I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
August 2, 2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

This week, we bring you a veritable smorgasbord of news, columns and articles from the past week.
After getting stuck in an airport during the Crowdstrike outage, our colleague Nolan Johnson has a review of the first-ever THECA trade show in Bangkok, Thailand. We have a column by Matt Stevenson on drilling optimization, and an interview with Schmoll America President Kurt Palmer about what it takes to thrive in this industry. We have an article by SMTA’s Tara Dunn that focuses on the organization’s educational offerings, and news about All Flex joining the PCBAA.
It's been a busy week. I hope you all have a great weekend!
Impressions from THECA 2024
Published July 31
Our weary editor Nolan Johnson brings us his review of the inaugural Thailand Electronic Circuits Asia trade show. Nolan had the bad luck to be heading to the airport when the Crowdstrike snafu first began, turning his already-long trip to Bangkok into a three-day ordeal. He says it was all worth it, and THECA drew a pretty good crowd of attendees, many looking to Thailand for its China+1 potential. Check it out.
Connect the Dots: Navigating the Intricacies of PCB Drilling
Published August 1
Drilling is a fairly simple operation, but it can be one of the most complex tasks in the PCB fabrication cycle. In this column, Matt Stevenson offers various tips and tricks that can streamline your PCB drilling, beginning with pre-drilling planning and preparations.
Schmoll America: Thriving in the Global PCB Market
Published July 31
Is your business thriving? What does it take to thrive in this industry? In this interview with Marcy LaRont, Kurt Palmer, president of Schmoll America, discusses what it takes to not only survive, but thrive.
Training and Education in the Electronics Industry
Published July 31
With many of the “silverbacks” in our industry heading toward retirement, educational resources are in high demand now. Tara Dunn, director of training and education for SMTA, walks us through the organization’s educational offerings, including webinars, in-person classes, technical papers, and much more.
The PCBAA Accepts All Flex Solutions as Newest Member
Published July 31
PCBAA was founded just a few years ago, but it’s been on a continuous growth path, with more companies joining the organization in its mission to advocate for U.S. PCB companies. Flexible circuit maker All Flex Solutions is the latest company to join the organization, which now numbers 61 PCB U.S. manufacturers.
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Polar Instruments Announces Additive Transmission Line Support for Si9000e
08/20/2025 | Polar InstrumentsTransmission lines embedded into the PCB surface are a feature of UHDI constructions. The 2025 fall release of Polar's Si9000e PCB impedance & insertion loss transmission line field solver incorporates eight new single ended, differential and coplanar transmission line structures.
Bending Circuits, Breaking Expectations: Meet the Round 1 Winners of the Bright Manufacturing Student Challenge 2025
08/20/2025 | Tara Dunn, SMTAThe Bright Manufacturing Student Challenge brings together student teams to design and develop innovative solutions for real-world electronics manufacturing problems. The eight-week competition, sponsored by the Electronics Manufacturing & Assembly Collaborative (EMAC) through electronicsworkforce.com, allows students to showcase their technical skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. The Rise and Grind Crew were winners of the first round in the competition, and students Kevin Vo, Alexander (Alex) Wan, and Ethan Chung sat down with SMTA’s Tara Dunn to talk about the value of teamwork, AI integration in PCB design, and the satisfaction of seeing their hard work come to life.
Inventing the Future: An Interview with Dr. Ed Schweitzer
08/20/2025 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer III, founder of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), has a corner office in the company’s world headquarters in Pullman, Washington. Forty-two years after his SEL-21—the first microprocessor-based digital protective relay—ushered in a new era of power-system protection, he has forever changed the way the world safeguards its electric grids. In this three-hour conversation, Dr. Schweitzer reveals that he remains excited to get to work each day, unpacking the “better, cheaper, faster, simpler” mantra that’s still driving SEL’s innovation, and the culture glue that keeps more than 7,000 employee-owners rowing in unison.
Amphenol to Acquire Trexon
08/19/2025 | BUSINESS WIREAmphenol Corporation announced a definitive agreement to acquire Trexon for approximately $1 billion in cash, subject to customary post-closing adjustments.
American Made Advocacy: Where’s the Budget for a Modern Military Run on Microelectronics?
08/19/2025 | Shane Whiteside -- Column: American Made AdvocacyIn a world of peer threats and urgent transformation, having secure, trusted, and reliable microelectronics is non-negotiable. While largely hidden, microelectronics are the ubiquitous enablers of modern defense platforms. Nothing in the current American arsenal flies, floats, or fights without a technology stack that includes a semiconductor, an integrated circuit substrate, and a printed circuit board.