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Trump Copper Tariffs Spark Concern
July 10, 2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: 1 minute
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.
Trump did not state when he planned to introduce the new tariffs, but on July 8, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that they would likely implement the duties by the end of July or Aug. 1, Reuters reported.
Trump ordered a probe in February into possible copper tariffs, citing a November deadline as part of efforts to rebuild U.S. production of the metal. However, it was unclear if the investigation into imports of raw mined copper, concentrates, alloys, scrap, and derivatives had finished.
The U.S. produces just over half the refined copper it uses annually, much of which comes from Arizona, where a stalled major mine expansion has lasted for more than a decade. The U.S. imports the rest—just under 1 million metric tons—because it only has two primary smelters compared to China’s dozens.
While the White House framed the new tariffs as a way to counter China's dominance of the global market, the U.S. imports most of its refined copper from the Americas. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in 2023, Chile, Peru, and Canada made up more than 90% of U.S. copper imports.
While China leads in copper refining, it too depends largely on Latin America and Africa for raw materials. Chile and Peru accounted for roughly one-third of global copper mining in 2024.
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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.