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Beyond the Rulebook
What happens when the rule book is no longer useful, or worse, was never written in the first place? In today’s fast-moving electronics landscape, we’re increasingly asked to design and build what has no precedent, no proven path, and no tidy checklist to follow. This is where “Design for Invention” begins.
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From the growing role of AI in design tools to the challenge of managing cumulative tolerances, these articles in this issue examine the technical details, design choices, and manufacturing considerations that determine whether a board works as intended.
Looking Forward to APEX EXPO 2026
I-Connect007 Magazine previews APEX EXPO 2026, covering everything from the show floor to the technical conference. For PCB designers, we move past the dreaded auto-router and spotlight AI design tools that actually matter.
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PCBAA Wins Summit Silver Award from the American Society of Association Executives
July 18, 2025 | PCBAAEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
PCBAA was one of 38 associations that earned Silver Awards for outstanding contributions for an entry titled: Chips Don’t Float: More Printed Circuit Boards Must be Made in America.
"I am proud of our growing association's outsized impact on legislation and policy in Washington. It is gratifying to have the work we are doing recognized by ASAE," said David Schild, PCBAA executive director.
These prestigious awards celebrate the innovative programs, partnerships, and initiatives that are transforming communities, advancing industries, and improving lives.
The judges chose us for the results we have achieved.
- White House Support: Because of our sustained communication and lobbying activity, the President of the U.S. designated PCBs as a critical national security technology under the Defense Production Act in 2022.
- Legislation: PCBAA helped draft language appearing in the 2021 and subsequent years’ National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) directing the Pentagon to remove microelectronics made in restricted nations from the defense Industrial base supply chain.
- Funding for PCBs: Since the campaign launch, member companies have been awarded more than $118m from the DoD to produce advanced PCBs.
- Signature PCB Legislation Introduced in the House: In 2022, Congressman Blake Moore and Anna Eshoo introduced HR 3249 the Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates (PCBS) Act which called for an investment program similar to the CHIPS Act for American PCBs. PCBAA helped write the language for this bill which was reintroduced in 2023, 2024 and will again be introduced in 2025. The bill did not pass but accumulated dozens of supporters on both sides of the aisle and raised the visibility of PCBs as a critical technology that should be made in America.
- Defense Investments: In 2023, PCBAA lobbying drove action by the House Armed Services Committee to direct the Secretary of Defense to prioritize investments in American made microelectronics including PCBs.
- Media Impact: A program of Opinion Editorials in newspapers around the country raised the profile of PCBs. See attached summary of Op Eds. Media outreach generated broadcast and other media coverage.
The Summit Awards will be presented at ASAE’s annual Summit Awards Dinner on September 25, 2025, at the iconic National Building Museum in Washington, DC.
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Simon Khesin - Schmoll MaschinenSuggested Items
Punching Out: How Are the Big Boys in Electronics Doing?
05/12/2026 | Tom Kastner -- Column: Punching Out!Let’s see what the public companies are up to in the PCB and EMS industries. In North America, there are only a couple of publicly traded PCB companies: TTM Technologies and Firan Technology Group. On the EMS side, there are a few more: Flex, Jabil, Celestica, Sanmina,, Benchmark, Fabrinet, Kimball Electronics, Plexus Corp, Nortech Systems, and Key Tronic Corp. From an M&A standpoint, these public companies have been fairly quiet in the past five years. FTG completed two deals in 2022 (IMI and Holaday), Flex had three deals, Jabil had five deals, and Sanmina had one deal.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
05/08/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007This week, I’ve selected some outstanding interviews that you’ll want to take note of. First, is a roundtable discussion featuring three dynamic industry cybersecurity experts. Please watch this important discussion that affects us all. Following that, I spotlight the IPC-2581 Consortium, which explains why IPC-2581 is the standard to replace Gerber data for manufacturing. Next, I am including my interview with PCBAA and AAM, who collaborated to release a short documentary on U.S. PCB manufacturing.
A Necessary Shift From Gerber to IPC-2581
05/07/2026 | Tracy Riggan, Global Electronics AssociationIPC-2581 is an open, vendor-neutral data exchange standard developed by the Global Electronics Association to streamline the exchange of PCB design information across fabrication, assembly, and test. It replaces multiple legacy formats—including industry standards, Gerber, and ODB++—with a single, comprehensive, XML-based dataset that captures all manufacturing details.
ViaSat-3 F3 Satellite Successfully Launches from Kennedy Space Center
05/04/2026 | BoeingBoeing mission controllers confirmed that the ViaSat-3 F3 (VS-3 F3) satellite is healthy in orbit following its successful launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at 10:13 a.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
Microchip Expands Post-Quantum Root of Trust Controllers
04/29/2026 | MicrochipAs the industry embarks on the transition to post‑quantum cryptography (PQC), Microchip Technology is expanding its portfolio of Trust Shield, PQC‑ready devices with the TS1800 Platform Root of Trust controller and the TS50x secure boot controller.