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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.
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Automotive PCBs are Bucking the Trend With a Forecast of 12% CAGR from 2022 to 2026
July 17, 2023 | TrendForceEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

TrendForce’s global automotive PCB market outlook report indicates that as over half of the PCB industry's end-use applications are in consumer electronics, the economic downturn has had a more pronounced impact on the PCB industry compared to other components, especially when end-market demand has yet to show a significant recovery. The report further predicts a 5.2% contraction in the global PCB market for 2023, estimating a value of US$79 billion. Despite this downturn, the automotive PCB market presents a countervailing growth trajectory, primarily driven by the continuous rise in global EV penetration and the increasing electrification of vehicles.
TrendForce predicts a 14% annual increase in the automotive PCB market, reaching a value of US$10.5 billion in 2023 and accounting for 13% of the total PCB market—up from 11% last year. By 2026, this figure is expected to grow to US$14.5 billion, increasing its share of the total PCB market to 15%. This growth indicates a projected CAGR of 12% from 2022 to 2026.
EV adoption is a significant growth driver for the automotive PCB market, given average PCB values for a BEV are around 5 to 6 times that of a conventional fuel vehicle. Over half of these PCBs are installed in the BEV's control system, which houses the battery management system connected via a wire harness. Moreover, the growing popularity of automotive lightweighting is leading to a gradual shift toward the use of flexible printed circuits, which will further increase the PCB within the electric control system.
The rise of autonomous driving tech and its growing adoption rate, which means the integration of more cameras, radars, and other electronic devices, is also expected to further boost the automotive PCB sector. Automotive PCBs mostly rely on 4 to 8-layer boards; autonomous driving systems often adopt higher-priced HDI boards, which are triple in price. HDI boards used in light detection and ranging systems—equipped in L3 and more advanced autonomous driving systems—can cost tens of dollars and are a major contributor to the automotive PCB market’s future growth in value.
Looking at the types of PCBs, 4 to 8-layer boards are expected to account for about 40% of the total automotive PCBs by 2023, falling to 32% by 2026. In contrast, the proportion of HDI boards is projected to increase from 15% to 20%, and the proportion of FPC boards from 17% to 20%. Additionally, the percentage of thick copper and RF boards will rise from 8% and 8.8% to 9.5% and 10.8%, respectively, while the proportion of lower-priced single and double-layer boards is predicted to decrease from 11.2% to 7.7%.
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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?
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The Evolution of Picosecond Laser Drilling
06/19/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineIs it hard to imagine a single laser pulse reduced not only from nanoseconds to picoseconds in its pulse duration, but even to femtoseconds? Well, buckle up because it seems we are there. In this interview, Dr. Stefan Rung, technical director of laser machines at Schmoll Maschinen GmbH, traces the technology trajectory of the laser drill from the CO2 laser to cutting-edge picosecond and hybrid laser drilling systems, highlighting the benefits and limitations of each method, and demonstrating how laser innovations are shaping the future of PCB fabrication.
Day 2: More Cutting-edge Insights at the EIPC Summer Conference
06/18/2025 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007The European Institute for the PCB Community (EIPC) summer conference took place this year in Edinburgh, Scotland, June 3-4. This is the third of three articles on the conference. The other two cover Day 1’s sessions and the opening keynote speech. Below is a recap of the second day’s sessions.
Day 1: Cutting Edge Insights at the EIPC Summer Conference
06/17/2025 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007The European Institute for the PCB Community (EIPC) Summer Conference took place this year in Edinburgh, Scotland, June 3-4. This is the second of three articles on the conference. The other two cover the keynote speeches and Day 2 of the technical conference. Below is a recap of the first day’s sessions.