-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Hole Truth: Via Integrity in an HDI World
From the drilled hole to registration across multiple sequential lamination cycles, to the quality of your copper plating, via reliability in an HDI world is becoming an ever-greater challenge. This month we look at “The Hole Truth,” from creating the “perfect” via to how you can assure via quality and reliability, the first time, every time.
In Pursuit of Perfection: Defect Reduction
For bare PCB board fabrication, defect reduction is a critical aspect of a company's bottom line profitability. In this issue, we examine how imaging, etching, and plating processes can provide information and insight into reducing defects and increasing yields.
Voices of the Industry
We take the pulse of the PCB industry by sharing insights from leading fabricators and suppliers in this month's issue. We've gathered their thoughts on the new U.S. administration, spending, the war in Ukraine, and their most pressing needs. It’s an eye-opening and enlightening look behind the curtain.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Coronavirus Crisis Statement From Ventec International Group
March 31, 2020 | Ventec International GroupEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

The electronics industry is playing a major role in supporting increased requirements for critical medical devices during the current COVID-19 health emergency. As such, Ventec International Group (Ventec) has been identified by key PCB manufacturers around the world as a critical supplier of materials and services to support these activities. Ventec states that it is completely separate from and unconnected to Ventec Life Systems Inc., the company based in Seattle, US, currently working with General Motors to produce medical ventilators.
Ventec, a world leader in the production of polyimide and high reliability epoxy laminates and prepregs and specialist provider of thermal management and IMS solutions, has a critical role supplying its materials to companies and consortia currently making various types of equipment to help handle the global COVID-19 crisis.
Today’s medical devices, such as ventilators and equipment for many other roles, contain one or more electronic subsystems for functions such as sensing, system control, and power conversion. In the fight against COVID-19, initiatives are under way worldwide to increase production of equipment to existing designs or accelerate introduction of new and more effective products. As a consequence, there is currently an increased demand for certain materials, particularly VT-481 & VT-47 laminate and prepreg for 4, 6 and 8 layer PCBs, which require urgent air drops to support customers in UK, Europe & USA to supplement the local inventories. Airfreight costs are rising considerably, and available freight capacity is being restricted by the airlines. The Ventec team is working incredibly hard to secure the necessary immediate airfreight capacity, whilst minimizing where possible the added costs that need to be passed on. At the same time Ventec has already started shipping extra volumes of these critical materials by sea container, in order to further build up regional inventories.
Ventec COO EMEA & USA Mark Goodwin said, “Technology companies around the world are responding vigorously to this crisis, delivering equipment for various roles such as administering treatment, protecting caregivers, and assisting research. Ventec is proud to be a part of the unprecedented global response, as we continue to strive for the upper hand over this threat.”
With strict infection control procedures in line with government advice implemented at Ventec’s facilities around the world, the company’s robust supply chain is helping ensure the materials for fabricating essential circuit boards for critical subsystems arrive at manufacturing locations on time, meeting high quality and performance standards. These include laminates and prepregs, and thermally enhanced substrates. The company’s technical experts are also available around the clock to provide advice on their design and use.
For more information about Ventec's solutions and the company's wide variety of products, please visit www.venteclaminates.com.
About Ventec International Group
Ventec International Group Co., Ltd. (6672 TT) is a premier supplier to the Global PCB industry. With volume manufacturing facilities in Taiwan and China and distribution locations and manufacturing sites in both the US and Europe, Ventec specializes in advanced copper clad glass reinforced and metal backed substrates. Ventec materials, which include high-quality enhanced FR4, high-speed/low-loss- & high-performance IMS material technology and an advanced range of thermal management solutions, are manufactured by Ventec using strict quality-controlled processes that are certified to AS9100 Revision D, IATF 16949:2016 and ISO 9001:2015, and are backed by a fully controlled and managed global supply chain, sales- and technical support-network. For more information, visit www.venteclaminates.com.
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
07/11/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineThis 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 TeamPresident 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 TalkWhen 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 TankIn 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?