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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
July 18, 2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
It may be the middle of the summer, but the news doesn’t quit, and there’s plenty to talk about this week, whether you’re talking technical or on a global scale. When I have to choose six items instead of my regular five, you know it’s good. I start by highlighting my interview with Martyn Gaudion on his latest book, share some concerning tariff news, follow that up with some promising (and not-so-promising) investments, and feature a paper from last January’s inaugural Pan-European Design Conference. As for my bonus piece, keep reading to see what the real buzz is about.
Meet the Author Podcast: Martyn Gaudion Unpacks the Secrets of High-Speed PCB Design
Published July 16
I had the opportunity to go in-depth with Martyn Gaudion, managing director at Polar Instruments and a three-time author in the I-Connect007 book series, on his latest installment, The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to…More Secrets of High-Speed PCBs. We discuss the book’s contents, why it was important to continue the topic, and who should get a copy. As always, adding the author’s personal voice and perspective adds insight and understanding.
Copper Price Surge Raises Alarms for Electronics
Published July 15
The Global Electronics Association is reporting major turbulence in the copper market following the Trump administration’s announced 50% tariff on imported copper, slated to start Aug. 1, 2025, as reported here. Most of the copper used in the U.S. is sourced from the Americas, but the news was enough to cause a surge in the copper market.
TTM Technologies Prepares For the Future with the Acquisition of a Facility in Wisconsin and Land in Penang
Published July 10
TTM just added 750,000 square feet of manufacturing space in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where TDK was the previous owner of the building. This is in addition to a land purchase in Malaysia slated for further growth. This article provides a ton of details, shedding insight on how TTM plans to respond to shifting regional dynamics worldwide.
Report: Broadcom Scraps $1 Billion Chip Investment in Spain
Published July 15
In what I would interpret as a setback for EU supply chain resilience, Broadcom has ended its plans to build a plant for final assembly and testing of ICs in Spain. Collapsed government talks were the reason given by Broadcom. Get more details here.
Digital Twin Concept in Copper Electroplating Process Performance
Published July 11
Periodically, we publish a significant research paper in our magazines. These papers address an area of development we determine to be of particular practical interest to readers. Aga Franczak’s paper from the 2025 Pan-European Design Conference takes a hard look at improving copper thieving performance through use of a digital twin for the copper plating process. Industry 4.0 and digital twin concepts made early inroads in assembly, now researchers are using those concepts to improve board fabrication. For readers interested in fabrication, this is an important read.
BONUS!
Nvidia’s $4 Trillion Milestone Signals AI Must-have for Investors
Published July 10
I’m including this news item as a bonus sixth, because a market cap of $4 trillion simply cannot be left unnoticed. Nvidia is now the most valuable business on Earth. While that is sinking in, read all about it here.
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Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
Advanced Packaging for AI: Reliability Starts at the Cu/Cu/Cu Microvia Junction
04/20/2026 | Kuldip Johal, MKS' AtotechThe rapid growth of AI computing, from training clusters to inference at scale, is reshaping demand across the entire electronics supply chain. Advances in technology requirements, such as higher bandwidth, lower latency, and greater compute density, are driving the development of advanced packaging technologies and transforming the PCB industry across design, manufacturing, testing, and even architecture.
Volatile Metals Market Creates PCB Pricing Headache
04/20/2026 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Market volatility for precious metals is very real. Financial organizations have reported elevated volatility, with record highs and steep corrections; in 2025 alone, gold has increased by over 60%, silver over 120%, and copper over 35%. Each is a critical raw material used in electronics manufacturing, where pricing is already fraught for business owners and their customers due to tariff uncertainty and a critical supply chain that resides mostly in China. The volatility of precious metals markets adds yet another layer of complexity for manufacturers, pushing up raw material costs.
Nortech Systems Launches Power over Fiber Technology Platform for EMI-Sensitive Applications
04/08/2026 | Globe NewswireNortech Systems Incorporated, a leading provider of design and manufacturing solutions for complex electromedical devices and electromechanical systems, has announced the launch of its Power over Fiber technology platform.
Flexible Thinking: Designing Flex Circuits for Dynamic Reliability
04/09/2026 | Joe Fjelstad -- Column: Flexible ThinkingFlex circuits flex. No surprises there. However, they are also very commonly designed into products because they are thin and offer consistent thickness and dielectric properties, attributes highly prized by present-day product designers of personal electronics. This would include smartphones and, increasingly, wearable electronics for medical monitoring and even fashion.
Understanding Tolerances in Flexible Circuit Design
04/01/2026 | Chris Clark, Flexible Circuit TechnologiesThe challenge with cumulative tolerances is meeting the dimensional requirements for items dimensioned on a drawing or specification for a flexible or rigid-flex circuit. It is critical to understand the fabrication processes and how features are defined when creating your tolerance requirements.