Highlights of the IPC Designers Council Events in Bannockburn, IL

The IPC Designers Council was busy last week as more than 35 designers from across the US collectively attended the IPC Designers Learning Symposium and PCB Basic (CID) and Advanced (CID+) PCB Designers Certification Workshops.

The Designers Learning Symposium took place on Tuesday, May 22, and we were excited to have such industry recognized speakers like Gary Ferrari of FTG Circuits in Toronto, Canada, Susy Webb of Fairfield Industries in Houston, Texas, and Richard Snogren of Bristlecone LLC in Boulder, Colo., in attendance.

Dieter Bergman, IPC, kicked things off by addressing the latest developments in fabrication and provided insight on ways to stay current with the changes. Susy Webb then provided an overview of the various resources that PCB designers should be aware of as they develop professionally. Gary Ferrari discussed the latest advancements in HDI and why it may prove more cost effective than standard multilayer structures, while Richard Snogren elaborated on the use of state of the art embedded passive component materials technology. Lastly John Perry and Dave Bergman of IPC discussed standards development, and how the RoHS initiative has affected the industry on a design level.

Some of the feedback from the attendees included:

“I liked the variety of subjects covered along with the knowledge of the presenters.”

“Very informative. Lots of material to bring back to work and study.”

“I got a better realization of the many resources available to help me learn and grow.”

“Great topic selections.”

“I liked how the instructors used examples to illustrate their points, and the issues addressed are ones we are dealing with.”

Both the Basic (CID) and Advanced (CID+) PCB Designers Certification Workshops were also held at IPC Headquarters, with 12 designers earning their CID, and 11 their CID+. Congratulations to those and others that have earned the achievement in May.

If you were unable to attend the events in Bannockburn last week, plan ahead for one of our other 2007 Designer Learning Symposiums or Design Conferences:

• August 15-16 — IPC Global Design Conference: Designing Better Today for Tomorrow, Toronto, Canada
• September 19 — Designers Learning Symposium, Beaverton, Ore.

PCB Designers Certification Workshops will be held in conjunction with the above events. For the list of workshop dates or to register, please visit us on the web at http://dc.ipc.org

We hope to see you at an IPC Designers Council event in the near future!