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April 24th, 2025
News and Resources for PCB Design, Fab and Assembly Professionals Subscribe •  Advertise •  PCD&F •  Circuits Assembly •  Tell A Friend
THE LEAD

Rapidus' effort to mass-produce advanced chips will benefit all sides, said Arvind Krishna, the CEO of IBM, which a partner of the Japanese company.

Beijing recently asked South Korean companies not to export products containing China's rare earth minerals to US defense firms, the Korea Economic Daily reported on Tuesday, citing government and company sources.

TECH NEWS

India may develop angstrom-scale chips using 2D materials, currently under review by MeitY and national science bodies. The project aims to build next-generation semiconductors and reduce dependence on foreign technology.

Yamaha updates YRi-V AOI with 3-D component update.

Registrants for the PCB East exhibition this April will gain access to six free technical sessions from Rick Hartley, Stephen Chavez and Matt Leary, among others, ranging from printed circuit design to fabrication and assembly.

PCB Detroit features the top experts on printed circuit board design, including Rick Hartley, Susy Webb, Dan Beeker, and Stephen Chavez, among others.

Rick Hartley will headline free technical sessions at PCB East on April 30, joining talks on AI, flex design, UHDI, and more. Registration is free through April 29.

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.

ByteSnap debuts SnapPro IQ PCBA test tool.

ECIA kicks off a webinar series on April 23 to address outdated component date code practices; speakers say reform is needed to reduce waste and sourcing issues.

The PCEA San Diego chapter will hold an in-person meeting on April 23 in conjunction with the Del Mar Electronics Show. Presenting will be Marshall Tibbetts, COO, ACI Materials, on soldering of SMDs directly to conductive ink, and John Ranieri, marketing director, Oak-Mitsui Technologies, on impact of ultra-thin laminates on PCB design, signal and power integrity, and EMC.

The PCEA Portland chapter will host John Andresakis of Ohmega-Ticer for our monthly Zoom meeting on April 24. He will speak on embedded resistance.

Master Bond launches UV15-7HP adhesive.

PCB East 2025 sold out the exhibit floor ahead of annual trade show that begins next week, with over 65 companies set to exhibit on April 30 in Boxborough, MA.

Arduino is working on making its popular development boards more eco-friendly, investigating the potential to switching towards a bio-based PCB substrate – as part of a European project dubbed Desire4EU.

Vishay launches surface-mount rectifiers in its low-profile DFN33A package.

IMS launches 20-GHz temperature-variable attenuators.

Rice researchers are investigating the state-of-the-art and specific obstacles present to produce multi-sensory devices that enhance the human capacity for haptic interaction and information transmission.

BOARD BUYING
Taxes v. Tariffs: Which is Better for PCB Investment?
I recently sat with Shane Whiteside, president and CEO of Summit Interconnect, in his capacity as chairman of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America (PCBAA), to discuss the state of the PCB industry and the effects of the additional tariffs currently in place.

GREG PAPANDREW

Greg Papandrew





















BUSINESS NEWS

Foxconn plans to invest more than $26 million in its electric vehicle operations in Ohio, according to a Taiwanese news service.

TrendForce cuts its notebook shipment growth to 1.4% from 3.6%, citing tariff uncertainty and weak demand.

Electronics component sales were stable in March with a slight dip in sentiment, while semiconductors are forecast to recover in April, ECIA said.

Victory Giant Technology broke ground in late March on a new $520 million campus at the Bac Ninh Provincial Industrial Park in northern Vietnam.

Shenzhen Han’s CNC Technology announced this week it plans to seek a listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to enhance its competitiveness in international markets.

Luminovo will host its first US-focused webinar on May 6 to address how tariffs are reshaping EMS industry strategies.

Alphabet reportedly is in discussions with Dixon Technologies and Foxconn to relocate part of Google Pixel smartphone production from Vietnam to India, targeting devices for the US market.

The Association of Electronic Industry Entrepreneurs (Gabel) revealed several electronic product assembly plants in Indonesia have prepared to close operations following the April 8 announcement by President Prabowo Subianto of a plan to revoke the import quota policy and relax the domestic component level.

VVDN Technologies opened its newest SMT facilities in Manesar, Haryana, India.

Innoviz named Fabrinet manufacturing partner its InnovizTwo Lidar product platform.

PCBAIR invested in AI to improve defect prediction in PCB manufacturing, boosting R&D funding to develop machine learning algorithms trained on thermal image datasets.

Semi-Kinetics installed a Totech XSD Series dry storage system.

FOCUS ON BUSINESS
The Uncertainty Factor and Customer Service
2025 is shaping up to be a transformative year for the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry. Tariffs and cuts in government spending influence many EMS providers' planning sessions, creating considerable uncertainty about how these changes impact individual programs and whether customer sourcing strategies will change. One thing is certain: in times of uncertainty, relationships matter.

SUSAN MUCHA

Susan Mucha






















TECHNICAL ARTICLES


What is the Best Material for a High-Speed PCB?
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY



Three-Dimensional Transistors with Two-Dimensional Semiconductors for Future CMOS Scaling
Nature



Reliability Analysis and Parameter Optimisation of Board-Level BGA Packaging Structures under Thermal-Drop Impact Load
Soldering & Surface Mount Technology

EVENTS

April 22-24: NEPCON China 2025Shanghai
April 23: PCEA San Diego Chapter MeetingDel Mar, CA
April 23-24: Del Mar Electronics ShowDel Mar, CA
April 24: SMTA Atlanta Expo & Tech ForumAtlanta
April 24: Zuken Tech TourSan Jose
April 24: PCEA Portland Chapter MeetingOnline
April 29-May 2: PCB EastBoxborough, MA
May 6-9: EIPC/PCEA Design to Fabrication Technical Symposium
Copenhagen, Stockholm and Tallinn
May 9-June 6: PCEA Training Certified Printed Circuit Designer CourseOnline
June 2-3: PCB DetroitDetroit, MI
June 5: Zuken Tech TourDearborn, MI


 

BOOK-TO-BILLS/MARKET TRENDS
             Feb. Trend
EMS 1.33 Up
ICs 17.1% Up
PCBs 1.33 Up
Component Sales Sentiment 113% Up
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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