The Right Approach: The Pros and Cons of PCB Vertical Integration
American Made Advocacy: PCBAA’s Fifth Annual Meeting—Growing Membership and Valuable Relationships
It's Only Common Sense: Why the Best Years of Electronics Are Still Ahead of Us
Latest Articles
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
In this week’s top five must-reads, I chose articles that go from big business questions (to diversify or not), to important technical issues such as DFM errors made in creating HDI designs using ELIC and design for test, to a discussion around some of the power and thermal considerations in advanced packaging, and the fact that they are now, firmly, performance enablers, not after-the-fact elements to be managed in fabrication.
Circularity for A Resilient Supply Chain, PFAS, and More
As governments around the world take a closer look at PFAS and other sustainability issues, electronics manufacturers face an increasingly complex regulatory landscape. In part 2 of this interview, Dr. Diana Radovan, sustainability policy director at the Global Electronics Association, shares insights on emerging PFAS policies, circularity efforts, and the global conversations shaping the industry's future.
Beyond Recycling: A Circularity Approach for a Truly Resilient Electronics Supply Chain
Dr. Diana Radovan, director of sustainability policy and sustainability advocacy lead at the Global Electronics Association, has been at the center of some of the electronics industry's most consequential policy discussions, from the European Parliament in Brussels to sustainability summits in Germany and circularity conferences across Europe. With the European Union's landmark Circular Economy Act moving closer to reality and updates to PFAS regulations, she has been ensuring that the voice of the electronics industry is heard. In this interview, she discusses what's coming, why it matters, why true circularity extends far beyond recycling, and what policymakers still need to do to enable it.
From Prototype to Product: Why E-Textile Standards Matter
Imagine a neonatal monitoring wrap used in a hospital to track an infant’s vital signs during transport between units. It looks and feels like a soft textile. But embedded within it are conductive pathways, sensors, interconnections and electronics that must perform in a critical moment. If the product fails, the issue is not simply a garment defect or an electronics defect. It could affect clinical decision-making. That is what makes e-textiles so promising and so challenging.
Beyond the Board: Diversification as Strategy
Are the days of simply building boards and shipping them out the door coming to an end? For PCB fabricators and electronics manufacturers alike, diversification is moving from a growth strategy to one of survival. Supply chain disruptions, geopolitical uncertainty, tariff fluctuations, and accelerating technology cycles are forcing companies to rethink how they create value for customers. At Flexible Circuit Technologies (FCT), that has meant expanding beyond world-class flex circuit manufacturing into assembly, vertical integration, and a growing global footprint.
Electronics Hiring Is a Precision Problem
Manufacturers across the electronics industry continue to report the same challenge: How do I find qualified people? At first glance, this appears to be a labor shortage, but the data reveals a more nuanced story. According to Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, the U.S. manufacturing sector will need approximately 3.8 million new workers between 2024 and 2033. Without significant improvements in workforce development and recruitment, an estimated 1.9 million of those positions could go unfilled.
DFM Mistakes Designers Make When Moving to ELIC
The transition from HDI to every layer interconnect (ELIC) is where the DFM gap between design intent and fabrication reality is most visible. Several common misconceptions appear consistently in the data packages we review at ASC. The most common ELIC design mistake mirrors what we generally see in first-time UHDI builds: using process minimums everywhere because they appear on a capability chart. In ELIC, this is especially consequential. If only one region truly requires aggressive geometry, say, a fine-pitch BGA escape, the rest of the design should preserve margin. Relaxing non-critical areas makes the overall build more manufacturable without sacrificing the dense region that drives the stackup.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
The Pentagon’s announcement on Tuesday that CMMC certification is being immediately suspended is the big news of the week. We’ve been covering the CMMC journey since the beginning, and we’ll stick with the story for the duration. If you’ve followed my list of must-reads, you know that I’m always interested in semiconductor news, and this week had a few good ones. I’ll mention them here, and urge you to read the entire stories: Apple adds to the recent Intel fab agreement by adding to its U.S.-based design and manufacturing agreement with Broadcom; Micron is investing $3 billion to the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem; and Intel announces a 5 billion euro investment in European infrastructure.
Why Principal Mineral Bought Isola: The Vision Behind the Acquisition
With a mission focused on strengthening domestic capacity for strategic minerals and materials critical to national security, energy, AI, defense, and next-generation manufacturing, Principal Mineral is working to address some of the most urgent vulnerabilities in today’s supply chain. Its recent acquisition of Isola Group adds a major electronics materials platform to that portfolio. In this interview, Principal Mineral cofounders Adam Johnson, CEO, and Wes Spurlock, COO, discuss why Isola matters and what it will take to rebuild resilient U.S. supply chains at an industrial scale.
July I-Connect007 Magazine: Business Diversification and Display Electronics
This month's I-Connect007 Magazine explores two critical challenges facing today's electronics industry: how PCB fabricators can build more resilient businesses through strategic diversification, and how PCB designers can successfully tackle the unique demands of modern display electronics.
An Update on the Printed Circuit Board and Substrates Act
Momentum continues to build in Washington for legislation aimed at strengthening America's PCB industry. With companion House and Senate bills now in play, growing bipartisan support for domestic manufacturing, and key defense-related regulations advancing, the policy landscape remains active for the U.S. electronics manufacturing base. The Printed Circuit Board Association of America has been heavily involved in those advocacy efforts. In this exclusive audio interview, Executive Director David Schild discusses the latest developments surrounding the Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates Act, the significance of recent progress on Capitol Hill, and how he’s keeping the industry involved in the advocacy process.
Does Your Dual-Use Product Require an Export License?
In my previous article, I discussed the importance of classifying products as defence, dual-use, or civil. Once a product has been classified as dual-use, the next challenge is to determine whether it requires an export license. When a product is identified as dual-use, many companies become uncertain about how to proceed because they are unfamiliar with these regulations and lack the required routines and procedures to identify, handle, and structure internal procurement, sales, and marketing.
Power Delivery, AI Infrastructure, and Materials Innovation: What’s Ahead in the Next Issue of Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest
The upcoming issue of Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest examines three areas where packaging technology is increasingly defining system performance: power delivery for AI accelerators, the rapid expansion of AI data centers, and the growing importance of substrate materials in high-reliability electronics. Together, these features explore how packaging decisions influence performance, reliability, and long-term scalability across the electronics ecosystem.
Meet the Author Podcast: Exploring the Growing Role of UV Curable Conformal Coatings with Dow
UV curable conformal coatings are gaining momentum for good reason. Faster processing, simplified manufacturing, and improved reliability have made the technology an attractive option for electronics manufacturers looking to improve production without sacrificing performance. In the latest Meet the Author podcast from I-Connect007, Managing Editor Nolan Johnson welcomes Brian J. Chislea and Cody Schoener, PhD, of Dow, Inc. to discuss their new book, The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to... UV Curable Conformal Coatings.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
This week, I’ve been enjoying time with all my young adult children and our 2-year-old grandson. He is a bundle of energy, curiosity, opinions, and above all else, joy. Little children are constant reminders to stop and appreciate all the beauties of life in their most simplest form. I think that’s one reason Dan Beaulieu’s column this week resonated with me so much. Life is serious, business is serious, solving problems is serious. But how we approach these parts of our lives matters. Dan reminds us that we can do important work with joy. Strong businesses recognize that culture is a strategic asset, not a nice-to-have. People perform better when they find purpose and satisfaction in what they do.
Nomenil Aims to Make Additive Manufacturing Production-Ready
Can additive manufacturing finally move beyond niche applications and into mainstream PCB production? Nomenil founders Bas Le Grand and Dr. Luca Gautero believe the answer lies not in the hardware, but in the software. Drawing on years of inkjet experience, they're developing tools designed to make additive manufacturing more predictable, scalable, and accessible for manufacturers.
A Case Study in Conquering High Aspect Ratio Features
As demand for high-performance electronics is further driven by advances in AI and machine learning, the importance of high aspect ratio (HAR) through-holes in PCBs and IC substrates has become increasingly apparent. These vias play a vital role in enabling vertical interconnections in complex circuit architectures, especially within HDI structures, where maximizing space and enhancing electrical performance are crucial.
Our Offices Are Closed Today in Observance of Independence Day
This year's celebration is especially meaningful as the United States marks its 250th anniversary, a milestone that recognizes two and a half centuries since the Signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. While the official national semiquincentennial is being commemorated throughout this anniversary year, today offers an opportunity to reflect on the ideals that have shaped the country and inspire its future.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
Today is a holiday in the U.S., the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the document that launched the 13 British colonies on the path to becoming an independent country. The news, however, continues regardless of the day or the country being celebrated. Here are my top picks for the week. This week, I’m drawing attention to three news items on the shifting component supply chain balance. I’ve also selected the July issue of SMT007 Magazine on setup time optimization, and Steph Chavez’s column on digital twins.
Every Layer Interconnect: The Promise, the Pain, and the Practical Limits
Every layer interconnect (ELIC) is an architectural statement about how a PCB is built, signaling a fundamental shift in how we think about routing density, vertical interconnect, and the relationship between design and fabrication. To understand what ELIC solves, you have to understand what it replaces. Traditional HDI construction uses a rigid core with sequential build-up layers on one or both sides:configurations such as 2-4-2 or 3-2-3.
Base Material Properties and Microvia Reliability
The drive toward higher circuit density is challenging PCB manufacturers and their supply chains alike, with base materials as a critical foundation for complex designs. HDI designs present specific challenges and requirements for these materials, but given the myriad possible designs and applications, there is no optimal “one size fits all” material. Perhaps the most challenging HDI designs are those that use stacked vs. staggered microvias, with the number of layers of stacked microvias and the pitch between them as critical variables.
Book Excerpt: The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to... UV Curable Conformal Coatings, Chapter 3
Qualifying conformal coatings ensures electronic assemblies remain reliable, safe, and durable in harsh environments. Standards such as IPC-CC-830, MIL, IEC, and UL verify performance. Unqualified coatings risk failure, electrical breakdown, recalls, and safety hazards. Rigorous qualification protects product integrity, customer safety, and brand reputation.
Where Is Direct Imaging Headed?
At the 2026 EIPC Summer Conference in Lithuania, Dennis Pusch, sales and business development manager for direct imaging at Schmoll Maschinen, examined the latest developments in UV light source technologies and the real-world trade-offs manufacturers must consider. If you're evaluating an imaging system upgrade or simply want to understand where the technology is headed, this interview is well worth your time.
Building Better HDI Boards: Driving Quality Through Lamination
All4-PCB, a technology-focused supplier serving the PCB, IC substrate, chemical milling, and LTCC markets, works with manufacturers across North America to deliver equipment, materials, and process solutions that address the lamination challenges of HDI, advanced packaging, and complex multilayer designs. Under the leadership of Managing Director Ralph Jacobo, the company has continued expanding its support for advanced electronics manufacturing operations.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
Amid AI, automation, advanced manufacturing, and an increasingly uncertain global business climate, our industry is moving at an electric pace. My must-reads for this week explore some of the ideas and technologies that help us keep up with so much change. Tom Kastner reminds us why staying focused may be one of the most valuable business skills, especially when navigating mergers and acquisitions. From Lithuania, robotics expert Aurelijus Beleckis makes a compelling case that automation is no longer just about ROI; it may be the key to long-term survival...
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