New IPC Report Details How PCB Makers Address Tech Trends

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

PCB Technology Trends 2014, a global biennial study published this month by IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries, is now available. The survey-based study shows how PCB manufacturers are meeting today’s technology demands and looks at the changes expected by 2019 that will affect PCB fabricators and their suppliers of materials and equipment.

Based on data collected from 158 companies worldwide, the 173-page PCB technology trends study presents the aggregate data segmented by application for five key segments: computers and telecommunications, consumer electronics, industrial and automotive electronics, medical electronics, and military and aerospace electronics.

The study covers such issues as: clock speed, heat dissipation, operation cycles, product life expectancy, environmental operating range, lamination cycles, board thickness, layer counts, line width and spacing, via diameters, aspect ratios, use of embedded technologies, surface-mount land dimensions, I/O pitch, test density, recyclable content, component size, and numbers of leads, solder joints and components per board area.

Among the many interesting findings, the study reports that nearly half of the responding PCB manufacturers for computer and telecommunications applications expect their highest clock speeds in 2019 to exceed 25 gigahertz. This segment had the highest clock speed predictions. The military and aerospace segment reported that heat dissipation is a design-limiting factor in half of their devices currently, which is the highest of the five applications studied, and they expect that percentage to rise in the next four years. More than one-third of responding companies in the military and aerospace segment are currently embedding passive components in their boards. Embedding of passive and active components is expected to increase substantially by 2019 for all five applications studied.

PCB Technology Trends 2014 is available free to companies that participated in the survey. Other companies may purchase the report by visiting IPC’s online store. The price for IPC members is $675 and $1,350 for nonmembers. For more information or to purchase the report, click here.

About IPC

IPC is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 3,600 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $2 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore and New Delhi, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China.