The IPC standards chart (or tree, in some circles) provides guidelines for the production and assembly requirements of electronics manufacturing companies. Each “code” on the tree is a standard or document outlining the guidelines or requirements for building an assembly.

The year is 1971. Carole King's' hit single "I Feel The Earth Move" is playing through a Plymouth Volare as two electrical engineers/teachers enter a vo-tech school in Oil City, Pa.  It is there that Lee Richey and Andy Maitland will meet and form Matric Limited.

The two teachers were electrical engineers and graduates of DeVry Technical Institute but would not meet one another until their teaching stints in Oil City. 

With their classrooms side-by-side, they found they shared a passion for ham radios, and before long, they opened a small design and repair shop in Andy's mothers' basement.  

Electronic component shortages have been a hindrance on booming electronics marketplaces since 2018. While new orders roll in and production remains steady, there simply haven’t been enough capacitors, resistors and other parts to go around.

After tariffs were imposed on imported Chinese goods and factories were shut down due to the coronavirus, OEMs raced to understand what was ahead for their already-constrained inventory. But, COVID-19 was not the only culprit -- it's actually exposed pre-existing cracks in the supply chain.

Here's why 2022 is shaping up to be another difficult year:

In every facet of modern life, we're surrounded by electronic devices, all of which are powered by printed circuit boards (PCBs). With so many devices constantly emitting electronic signals in close quarters, the question of electromagnetic interference becomes a crucial one. 

What do quality, efficiency, and a high passing yield rate have in common? Meticulous inspection. 

Telecommunications PCBs (printed circuit boards) are a different breed. As you'd expect, you’ll need to reconsider everything you thought you knew about PCB layout and design to cater to this fast-moving industry.

Most often, the foundation, or base, of a printed circuit board (PCB) consists of a substrate and laminate. Different PCB laminate and substrate types determine how the PCB will perform. So, selecting the right types of PCB material for the intended purposes is critical to achieving the best possible:

When designing solar-powered embedded systems intended for outdoor applications, durability, performance, and energy efficiency are a perfect storm of considerations. The dream is to balance all three, but how can you make that a reality?

When outsourcing your printed circuit board (PCB), electronics box build, or cable assembly to an electronics contract manufacturer, you expect a fast, accurate quote up front. It’s in the best interest of both OEM and manufacturer to prioritize accuracy from the beginning.

With the European Union (EU) working toward new strategies to cut down on hazardous chemicals within the electronics manufacturing industry, the rest of the world is looking on and taking note.