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Driving Precision: All4-PCB’s Push for Smarter Inspection and Better Boards
April 17, 2026 | Real Time with... APEX EXPOEstimated reading time: 1 minute
At APEX EXPO 2026, all4-PCB's booth stayed busy until the very end. In this interview, Managing Director Ralph Jacobo highlights what he sees as strong market momentum in North America driven by increased demand for advanced PCB manufacturing technologies. He emphasizes investments in multilayer lamination, propelled by AI infrastructure, aerospace, and HDI complexity, where precision and uniformity are critical. Jacobo also discusses growing interest in improved AOI technologies, underscoring All4-PCB’s role in enabling factory automation through integrated equipment solutions, helping manufacturers address labor shortages while improving efficiency, yield, and scalability.
APEX EXPO 2026 has concluded successfully. If you couldn’t make it to the show, don’t worry, the I-Connect007 team has coverage of the entire week’s events. Watch your inbox on Fridays over the next several weeks for our complete coverage, delivered directly to your inbox, or visit Real Time with… APEX EXPO 2026 now for video interviews with the movers and shakers of the electronics industry.
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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.
Is China Plus One Still Happening in the PCB Industry?
04/28/2026 | Manfred Huschka, Manfred Huschka Management Consulting (Shenzhen) Ltd.For much of the past five years, China Plus One has been shorthand for supply-chain diversification: reducing dependency on mainland China by adding manufacturing capacity elsewhere in Asia. In the PCB industry, however, in early 2026, it is more nuanced. It looks less like a clean geographic shift and more like a layered, capital-intensive rebalancing of global capacity, one that still leaves China deeply embedded at the center.