteria, visit www.ipc.org/awards. Self nominations are acceptable. Nominations must be sent to awards@ipc.org by February 4, 2009. Questions should be directed to Kim Sterling, vice president of marketing & communications, at (847) 597-2805; kimsterling@ipc.org.