PCB West Exhibition Floor Sold Out

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – The exhibition floor space is sold out for PCB West, the largest exhibition and conference for printed circuit board design, fabrication and assembly in the Silicon Valley. It is the tenth time in 11 years all booths have been sold for the popular exhibition, PCEA said.

“Coming off an outstanding PCB West 2023, booth sales for our 2024 event have been strong,” said Frances Stewart, vice president of sales and marketing at PCEA. “We’re looking forward to another great event.” 

PCB West will be held Oct. 8–11 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. The event includes a one-day exhibition on Oct. 9.

This year’s show will feature more than 100 exhibitors showcasing the leading companies in the PCB industry, including the top CAD and CAM vendors and top names in printed circuit fabrication and electronics assembly. Attendees will be treated to a free lunch on the show floor during the exhibition on Oct. 9.

‘Early Bird’ Discount for PCB West Technical Conference Ends Sept. 7

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – The discounted price for the PCB West 2024 technical conference ends Sept. 7. From Sept. 8 through Oct. 8, registrants will pay the advanced conference price, which is $100 more than the “early bird” rate.

The technical program for PCB West 2024 features more than 115 hours of in-depth electronics engineering training from leading experts such as Rick Hartley, Lee Ritchey, Tomas Chester, Dan Beeker, Gerry Partida and Susy Webb.

The scope of classes ranges from designing all types of printed circuit boards to complex signal and power integrity and power delivery systems design. Foundational topics such as circuit grounding and PCB stackups are interspersed with advanced tutorials on DDR5, thermal management, analog measurements, system mechanical design, and more.

“This year’s lineup of presenters is second to none,” said Mike Buetow, president, PCEA. “It is literally the only place where you can meet Rick Hartley, Lee Ritchey, Susy Webb and Dan Beeker in one place. That’s what makes PCB West the industry’s leading event for technical information and professional networking.”

Registration for the technical conference and the exhibition is open at pcbwest.com.

An exhibition featuring more than 100 leading suppliers to the electronics design, manufacturing and assembly industry will be held Oct. 9.

PCEA Board Welcomes 2 New Members

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – PCEA in June welcomed two new board members, filling two vacated seats. The new directors both have long electronics industry experience across the design to assembly spectrum, as well as significant financial expertise.

Jim Barnes is corporate senior vice president, strategic global sourcing at Generac, a leading energy technology company. Prior to that, he spent more than 15 years in management at a publicly traded multinational EMS company. He is an expert in strategic planning, team building, finance, outsourcing, manufacturing operations best practices, supply chain, and business development, with experience in the US, Mexico and Asia.

Matthew Leary has been designing PCBs full-time since 1996. He is the founder and president of Newgrange Design, a Boston-area PCB design service bureau. His design work has included high-speed, high-voltage, high-power, high pin count, low-level signals, and more. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in physics.

CPCD Course to be Offered at Wayne State in 2025

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – Wayne State University will offer PCEA Training’s Certified Printed Circuit Designer curriculum as part of a semester-long course on printed circuit board design starting in January.

The Detroit-based school, the third largest in Michigan, gained experience with the course last summer when it held a CPCD class of approximately 35 students in June.

Students will be taught the entirety of the CPCD course, which includes the Printed Circuit Design Professional handbook, a 400-page guide of technical information that provides the knowledge base for making good decisions in the printed circuit engineering process. Wayne State plans to add lab work and talks from local manufacturers as part of its course, and will use the CPCD certification exam as its final exam.

PCB East 2025 Conference Task Group Named

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – The PCEA Conference Task Group named its PCB East 2025 members.

Troy Hopkins, a printed circuit design professional and consultant, leads the group as chairman alongside eight other printed circuit industry veterans.

Other industry experts in the task group include John Burkhert Jr., Stephen Chavez, Tomas Chester, James Jackson, Keith Kowal, Matt Leary, Matt McBride, and Susy Webb.

“Building off the continued growth of last year’s conference, I am thrilled to bring together this exceptional group of industry experts,” said Hopkins. “Their experience and collective wisdom will help ensure PCB East 2025 will showcase content that addresses the challenges facing PCB designers as well as showcasing the latest innovations and best practices in PCB design and manufacturing.

“With this group I am confident this conference will continue to provide massive value, empower PCB designers, and bring our industry together.”

PCB East is the largest technical conference and exhibition for the electronics design, fabrication and assembly industry in New England.

The four-day technical conference takes place Apr. 29 – May 2 at the Boxboro Regency in Boxborough, MA, with a one-day exhibition on Apr. 30. For details, visit pcbeast.com.