Latest Articles

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

The year is off to a roaring start across the globe, but especially in the U.S. We’ll all be carefully watching the changes in policy, legislation, and enforcement coming out of Washington D.C., in the coming weeks and months. One thing is clear, though. No matter what your opinions or political affiliations are, things will change. That said, it is impossible to look at last week’s news and draw any conclusions about how everything will equilibrate in the end. Frankly, it’s just too soon for that sort of analysis. In the meantime, here are last week’s five top stories. If you’ve read nothing else about the industry this week, read these.

The Future of Electronics Manufacturing in APAC

The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is solidifying its leadership in electronics manufacturing, fueled by significant new investments from global industry leaders. This growth is driven by surging demand for high-performance components in key sectors like AI, autonomous vehicles, and sustainable energy, making strategic innovation in semiconductors and advanced electronics essential. APAC's strong supply chains further enhance its appeal to investors.

U.S. Work Visas Demystified

The H-1B visa has been a long-time friend of the U.S. technology and manufacturing sectors. It allows companies to bring high-level talent from other countries or transition university students with student visas over to the workforce. This is a boon for U.S. public diplomacy while providing a deeper talent pipeline for fulfilling U.S. workforce needs.

Building a Manufacturing Career at DIS

Ryan Moore, 27, and Emily Telesca, 31, are two millennials who share their unique perspectives on building a career in the manufacturing industry. With backgrounds ranging from computer science to military service, they highlight the fulfilling nature of their roles and the sense of camaraderie within the company. Their stories illuminate the opportunities available in manufacturing, especially for a younger generation seeking meaningful work.

Bridging Career Pathways in Electronics

Dr. Lisa Burns is the career and technical education (CTE) coordinator at Fremont Unified School District in California, where several middle and high schools are participating in Project Lead the Way, a specialized curriculum involving partnerships among schools, industry, and higher education. Having a career in tech before moving into education, Lisa has maintained that passion as she now works with industry partners to integrate educational curriculum with hands-on projects, mentorships, and internships.

I-Connect007 Editor's Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

This week’s round-up includes a variety of valuable articles, columns, and news items, focusing on the future of the industry, global markets, and more. Don’t forget to peruse our latest book, The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to... More Secrets of High-Speed PCBs, by Martyn Gaudion of Polar Instruments.  I hope to see you at DesignCon! 

The Promising Future for CEE PCB in Thailand

Tom Yang, CEO of CEE PCB, understands the importance of collaboration between U.S. and Chinese fabricators. He believes that to understand the current political and economic conditions between the two countries, we must maintain a level of international business cooperation. In this interview, we discuss market conditions under a new U.S. administration, how companies like CEE are responding to potential changes, and CEE’s strategic move into Thailand.

I-Connect007 Editor's Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

We’re even more committed to being your best source for industry news and tips and tricks of the trade. To that end, I’m sharing my favorite news items of the week. They range from reports on quarterly earnings to Dan Feinberg’s coverage of CES and some harsh reality from marketing expert Dan Beaulieu. If you missed it on Monday, be sure to read it again here. It’s well worth your time.

NAMICS Brings Innovative Thermoset Materials to PCB Fabrication

At PCB Carolina, Matt Lake and Ken Araujo of NAMICS Technologies spoke with Andy Shaughnessy about the introduction of an innovative thermoset material to PCB fabrication. This groundbreaking material, originally developed for the semiconductor packaging industry, addresses a longstanding demand for unreinforced thermoset films that enhance dielectric properties in PCB applications and allow for manufacturing the very finest of features, 0.002" and below.

Hot Off the Press: Explore the New Issue of IPC Community

The latest digital copy of IPC Community is now ready to view. Each quarter, IPC Community provides exclusive interviews and practical tips on what’s happening with IPC and its members. Find stories on IPC student leadership, successful women in business, the trouble with tariffs, the inside workings on an IPC mentorship duo, standards updates, and so much more.

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

In the past couple of weeks, we’ve had some big industry news. In the automotive world, Honda and Nissan merged to form the largest car manufacturer in Japan. Before President Biden left office, he made sure to distribute more CHIPS Act money to bring some measure of electronics manufacturing back to the U.S. And former President Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100 and was honored on Thursday, reminding us all what true integrity looks like. 

Data Paints a Picture—Can You See It?

Andrew Kelley is CTO of Xact PCB, a company founded by engineers with firsthand experience in PCB fabricators. Xact PCB has developed a cutting-edge system to monitor and predict the registration of inner layers through advanced registration control systems. By leveraging data collected from various production stages, Xact PCB’s GX tool enhances precision. It minimizes errors, ensuring that the final products meet their customers' exact specifications while eliminating the need for costly pilot lots.

Expansion, Retirement, and New Leadership at FCT

In the dynamic landscape of interconnect solutions, Flexible Circuit Technology (FCT) is making waves through significant leadership changes and expansion initiatives. Vice President Carey Burkett, newly appointed executive vice president Ray Cottrell, and marketing director Abby Meyer share their vision for steering the company toward innovative growth. FCT has a robust focus on diverse markets such as medical, automotive, consumer electronics, and HDI (high density interconnect). They are accelerating FCT’s mission to provide exceptional value and service to customers throughout the product lifecycle.

Welcome to the Newest I-Connect007 Columnist Prashant Patel

The American PCB industry is on the brink of transformation, and at the forefront of this evolution is Prashant Patel, the visionary founder and president of Alpha Circuit. In his groundbreaking new column, Facing the Future, Patel invites readers to journey with him into the future—one year, five years, and even three decades ahead. This isn’t just another industry column; it’s a blueprint for what’s to come in North America’s PCB sector.

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Top Five New Year's Resolutions for 2025

The diet starts tomorrow! At least that’s what Americans say on New Year’s Day.  But it turns out that losing weight is not the No. 1 New Year’s resolution in the United States. For this week’s list, I checked with Statista Consumer Insights, a company that tracks statistics of all kinds. Here, then, are the Top Five New Year’s resolutions made by American adults heading into 2025. 

BOOK EXCERPT: The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to... High Performance Materials, Chapter 4

In Chapter 4, Michael Gay discusses the two main types of copper foil used for PCB boards today: electrodeposited (ED) foil and rolled annealed (RA) foil. He also explains the pros and cons of each, and provides an update of the latest innovations in copper foil technology.

Happy New Year From I-Connect007 

As I-Connect007 observes the New Year’s Day holiday, we also wish you and yours a prosperous new year. We will be back covering the news of the industry tomorrow, January 2, 2025, according to the Gregorian calendar.

IPC Hall of Fame Spotlight Series: Highlighting Gene Weiner

Over the years, IPC members who have contributed significantly to IPC and our industry have been awarded with the IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award. Though many early HOF members have passed away and are unknown to today’s IPC membership, their contributions still resonate. Over the coming months, I look forward to researching and reporting on IPC Hall of Fame members and their contributions. This month, I highlight Gene Weiner.

Does China Plus One Really Make a Difference? (Part 2)

In this article, we consider the industrial regions benefiting from investment outside China, and what all this might mean to manufacturers and their customers. According to Prismark, more than half of the world’s $70 billion printed circuit boards were manufactured in China in 2023 (Figure 1). When you add Taiwan-headquartered companies to the huge manufacturing capacities in Mainland China, two-thirds of all PCBs are manufactured in greater China.

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Read ‘Ugly Sweaters’ of the Week

In commemoration of the holiday week, we look at what has become a popular tradition in both the U.S. and England: the ugly Christmas sweater. This fabulous tradition has grown in recent years to encompass not only ugly sweaters but sweatshirts, cardigans (a type of sweater), pajamas, and even headgear. For the sake of simplicity (and far too many options from which to choose), we will stick with sweaters. As we round the bend on Christmas 2024, wade halfway into Hannukah, and look toward the New Year, let’s relish “the ugly.”

Revolutionizing Inner Layer Registration

In this interview with Anthony (Tony) Faraci, founder and president of DIS, we delve into enhancing inner layer accuracy and yields, pivotal to boosting profitability in the circuit board industry. Tony has extensive experience in the development of tooling technology over the decades, which ultimately led to his founding DIS. From his beginnings at Multiline to tackling the challenges of registration accuracy, Tony's insights clearly lay out the complexities of modern manufacturing and the innovations in shaping the future of inner layer registration.

Merry Christmas from I-Connect007!

Though a modern Christmas typically brings to mind vivid images of a jolly Santa Clause, excited children opening gifts on Christmas morning, and huge feasts on festive looking holiday tables, the great holidays in every culture and religious tradition comes with an interesting historical context. 

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

Hey, wait a minute, this is the lead-up to the penultimate holiday week, so why is the news cycle so busy? Normally, this period of time—what with all the holiday distraction—is when companies either go quiet or publish press releases covering those throwaway news items. Instead, this week brought in so much important news that I had to be quite discerning in my choices. Newsletter subscribers definitely got a lot of news this week. 

The Effects of Copper on a Transmission Line

As technology advances, our substrates become increasingly smaller, and chip technology has progressed to where HDI and UHDI are household terms. Ten years ago, this new design architecture would strike fear in the hearts of any plating engineer. Unfortunately, North American and European manufacturing has lagged due to excessive offshoring of commercial and some high-reliability product lines. Fortunately, most of the military and aerospace product has remained controlled. But in doing so, the designs utilized by the mil/aero and medical sectors’ reliability lines were corralled into the manufacturing capabilities of the North American and European providers.

Statistically Testing Inner Layer Yield Improvement Projects 

Can we trust our measurement system to give us reliable data? Is it accurate, repeatable, and reproducible? Measurement is the foundation of quality. We measure for two primary reasons: to make decisions on product quality and to provide data that will inform continuous improvement projects. We can engage in continuous improvement projects if we are confident in our measurement systems.
Subscribe | Magazines | RealTime with | JobConnect007 | Education | Webinars
Copyright © 2025 I-Connect007 | IPC Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. Log in