Latest Articles

Will This PCB Material Still Be Available in 30 Years?

One of the most common questions I receive from aerospace and defense customers has nothing to do with dielectric constant, dissipation factor, or thermal performance. Instead, the conversation often starts with a simple question: "If we design this material into our platform today, will it still be available in 30 years?"

Follow the Story: The Chemistry Behind PCB Fabrication

Many of the decisions that shape reliability, yield, sustainability, and cost happen long before a board reaches final inspection. The choice of metallization process, surface finish, water treatment strategy, or etching approach can significantly impact manufacturing outcomes. Here are four articles worth revisiting that tackle different aspects of the same conversation: the chemistry and processes behind modern PCB manufacturing.

I-Connect007 Magazine Examines the Balance Between Innovation and Proven Practice

The debate between old school and new school thinking has existed throughout every era of technological advancement. In the June 2026 issue of I-Connect007 Magazine, we examine how that debate is playing out across today's PCB design, fabrication, and manufacturing landscape.

The European PCB and Electronics Industries Score a Major Win in Chips 2.0 Milestone

Anyone who has spent time in the PCB industry knows the frustration: electronics policy discussions often begin and end with semiconductors. Yet chips don't function in a vacuum, and increasingly, policymakers are beginning to recognize that reality. In what many consider a landmark moment for the European electronics ecosystem, the proposed Chips Act 2.0 broadens its scope to include electronics manufacturing and explicitly identifies printed circuit boards as a strategic technology. I caught up with Alison James to talk about the significance of this milestone, the years of advocacy behind it, and what comes next as the legislation moves through the European Union's complex approval process.

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

It’s nearly the summer solstice, and here in the Pacific Northwest, the changing of the seasons will be like walking through a door. This week, while it’s still spring, we’ve been trudging through daytime highs of barely 60°F (15°C) with weather cells bringing rain squalls, thunderstorms, or gale-force winds. Next week, just as we approach the start of Summer, we’ll be sweltering near 100°F (38°C). So, while I wear a jacket at my desk today, in just a few days I’ll be wearing summer gear. I take this as a gentle reminder to always plan for the short term and the long term simultaneously.

Three Reasons Manufacturers Are Turning to UV Curable Conformal Coatings

Manufacturers are under increasing pressure to improve reliability while reducing production costs, energy use, and environmental impact. For companies that rely on conformal coatings to protect electronic assemblies from moisture, dust, chemicals, and other environmental hazards, UV-curable technologies are a compelling alternative to traditional coating processes.

Getters, Thermal Management, and High-Reliability Packaging: What’s Ahead in the Next Issue of Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest

The upcoming issue of Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest explores several technologies shaping the future of advanced packaging, from maintaining stable environments inside hermetic packages to managing heat in increasingly complex 3D architectures. The issue also examines packaging innovations for aerospace, defense, and automotive applications, as well as broader connections between semiconductor interconnects and the systems they support.

From Dilution to ZLD: Optimizing Used Process Water Management

Last month, we began discussing the journey from dilution to zero liquid discharge. I highlighted that approximately 70% of the used process water (UPW) is generated from the dilute stream. This significant volume underscores the necessity for effective treatment processes that ensure the safe return of water into the production cycle while minimising environmental impact.

BOOK EXCERPT: The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to... UV Curable Conformal Coatings

Chapter 1: Options for Protecting Electronic Assemblies and a Deep Dive into UV Conformal Coatings. Electronics, depending on fit and function, have different protective options including conformal coatings, potting materials, encapsulants, protective enclosures, sealing and gaskets.

Rewriting Metallization, One Ink at a Time

Additive manufacturing has long promised to reshape how electronics are built, but that promise has remained just out of reach for many in the PCB industry who are limited by materials, performance trade-offs, and real-world manufacturability. Electroninks aims to change that equation by rethinking metallization at the chemical level by developing metal-complex inks that challenge established approaches and open new possibilities for advanced packaging, interconnects, and beyond.

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

It’s Friday, the sun is out here in Arizona, and AI is on my mind (and always in the news). So, AI seems like a good place for me to focus this week. My first recommendation for this week is an article I wrote about the e-glass (and copper foil) shortage now plaguing laminate and PCB fabricators as a result of the global market’s very heavy focus on AI-related tech, hardware products, and supporting infrastructure.

Manufacturing Readiness and Scaling Flex–Packaging Integration, Part 4

Parts 1–3 of this series examined the technical foundations, application landscape, and strategic imperatives surrounding the convergence of flexible PCBs and advanced semiconductor packaging. Part 4 turns to the factory floor: What must change in manufacturing processes, equipment, and quality systems to bring this convergence from prototype to production scale?

Five Questions With… Sydney Xiao, President, East Asia Region, Global Electronics Association

AI infrastructure is reshaping the electronics industry, shifting demand from consumer products to high-performance computing systems and driving new opportunities and challenges across the global supply chain. In this edition of “Five Questions With…,” Sydney Xiao highlights the growing importance of talent development, supply chain resilience, collaboration, and standards as companies navigate rapid technological and geopolitical change.

How to Classify Your Product: Is It Defence, Dual-Use, or Civil?

In my previous article, I discussed the importance of documenting and vetting your supply chain. But even the most transparent and controlled supply chain will not protect a company that does not properly classify its product. Sooner or later, every company operating within technology, electronics, aerospace, drones, telecommunications, software, or defence-related manufacturing will face a question that sounds simple, yet it is often difficult to answer: Is your product defence, dual-use, or civil?

My Trip to Schneider Electric: AI, Data, and the Need for More Power

AI is pushing power infrastructure to its limits, and many of those same challenges, particularly around power delivery and heat management, parallel what the electronics industry faces in building and scaling advanced microelectronics. Yet when it comes to AI and hardware, we typically only see a small piece of the total picture. So, when Schneider Electric invited me to tour a modern AI data center still under construction, I jumped at the opportunity. This became a fascinating technical journey I’m excited to share.

The AI Tipping Point: Transforming Global Material Supply Chains

While the AI revolution has the world focused on the promise of solving our most complex challenges, some laminate and PCB fabricators are raising concerns that the high-performance materials used to build AI data centers will gobble up the precious resources needed to produce them. PCB industry expert Mark Goodwin, COO of Ventec International, a laminate and equipment supplier, has expressed his concerns about the critical shortage of glass and copper, which he believes will worsen.

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

This week’s picks all seem to circle around one bigger reality: The electronics industry is rebuilding itself in real time. Whether it’s investing in workforce development, reshaping manufacturing processes, modernizing how we communicate with readers, or strengthening domestic advocacy, there’s a noticeable shift from simply reacting to challenges toward actively building long-term infrastructure.

Direct Metallization: A Strategic Enabler for Advanced PCB Manufacturing

The increasing power and complexity of electronics systems are intensifying the demands on printed circuit boards and IC substrates. Applications that include AI infrastructure, high-performance computing, electric vehicles, and next-generation consumer electronics require higher interconnect density and uncompromising reliability. At the same time, PCB fabricators are navigating a manufacturing environment shaped by supply chain volatility, sustainability mandates, and ongoing cost constraints.

Meet Emerging Engineers Ahmon Brooks-Starks and Nicolas ‘Cole’ Gregory, Summit Interconnect

While attending the Newcomers Reception at APEX EXPO 2026, I visited with Ahmon Brooks-Starks and Nicolas “Cole” Gregory, two new members of the Global Electronics Association’s Emerging Engineer Program. You might be a bit surprised at their backgrounds, but (hint) having a foundation in science has translated well into their jobs at Summit Interconnect.

Don't Buy AI, Learn It: A Fabricator's Guide to Getting Started, Part 1

The first hard truth about AI in PCB fabrication is that you can buy software, but you cannot buy capability. You can sign a contract, schedule demos, put a few logos on a slide, and tell your team you now have an AI strategy. Plenty of companies are doing some version of that right now. But if the people in your plant do not know how to use AI in real work, then your purchase was more akin to buying a gym membership and never going. (Don’t take that as criticism; it’s just how it works.)

Memorial Day Office Closure

Memorial Day is, in my opinion, one of the most meaningful holidays observed in the United States. The holiday began as “Decoration Day,” when communities gathered to place flowers on the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers. Over time, the observance evolved into a national day of remembrance honoring all U.S. military personnel who gave their lives in service to the country. Today, Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May and is recognized as a federal holiday nationwide.

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

It’s been a busy week in the news. I could legitimately have published another five items because there were so many meaningful topics. So, I start with attorney James Kim, who returns to update us on metals tariffs. Brian Chislea and Cody Schoener from Dow recently published a book on UV curable conformal coatings. The Taiwan Printed Circuit Association has launched a PCB-specific AI knowledge base. SEMI FlexTech is seeking proposals for advancing flexible hybrid technologies, and the Global Electronics Association has launched the Global Electronics Policy Council, unifying its advocacy voices.

An Active, Growing PCB Industry Tilts Toward High-Complexity Leaders

Recent PCB market conditions point to an industry that is active and still expanding in important segments. Demand tied to AI infrastructure, servers, high-layer-count multilayer boards, HDI, ADAS, and defense-related programs remains an important driver of the market. These segments are helping sustain momentum even as conditions in other areas remain more mixed. The result is not a uniformly rising market, but one in which enough high-value activity is flowing through to keep much of the industry on a solid footing.

Innovative Flash Copper Plating Technology

The continuous push toward higher functionality, miniaturization, and performance in modern electronic devices—such as smartphones, wearables, and advanced computing platforms—has intensified the demand for high-density interconnect (HDI) printed circuit boards. Central to HDI performance is the reliable formation of blind microvias (BMVs), which serve as critical interlayer connections in modified semi-additive processes (mSAP).

Webinar Review: Europe Moving to Strengthen Defence Industrial Base

Europe is seeking to establish a more sovereign, coordinated, and resilient defense industrial base in response to mounting political pressure, especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, through the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP). Renauld Hock of DG DEFIS outlined the efforts in a webinar last week hosted by the Global Electronics Association. Electronics manufacturers and PCB-related companies will have an opportunity to apply for funding through the program to support specific defense systems by supplying critical enabling components.
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