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PCB West Panel to Highlight Data Transfer Problems, Solutions

A group of leading companies in the semiconductor and printed circuit board design, fabrication and assembly industries will convene Sept. 28 at the Santa Clara Convention Center to discuss an exciting new solution to age-old electronics data transfer problems.

The "Data Transfer in the 21st Century" panel, featuring representatives from Cadence Design Systems, Fujitsu, DownStream Technologies and Sanmina-SCI, among others, will introduce the new IPC-2581 Consortium at PCB West, the leading conference and exhibition for printed circuit board design. The 90-minute session begins at 2:30 p.m.

PCBs have changed significantly over the past three decades, yet the industry still uses 30-year-old ways of communicating design intent to manufacturing. Several data formats have vied for market acceptance through the five decades of computer-based electronics design. Some formats have been driven by trade associations, others by individual companies, yet no single intelligent format has captured a large share of the market.

The IPC-2581 Consortium is a new group of OEMs, EDA companies and electronics manufacturers whose collective aim is to accelerate the adoption of IPC-2581 as an open, neutrally maintained global standard to encourage innovation, improve efficiency and reduce costs. For the first time, leading OEMs and software developers such as nVidia, Lockheed-Martin, Fujitsu, Cadence and Zuken are supporting a common, third-party format.

Discussing the various standards and reasons for supporting them, the panelists include: Hemant Shah, Cadence; Gary Carter, Fujitsu; Rick Almeida, DownStream Technologies; and Dana Korf, Sanmina-SCI, The panel will be moderated by Mike Buetow, UP Media Group.

About IPC-2581 Consortium

IPC-2581 Consortium is a group of PCB design and supply chain companies whose collective goal is to enable, facilitate and drive the use of IPC-2581 in the industry. It is devoted to accelerating the adoption of IPC-2581 as an open, neutrally maintained global standard to encourage innovation, improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Members of the IPC-2581 Consortium include OEMs, EDA/DFM/CAM software companies, PCB fabricators, electronics assemblers and test companies. The Consortium is open to any PCB design and supply chain company that is prepared to support or is committed to a roadmap for IPC-2581 adoption.

For a history of data transfer formats, their origins and current status see A Short History of Electronic Data Formats.

About PCB West

PCB West is the leading conference and exhibition for printed circuit board design. Now in its 20th year, PCB West 2011 includes a three-day technical conference (September 27-29, 2011) consisting of more than 50 presentations, including 10 workshops, panel sessions and half-day seminars; a one-day exhibition, featuring the PCB industry's leading vendors; and an array of free technical sessions. Full details regarding the conference and exhibition are available at pcbwest.com.