Source: Yole Developpement I attended the International Microelectronics Assembly and Packaging Society (IMAPS) Device Packaging Conference held in Scottsdale, AZ the week of March 6, 2017.  The major theme of the technical sessions was the emergence of Fan-Out Wafer Level packaging in multiple applications.  The most prominent application driving the market was the TSMC ... [Click to Continue...]

Guest Post by Dr. Robert (Bob) Humphreys In two previous posts, we presented a brief overview of technological advances that have made automated sorting and recycle of municipal waste economically practical. Indeed, the range of sorted materials with significant economic value, such as paper, cardboard, glass, steel, aluminum, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and ... [Click to Continue...]

Guest Post by Dr. Robert (Bob) Humphreys In the previous post, we gave a brief overview of the preliminary stage of sorting of municipal solid waste (MSW) to separate a fraction that is similar in composition to single-stream recyclable waste that municipalities collect at curbside. Further sorting of this recyclable waste can occur at the mixed waste recovery facility ... [Click to Continue...]

Guest Post by Dr. Robert (Bob) Humphreys Engineers are without a doubt the most important people in a modern, technologically advanced society such as the one we enjoy in the USA. Virtually every step in the daily lives of every person in the country is impacted or made possible by something an engineer did, is doing, or will do. Engineers work on mundane projects such as ... [Click to Continue...]

In my last post we started a discussion on the high level state of jobs in the United States.  The graph above shows a telling trend.  Manufacturing output is up over 20% since the recovery started, but jobs are only up approximately 6 percent.  There was job creation in the manufacturing sector, but automation and factory efficiency led the way.  So where are the jobs that ... [Click to Continue...]