The Marketing Minute: If Your Marketing Budget Gets Cut in Half, Then What?
Punching Out: How Are the Big Boys in Electronics Doing?
It’s Only Common Sense: Complexity Is the Enemy of Profit
Microtek Laboratories China Completes First USA IPC-4101E Validation Services Test Program
March 26, 2018 | Microtek Laboratories ChinaEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Microtek Laboratories China has completed the first qualification testing program for IPC-4101 Validation Services for a USA manufacturer of copper-clad laminates and prepreg. The Qualification Testing for IPC-4101 Validation Services must be conducted at an IPC-approved independent test lab. The product tested from Arlon Electronic Materials Division was the first copper-clad laminate material supplier in the United States to qualify under the IPC Validation Services program for IPC-4101. The testing protocol followed the requirements of IPC-4101 for qualification specification sheet 40, 41 and 42 for polyimide base materials:
From IPC-4101:
3.4 Qualification Testing Laminate and prepreg base materials furnished under this specification shall be qualified as described in Table 3-1 for laminates and Table 3-2 for prepregs. The supplier shall retain on file, supporting data that the materials meet the requirements of this specification using the test methods described herein. Qualification testing shall be performed to demonstrate the supplier’s ability to meet all of the requirements of each applicable specification sheet for each base material.
The qualification tests for each base material included minimum performance characteristics such as peel strength after various conditioning steps, electrical performance, Dk / Df, physical properties, dimensional stability, moisture absorption, chemical resistance, and flammability.
According to Doug Sober, director - International Sales & Marketing, “This is the start of many qualification projects for IPC-4101 as high-end base material suppliers attempt to separate their products from the rest of the commodity producers. As an IPC Validation Services qualified laboratory for IPC-4101, Microtek Laboratories China is proud to be a part of this program."
About Microtek Laboratories China
Microtek Laboratories China is a leading third-party testing agency, serving the electronics and polymeric materials manufacturing industry world-wide. It is operated in accordance with the ISO/IEC17025: 2005 management system, accredited by CNAS, CMA, and many large OEM’s. The lab provides testing and conformance verification to company, national & international standards for automotive, telecommunication, aerospace & aviation, electronic information products, polymeric products and other related industries and suppliers. It is a CQC licensed lab for "Non-metal materials" including printed circuit boards (PCB), copper-clad laminates (CCL) and plastics. The lab is also designated as the product service center for CPCA, an authorized training center for IPC-6012, IPC-A-610 & IPC-A-600, as well as a IPC Validation Services Qualified Test Laboratory for IPC-6012 and IPC-4101. In addition, Microtek Laboratories China has the capability of temperature and humidity calibration as recognized by CNAS.
Share on:
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
I-Connect007 Releases The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Direct Metallization: A Guide to Complex PCB Fabrication
05/15/2026 | I-Connect007As PCB complexity continues to accelerate, fabricators and OEMs are reevaluating long-standing manufacturing processes to meet the demands of AI, HDI, advanced packaging, and next-generation electronics. To address these evolving challenges, I-Connect007 is proud to announce the release of The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Direct Metallization: A Guide to Complex PCB Fabrication, authored by MacDermid Alpha Solution’s Carmichael Gugliotti.
Driving Innovation: Selecting the Right Laser Source
04/28/2026 | Simon Khesin -- Column: Driving InnovationWhen I first joined Schmoll Maschinen, I brought experience from almost every PCB process, except for laser. As I immersed myself in laser processing, I realized why it can seem so daunting to a newcomer. The complexity arises from three intersecting factors: A vast variety of laser sources: CO2, UV-nano, green-pico, UV-pico, IR-pico, and others; a diverse range of applications: Drilling, cutting, ablation, and more; and an extensive list of materials: These have vastly different absorption rates. Choosing the right machine or laser source is rarely trivial. Even for experienced engineers, answering "Which source is best?" requires examining the business's specific goals.
Institute of Circuit Technology Spring Seminar 2026: A Bright Future in Europe
04/23/2026 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007Through the leafy lanes and spring flowers of Warwickshire and back to Meridan, the traditional centre of England, and now officially part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the county of the West Midlands, I attended the Annual General Meeting and Spring Seminar of the Institute of Circuit Technology (ICT) on April 14. Out of the AGM came notable changes in leadership at the top of the Institute: the retirement of Mat Beadel as chair and Emma Hudson as technical director. Effective May 1, Steve Driver is the new chair, and Alun Morgan is the new technical director.
ACCM Unveils Negative and Near-zero CTE Materials for Large-Format AI Chips
04/21/2026 | Advanced Chip and Circuit MaterialsAdvanced Chip and Circuit Materials, Inc. (ACCM) has launched two new materials: Celeritas HM50, with a negative coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of -8 ppm/°C to offset the positive CTE and expansion of copper with temperature on circuit boards, and Celeritas HM001, with near-zero CTE and the low-loss performance needed for high-speed signal layers to 224 Gb/s and faster in artificial intelligence (AI) circuits.
Fresh PCB Concepts: Designing PCBs for Harsh Environments—Reliability Is Engineered Upstream
04/23/2026 | Team NCAB -- Column: Fresh PCB ConceptsWhen engineers hear the phrase “harsh environment,” they usually think of the extreme temperature swings, vibration and shock, pressure changes, or radiation in aerospace. However, aerospace is not the only harsh environment where electronic assemblies must survive. Automotive power electronics, downhole oil and gas tools, marine controls, rail systems, defense platforms, and industrial automation equipment all expose PCBs to environments that are equally unforgiving. The stress mechanisms may differ, but the physics does not.