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July 2nd, 2025
News and Resources for PCB Design, Fab and Assembly Professionals Subscribe •  Advertise •  PCD&F •  Circuits Assembly •  Tell A Friend
THE LEAD

Gartner predicts over 40 percent of agentic AI projects will be canceled by 2027, citing high costs, limited ROI and poor risk management despite growing enterprise interest.

California legislators have decided to exempt existing high-tech manufacturing from its landmark environmental bill, fast-tracking semiconductor plant approvals amid backlash from environmental groups.

TECH NEWS

Researchers at Flinders University have developed a sustainable, non-toxic method to extract high-purity gold from ore and electronic waste.

Test Research Inc. launched TR7500 SIII AOI.

PCEA announced that PCB East 2026 will be held at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA, with exhibits on April 29 and a technical conference from April 28 to May 1, reflecting the event’s growth and focus on providing a first-class venue for attendees.

University of Wollongong researchers have achieved a breakthrough in quantum materials by unlocking the quantum anomalous Hall effect using entropy engineering, paving the way for energy-efficient electronics.

PCD&F launched its annual salary survey for PCB designers and engineers to gather industry compensation data.

Kyocera AVX releases DB0402 hybrid couplers.

PCEA has announced the technical program for PCB West 2025, featuring over 125 hours of training and more than 50 sessions, including 30 classes new to the industry-leading tech conference.

Tim Kang of Hanwha Semitech Americas talks pick-and-place machine selection and optimization on the Reliability Matters podcast.

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.

FOCUS ON BUSINESS
Forecasts, fires and false hopes: Are you ignoring the heat?
What do you do when your train is on fire? Imagine you are at a train stop. The train you want to board pulls up and it is on fire. What do you do? Despite early warnings and smoke in the air, some electronics manufacturing services (EMS) companies seem to ignore the looming train fire. The results can be disastrous.

JAKE KULP

Jake Kulp





















BUSINESS NEWS

Kinpo Group is taking a cautious approach as tariff uncertainties cloud customer demand, though it still plans capacity expansions to meet longer-term growth.

Jabil will invest 500M in a North Carolina plant, creating nearly 1,200 jobs to support AI and cloud data centers.

Compal Electronics has completed the first phase of its new automotive electronics manufacturing facility in Poland.

Zollner Elektronik has finalized its full acquisition of Thailand-based Bluechips Microhouse.

Foxconn is prioritizing production of Nvidia's GB300 AI servers, securing major orders as demand surges and AI outpaces smartphones in Taiwan’s supply chain.

Chemring to acquire Landguard Nexus in 25.3M deal to expand secure radio and tracking tech portfolio.

SEMI forecasts a 69 percent surge in advanced chipmaking capacity by 2028, driven by AI demand, with 2nm and below nodes seeing over 120 percent investment growth.

TCL expands AI product line across West Africa, launching appliances and TVs in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Burkina Faso.

SEMI and TechSearch International released this year’s Worldwide Semiconductor Assembly & Test Facility Database, now covering 750 global IDM and OSAT sites.

Sharp will sell its smartphone camera module business, including SSTEC, to a Foxconn subsidiary for 15.1M.

Aimtron signs 11.7M ODM agreement with U.S. infrastructure firm to supply advanced electronics systems.

Kitron has secured an 11.8M order to produce military communication products for Europe.

Sierra Space has unveiled a 45M facility dedicated to surface mount technology (SMT) solar arrays, using commercial pick-and-place methods to attach cells to PCBs.

ZTest Electronics has transitioned from OTC Pink Sheets to the OTCID market.

Coherix has launched a dedicated service program for robotic adhesive dispensing systems.

The High Density Packaging User Group adds Lincstech Co., Ltd. as its newest member.

Hanwha Semitech Americas named Jarred Ragard regional sales manager.

BEST PRACTICES
Cloud Collaboration: Avoiding PCB Design Chaos
Before I get into how cloud-based collaboration is transforming PCB design workflows, allow me to paint a fictional example of a scenario where cloud collaboration was not implemented in a PCB flow, leading to costly mistakes and potential damage to industry reputation. 

STEPHEN CHAVEZ

Stephen Chavez






















TECHNICAL ARTICLES


When Do You Need Nitrogen in Reflow?
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY



Non-Line-of-Sight 3D Object Reconstruction via mmWave Surface Normal Estimation
Massachusetts Institute of Technology



Liquid Metal-Vitrimer Conductive Composite for Recyclable and Resilient Electronics
Advanced Materials

EVENTS

June 23-July 21: PCEA Training Certified Printed Circuit Designer CourseOnline
Aug. 4-Sept. 2: PCEA Training Certified Printed Circuit Designer CourseOnline
Sept. 12-Oct. 17: PCEA Training Certified Printed Circuit Designer CourseOnline
Sept. 30-Oct. 2: PCB WestSanta Clara, CA
Oct. 28-30: CPCA Show PlusShanghai
Nov. 3-Dec. 1: PCEA Training Certified Printed Circuit Designer CourseOnline
Dec. 3-5: HKPCA ShowShenzhen


 

BOOK-TO-BILLS/MARKET TRENDS
             Apr. Trend
EMS 1.41 Up
ICs 22.7% Up
PCBs 1.21 Down
Component Sales Sentiment 112.5 Down
Changes are year-over-year.    

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ABOUT

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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