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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

07/11/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 Magazine
This week, we have quite a variety of news items and articles for you. News continues to stream out of Washington, D.C., with tariffs rearing their controversial head again. Because these tariffs are targeted at overseas copper manufacturers, this news has a direct effect on our industry.I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

Digital Twin Concept in Copper Electroplating Process Performance

07/11/2025 | Aga Franczak, Robrecht Belis, Elsyca N.V.
PCB manufacturing involves transforming a design into a physical board while meeting specific requirements. Understanding these design specifications is crucial, as they directly impact the PCB's fabrication process, performance, and yield rate. One key design specification is copper thieving—the addition of “dummy” pads across the surface that are plated along with the features designed on the outer layers. The purpose of the process is to provide a uniform distribution of copper across the outer layers to make the plating current density and plating in the holes more uniform.

Trump Copper Tariffs Spark Concern

07/10/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial Team
President Donald Trump stated on July 8 that he plans to impose a 50% tariff on copper imports, sparking concern in a global industry whose output is critical to electric vehicles, military hardware, semiconductors, and a wide range of consumer goods. According to Yahoo Finance, copper futures climbed over 2% following tariff confirmation.

Happy’s Tech Talk #40: Factors in PTH Reliability—Hole Voids

07/09/2025 | Happy Holden -- Column: Happy’s Tech Talk
When we consider via reliability, the major contributing factors are typically processing deviations. These can be subtle and not always visible. One particularly insightful column was by Mike Carano, “Causes of Plating Voids, Pre-electroless Copper,” where he outlined some of the possible causes of hole defects for both plated through-hole (PTH) and blind vias.

Trouble in Your Tank: Can You Drill the Perfect Hole?

07/07/2025 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your Tank
In the movie “Friday Night Lights,” the head football coach (played by Billy Bob Thornton) addresses his high school football team on a hot day in August in West Texas. He asks his players one question: “Can you be perfect?” That is an interesting question, in football and the printed circuit board fabrication world, where being perfect is somewhat elusive. When it comes to mechanical drilling and via formation, can you drill the perfect hole time after time?
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