I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
September 2, 2022 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

The CHIPS Act continues to captivate the attention of industry insiders, as evidenced by the reader interest in our U.S. legislation coverage. When talking with all of you, we hear a wide range of opinion regarding the CHIPS Act funding, ranging from enthusiasm to cynicism—sometimes in the same conversation with the same person. You can expect ongoing coverage as news continues to unfold. Advanced packaging and the CHIPS Act are increasingly being linked together on the printed circuit side of the industry conversation. Perfect timing, then, that IPC is hosting a symposium on advanced packaging October 11-12 in Washington, D.C.
The IPC reports on North American PCB fabrication and EMS industry released this week, and the news is good, but with a veil of caution. Not so much cautionary news from Nano Dimension, however, as evidenced in their announcement this week.
Finally, next Monday, September 6, is the U.S. Labor Day Holiday. We’ll still bring you Monday’s newsletter and track the news of the industry even while the U.S.-based staff pauses to observe the holiday.
A Deeper Look at the CHIPS Act Investment
Published August 29
Where and how will the $52 billion in the CHIPS Act be spent? Who will decide how the funds are allocated? Who will benefit the most from this boost into the microelectronics industry? In this interview with Chris Peters at U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE), we seek a better understanding regarding the implications of funding the CHIPS Act.
Print, Recycle, Repeat: Scientists Demonstrate a Biodegradable Printed Circuit
Published August 31
According to the United Nations, less than a quarter of all U.S. electronic waste gets recycled. In 2021 alone, global e-waste surged at 57.4 million tons, and only 17.4% of that was recycled. Some experts predict that our e-waste problem will only get worse over time. This news item details current research at Berkeley Lab to develop a fully recyclable and biodegradable circuit board.
North American EMS Industry Up 22.7% in July
Published August 26
The performance metrics in the August Industry report align with the experiences and analysis in the September issue of SMT007 Magazine, which has just published. The upshot is that many of the simultaneous economic pressures are beginning to ease, and this easing shows in the numbers.
North American PCB Industry Sales Up 4.5% in July
Published August 26
The PCB fabrication metrics for August suggest that demand is easing for PCB fabrication. Meanwhile, shipments continue strong as backlog is cleared. Going into September and October, it will be interesting to see if this softening in PCB fab demand might also appear further downstream in the EMS metrics. Stay tuned and check back with I-Connect007 to find out.
Nano Dimension Reports 1,268% Revenue Increase in 2Q22
Published September 1
“The efforts of our newly assembled Go-To-Market organization are indeed showing results, manifested by an impressive growth in revenue,” according to Nano’s news this week. “It includes Nano Dimension’s network of marketing, sales, pre and post sales application engineers and customer care engineers across Europe and the U.S. Their efforts are indeed substantial and effective, especially with the occurrences of unforeseen events, especially the slowdown in Europe resulting from the industrial players’ reaction to the evolving war in Ukraine as well as the crisis in electronic components’ supply chain.”
This report discusses the financials behind that 1,268% revenue increase, and to explain how Nano Dimension achieved that growth. If AM and AME components are on your technology roadmap, this makes for good reading.
Suggested Items
Intel Appoints Lip-Bu Tan as Chief Executive Officer
03/13/2025 | Intel CorporationIntel Corporation announced that its board of directors has appointed Lip-Bu Tan, an accomplished technology leader with deep semiconductor industry experience, as chief executive officer, effective March 18.
IMAPS and DPC: 21 Years of Elevating Technical Knowledge
03/13/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007The IMAPS 21st Device Packaging Conference (DPC) may have taken place at a conference center located down an idyllic desert road showcasing the best of what native Arizona has to offer, but the topics at this conference were anything but laid-back. This important platform for professionals in microelectronics and advanced packaging set the stage for a technology in high demand. Brian Schieman, IMAPS executive director, says the show was organized to demonstrate their commitment to addressing current technological trends and with significant energy directed toward fostering connections within the supply chain.
KYZEN Announces the Retirement of Longtime Executive Vice President Tom Forsythe
03/13/2025 | KYZEN'KYZEN, the global leader in innovative environmentally responsible cleaning chemistries, announces the retirement of Tom Forsythe, Executive Vice President, effective December 31, 2024, after more than three decades of service to the company and the electronics manufacturing industry.
Technica USA Celebrates 40 Years of Excellence in Electronics Manufacturing
03/13/2025 | Technica USATechnica USA, a leading provider of materials, equipment, installation, and services for the printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication, PCB Assembly, substrates, MEMS, and semiconductor industries, proudly announces its 40th anniversary in 2025.
INEMI Launches Study of AOI Inspection for Fine Pitch Substrates Seeking Industry Participation
03/11/2025 | iNEMIThe fine lines and spaces of increasingly popular heterogeneous SiP packages, coupled with larger panel sizes and more substrate layers, demand increased capabilities from automated optical inspection (AOI) equipment to accurately detect, characterize and reject true defects without over-rejections.