In parallel with the well established SMT exhibition, which has been held for decades in Northern Bavaria, the 13th Electronic Circuits World Convention (ECWC13) will take place from May 7 to 9 as an associated and embedded event. Alun Morgan, Committee Chairman ECWC13 from the European Institute of Printed Circuits (EIPC) seems to be very satisfied that, after a break of 12 years, the ECWC13 is going to be present again in Germany during a renowned show which focuses on similar high-tech subjects. About 45% of the PCB production in Europe is being provided in Germany — the lion’s share. The EIPC areas of interest are, for example: base material and substrates of all kinds, plating, design, chemical manufacturing processes, micro-via technology, routing, surface finish, quality and reliability, soldering, standards and many more issues in the demanding field of printed-circuit manufacturing. “All in all we expect 600+ conference guests”, says Prof. Klaus-Dieter Lang (Fraunhofer IZM).
On three conference days, in 26 sessions and with 123 presentations, ECWC13 will examine new and proven processes, current and new and advanced technologies, and the changing market dynamics and requirements of the printed-circuit board industry. The organizer is the European Institute of Printed Circuits (EIPC), a member of the World Electronic Circuits Council (WECC). Its member companies have been holding the ECWC for more than 35 years now, starting in the year 1978 and recurring every three years alternately in Asia, Europe and the US. As Alun Morgan explains, the member companies of the WECC are reaching a total annual turnover of about 60bn US Dollars worldwide. Mass production of PCBs and board assemblies is being provided in Asia, but engineering and design are still located in the US and Europe in the respective companies that commission the manufacture abroad.
Dedicated event and congress for electronics manufacture
„We have all the key players in this business on board”, said Anthula Parashoudi of show organizer Mesago. The benefits of the SMT event for the industry are the following: a compact and clearly structured exhibition premises located for decades at the same site, a conference with the exchange of profound expertise, a high degree of international attendance, forum events for special subjects , tutorials, short presentations of special solutions and many more. Under the title “Industry 4.0 — With new technologies towards lot size one”, there will be a demonstration by the Fraunhofer IZM application center on the production line in hall 6. The organization Research Association Molded Interconnect Devices 3-D MID e.V. will be presenting the current state of MID technology and new applications from all relevant technology sectors at the forum in hall 7. „Optics Meets Electronics“ is the name of the joint stand in hall 6 which is supported by Fraunhofer IZM Berlin. The focus is on photonic system integration and the importance of optical technologies in the field of electronics.
The exhibitors on the joint stand EMS Intersection offer comprehensive manufacturing services. Visitors can expect advice and practical solutions encompassing everything from electronics production to materials management and other hot issues. On May 8 (day three), the ZVEI e.V. will be taking up the subject „Materials Management — Reliable provisioning guaranteed” in a panel discussion at the forum in hall 9 within its Services in EMS initiative. On May 5 the conference will kick off a series of SMT tutorials. Newcomers as well as experts will have the chance to expand their knowledge in the field of electronics production in practice-oriented tutorials.
