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Beyond the Rulebook
What happens when the rule book is no longer useful, or worse, was never written in the first place? In today’s fast-moving electronics landscape, we’re increasingly asked to design and build what has no precedent, no proven path, and no tidy checklist to follow. This is where “Design for Invention” begins.
March Madness
From the growing role of AI in design tools to the challenge of managing cumulative tolerances, these articles in this issue examine the technical details, design choices, and manufacturing considerations that determine whether a board works as intended.
Looking Forward to APEX EXPO 2026
I-Connect007 Magazine previews APEX EXPO 2026, covering everything from the show floor to the technical conference. For PCB designers, we move past the dreaded auto-router and spotlight AI design tools that actually matter.
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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
February 23, 2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
It’s not spring, but we must be getting close. It was 70 yesterday here in Atlanta, and I was able to wear a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and sandals for the first time this year. If you’re wearing a Hawaiian shirt, you know it’s going to be a good day.
It was a good week in PCB design and manufacturing as well. In this week’s wrap-up, we have news about an uptick in EMS shipments in January, a look at the current M&A climate, some guidance on investing in your company in order to stay competitive, a primer on designing with embedded capacitance materials, and a roadmap for the industry to embrace sustainable PCBs in the future.
As many of you have told me at recent trade shows, it's a good time to be in this industry. Have a good weekend!
Catching Up With Industry M&A Expert Tom Kastner of GP Ventures
Published February 21
Dan Beaulieu recently interviewed Tom Kastner, our resident mergers and acquisitions expert. Here they discuss the current M&A climate, and whether CFIUS (the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) regulations prohibit Chinese companies from acquiring U.S. tech companies. (Apparently, yes.) Check it out.
Standard of Excellence: Moving Into the Future by Growing Your Technology
Published February 21
Is your company growing every day? As columnist Anaya Vardya points out here, in this industry, if you’re not growing, you’re dying. In this column, Anaya discusses the need for fabricators to invest in their businesses, and he lays out a roadmap for this investment as well.
Beyond Design: Embedded Capacitance Material
Published February 22
More and more designers are working with embedded components. If you’re considering moving into this arena, you probably have a lot of questions. In this column, Barry Olney addresses many of your concerns about embedded, particularly regarding signal integrity and embedded capacitance materials. On the plus side, embedding components often provides better signal integrity.
North American EMS Industry Up 2.6% in January 2024
Published February 23
Our industry seems to be in a pretty good spot right now. At trade shows, company managers from all sectors tell me that they’re optimistic about the rest of 2024, and this news backs up that confidence. With North American EMS shipments up 2.6% over the same period last year, things are looking good.
Recycling PCBs: How NCAB is Navigating Challenges and Embracing Opportunities
Published February 22
There’s been a lot of talk about sustainability in this industry, and each year we see more environmental regulations designed to steer manufacturers into producing sustainable PCBs. But as Jan Pedersen points out, regulations alone won’t get the job done. In this article, Jan discusses some of the technologies that he believes will lead us into a world of fully recyclable PCBs.
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SMTA Announces 2026 STAR Forum Technical Program
04/16/2026 | SMTAThe SMTA announced the finalized program for the High Reliability: Strategic Technology Advancement Research Forum which takes place on May 6-7, 2026 in Olathe, Kansas, USA.
From AI to AEP, an Impressive Array of Keynotes at APEX EXPO 2026
04/17/2026 | Marcy LaRont and Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Each year at APEX EXPO, the Global Electronics Association provides an impressive lineup of keynote speakers to kick off the largest electronics manufacturing event in North America. This year included four keynote speeches, on topics ranging from the promise and peril of AI to the power of electronics, quantum computing, and the importance of heterogeneous integration in advanced electronics packaging.
Breaking the Manual Quoting Bottleneck in Wire Harness
04/15/2026 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineArik Vrobel has spent more than 35 years in wire harness manufacturing—starting in EL-Com, his father's shop, building it into a nationally recognized contract manufacturer, and ultimately selling to Aptiv/Winchester in 2021. But retirement didn't last long. Within months, Arik was back, not as a manufacturer this time, but as a technologist. His new company, Cableteque, is building the quoting and data automation platform he always wished existed.
Podcast Hits the Mark in a Materials Market
04/15/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007The base material of a printed circuit board is its literal and functional foundation. Isola, founded in 1912 in Düren, Germany, is one of the longest-standing manufacturers of glass-reinforced laminates in the electronics industry. Originally focused on insulation and fiberglass materials, the company played an early role in supplying the foundational substrates that enabled the growth of PCB technology. As electronics advanced, Isola evolved alongside the industry, expanding from basic glass-epoxy laminates into high-performance copper-clad materials and engineered prepregs.
New EIPC President: Building Strength Through Unity in Europe’s Electronics Industry
04/14/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007Industry veteran Rico Schluter, newly appointed president of EIPC, discusses his decades-long journey through the European PCB industry and his vision for its future. From building advanced manufacturing operations to leading large-scale facility development in Lithuania, Rico shares insights into automation, workforce evolution, and the challenges of scaling production. He emphasizes the urgent need for stronger collaboration across European industry organizations to effectively influence policy in Brussels, particularly around supply chain resilience, trade regulations, and energy-related incentives.