ATLANTA – PCB West today announced this year’s conference will feature two free full-day tracks on Sept. 16, with topics ranging from developments in board and assembly level processes to signal integrity and common design errors.

In one the free sessions, Babak Arfaei of Universal Instruments' Advanced Process Laboratory will demonstrate how the continuous decrease in component size brings new reliability challenges, given the affects of solder volume on the microstructure of lead-free solder alloys. Arfaei will discuss the impact of those surface finishes on the microstructure of SAC 305 lead-free LGAs, BGAs and CSPs.

In all, the two tracks will include 12 free presentations, all on Sept. 16. Other topics include:

• Wideband insertion loss testing of multiple PCB final plated finishes
• Completing complex project designs
• High frequency loss test methods for laminate materials comparison
• Introduction to PCB and EMS warpage management
• Common errors in PCB design and how to catch them
• Insights on the US circuit board manufacturing base
• Electromagnetic fields and signal integrity
• Accelerating the PCB design process
• Replacing IDF with IDX baseline flow
• Update on design data transfer using IPC-2581
• Pre-bonded and post-bonded metal-backed PCBs and their uses.

“The free sessions are always a huge draw, and we’ve doubled the number this year to make it even more compelling to attendees,” said UPMG vice president and conference chair Mike Buetow. To register for the exhibition, which includes access to these free sessions, visit pcbwest.com.

The free tracks take place the same day as the exhibition on Sept. 16, which features more than 100 companies showing the latest in printed circuit design software, fabrication and assembly services.

A highlight of the paid technical conference will be a talk on PARC’s research into directed assembly, also known as “geography technology.” PARC is working on next-generation component packaging processes that entail something of a “soup” of chips, parts that are small enough to join together and be “told” digitally where to go.

PCB West, the largest conference and exhibition for printed circuit board design, fabrication and assembly in the Silicon Valley, will offer some 67 presentations as a part of its three-day paid conference program September 15 – 17 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. This year’s event includes 17 full- and half-day tutorials and workshops, plus several more two-hour presentations, addressing attendees’ request for longer sessions.

Topics range from leading-edge technologies such as RF and microwave design, flex circuits, embedded components, and high-speed design, to presentations on basic printed circuit design and fabrication, auditing fab and assembly sites, and SMT assembly. The full conference program is available at pcbwest.com.

Now in its 24th year, PCB West showcases the leading companies in the PCB industry, including all the top CAD and CAM vendors and top names in printed circuit fabrication and electronics assembly. The September 2014 event attracted more than 2,600 registrants and nearly 1,750 attendees from the PCB, HDI, electronics assembly and circuit board test markets.

PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB and CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY magazines are media partners for the event.