The big story out of IPC Apex Expo last month – about the only story, really – was the introduction of an open communications standard by Mentor Graphics’ Valor division, followed by the rapid response by more than two dozen assembly equipment providers and software developers over shared concern that the solution to machine-to-machine communication might end up residing in the hands of a single company.
A look through the archives reminds that yesterday’s excellence is today’s mediocrity.
Most board test procedures have little or nothing to say about product long-term performance.