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November 5th, 2025
News and Resources for PCB Design, Fab and Assembly Professionals Subscribe •  Advertise •  PCD&F •  Circuits Assembly •  Tell A Friend
THE LEAD

Migration and mergers, new designs, smarter factories and expanding markets. Chip and wafer shipments are climbing and Japan’s PCB demand is accelerating.

TECH NEWS

Chinese PCB exhibitors emphasized progress in CoWoP packaging technologies, while Taiwanese makers centered discussions on copper-clad laminate shortages and AI-driven material demand.

EIPC is calling for abstracts for its Winter Conference on February 3–4 in France.

ORNL, Nvidia and HPE will build a hybrid quantum–classical testbed at Oak Ridge, using Nvidia NVQLink and CUDA-Q tools to explore quantum integration with AI and HPC.

Fraunhofer IIS is advancing mobile biosignal sensing using miniaturized boards, wireless nodes and synchronized data acquisition to enable AI-driven cognitive-load monitoring.

Solderstar introduces the WaveShuttle O₂ verification tool.

Mek introduces ISO-Spector X1 3D THT AOI system.

The November issue of PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY is live, featuring insights on outsourcing product design, advanced thermal management, consumer trends shaping future design strategies and more.

PCB West 2026 will take place Sept. 29–Oct. 2 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, with booth registration opening today for returning exhibitors.

PCB West 2025 reported a 3.5 percent year-over-year attendance increase, drawing a strong international crowd to its Santa Clara conference and exhibition.

Circuits Assembly opened entries for its 2026 NPI Awards, recognizing innovations in electronics assembly equipment, material and software.

Looking for networking opportunities? Join the PCEA Discord server, bringing together engineers and designers from around the world on a private channel for discussing technical questions and career opportunities.

BOARD BUYING
Again I’m Asking: Where Are All the PCB Youngbloods?
Where are all the PCB youngbloods? Why aren’t young men and women entering the industry in the numbers they did in the past? I asked these questions several years ago, and the situation has improved slightly since. But not enough.

GREG PAPANDREW

Greg Papandrew





















BUSINESS NEWS

Global semiconductor sales rose 15.8 percent in the third quarter compared to the previous quarter, reaching 208.4B.

Japan’s PCB market is gaining momentum as consumer electronics, 5G rollout and IoT growth increase demand for high-density, high-performance board technologies.

Samsung has delayed DDR5 contract pricing until mid-November as spot prices continue to surge, with supply pressure driven by cloud service provider spending and AI-related demand.

Foxconn has cut its China-based production footprint from nearly all operations three years ago to about 65 percent today, with expanded capacity in Vietnam, India and Mexico.

The Philippines’ manufacturing PMI rose to 50.1 in October from 49.9 in September.

Global wafer shipments reached 3,313 MSI in the third quarter, a 3.1% year-on-year increase.

Coherix will relocate to a larger Ann Arbor facility by year-end, adding production capacity and new engineering roles.

Source Engineering acquired AimTek, adding tape & reel packaging and SMT component services.

Sanmina is expanding its Fermoy medical facility in north Cork and will add up to 150 jobs across engineering, quality, manufacturing and operations.

DuPont has completed the separation of its electronics business into Qnity Electronics.

Sanmina reported full-year revenue is up 7.4 percent year-over-year.

Fabrinet reported first quarter revenue up 21.6 percent year-over-year to 978M.

AskPCB joined the High Density Packaging User Group.

The European Space Agency has joined the High Density Packaging User Group.

Koh Young Technology named Jeff Lee head of industrial solutions business.

Inspectis named Johan Stormlund marketing and sales manager for industrial applications.

BEST PRACTICES
Why Rigid-Flex PCBs are an Untapped Design Solution
Think of rigid-flex as the ultimate chameleon of circuit boards, seamlessly blending the robust stability of rigid boards with the dynamic flexibility of flexible circuits.

STEPHEN V. CHAVEZ

Stephen V. Chavez






















TECHNICAL ARTICLES

5 Things that Will Haunt Your Plating Tanks this October
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY


Electromigration in Eutectic Gold-Tin (80Au20Sn-wt%) Solder Joints
Journal of Electronic Materials


Printed Circuit Board Substrates Derived from Lignocellulose Nanofibrils for Sustainable Electronics Applications
Scientific Reports


EVENTS

Nov. 3-Dec. 1: PCEA Training Certified Printed Circuit Designer CourseOnline
Nov. 12: PCB CarolinaRaleigh, NC
Nov. 18-21: ProductronicaMunich
Dec. 3-5: HKPCA ShowShenzhen
Feb. 3-4, 2026: EIPC Winter ConferenceAix-en-Provence/Marseille, France
Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27, Mar. 6: Certified Printed Circuit Design Training, Online
Apr. 28-May 1: PCB East 2026Worcester, MA
May 26-29, 2026: IEEE Electronic Components and Technology ConferenceOrlando, FL
June 9-11: ZIW Americas 2026Dallas, TX
June 15-16: PCB Detroit 2026Detroit, MI
Sept. 29-Oct. 2: PCB West 2026Santa Clara, CA


 

BOOK-TO-BILLS/MARKET TRENDS
             Sept. Trend
EMS 1.31 Up
Semiconductors         15.3% Up
PCBs 0.92 Down
Component Sales Sentiment 113.2 Down
Changes are year-over-year.    

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PCB Update is a digital newsletter for PCB design, fabrication and assembly professionals, brought to you by Printed Circuit Engineering Association™. E-mail industry press releases or links to the editors of CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY or PCD&F: pr@pcea.net.


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