The causes, effects and implications of “The Great Component Shortage of 2018” have been thoroughly analyzed. The automotive and IoT industries have been driving unprecedented demand for smaller and more efficient passive electronics, which in turn has stretched lead times for these once- commoditized components to the breaking point. What hasn’t been discussed, however, is the equal…
This is the second article in a two-part series The Industry 4.0 revolution is enabling new levels of automation, including a new generation of sensors-rich automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for use in the first wave of smart manufacturing and distribution facilities. This revolution also requires new ways of thinking across all aspects of materials handling, especially…
This is the first article in a two-part series The Industry 4.0 revolution is enabling new levels of automation, including a new generation of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for use in the first wave of smart manufacturing and distribution facilities. This revolution also requires new ways of thinking across all aspects of materials handling, especially when…
Electronics manufacturers lose billions of dollars every year due to late and damaged shipments. But with new IoT technologies, these companies are gaining real-time visibility into the location and condition of their in-transit goods, enabling them to identify and eliminate the root cause of issues and adopt a data-driven mindset to the optimization of the…
The printed circuit board (PCB) industry has experienced rapid growth in recent times and studies show that predictions for the future are equally as optimistic. What is the key to this growth and what is driving it? Part of the reason is printed circuit boards are a building block for everything electronic. PCBs are used…
This week in his final letter as publisher of ASPENCORE, Victor Gao reflects on a recent dinner with IEEE Fellow and former Portuguese Secretary of State for Education José Franca, and together, they revisit a shared passion: How does a nation remake itself into a technology powerhouse? CASCAIS, Portugal — “Desenrascar.” My host leaned in…
By Steven Weintraub, Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps (Reserve) (Second of two parts) Help Care for Veterans’ Best Friends When military service members deploy, some will have to leave behind a beloved pet. Not everyone has a family member or friend who is able and willing to take in the service member’s pet for an extended…
By Steven Weintraub, Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps (Reserve) (First of two parts) Most Americans feel truly grateful to our nation’s veterans and military personnel and take many opportunities available to express that gratitude. But what does one do to specifically show appreciation for those families of service members, veterans, and all currently serving military to…
When people talk about “RoHS” they tend to mean the European Union’s “Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment” Directive, 2011/65/EU. The fact is that there are an increasing number of RoHS-like regulations in different markets around the world. Each one has a different regulatory environment and agenda that…
This summer, at the end of July, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) proposed a draft “catalog” of “Electrical and Electronic Products” (EEPs) that would be subject to substance restrictions under the current “China RoHS 2” regulation (AKA Management Methods for the Restriction of the Use of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic…