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December 1st, 2023
News and Resources for PCB Design, Fab and Assembly Professionals Subscribe •  Advertise •  PCD&F •  Circuits Assembly •  Tell A Friend
THE LEAD

As it turns 1 year old, ChatGPT’s growing influence has raised questions about the role of AI in society.

Reshoring and foreign direct investment job announcements continued their record-breaking run in the first half of 2023, according to the Reshoring Initiative’s 1H 2023 Report.

TECH NEWS

iFixit’s teardown of Apple’s latest MacBook Pro finds some new design features but many of the same design quirks that make servicing a hassle.

AIM Solder rolled out NC259FPA solder paste.

EMA Design Automation will host a webinar, PCB Trace Termination Techniques to Ensure Signal Integrity, on Dec. 13.

Hirose released SMT wire-to-board connector.

PCEA will hold three member webinars in the coming months on PCB materials, PCB thermal management and the impact of artificial intelligence on electronics.

Google DeepMind’s new AI tool has already been used to predict structures for 2.2 million new materials, of which more than 700 have gone on to be created in the lab and are now being tested.

Master Bond released UV23FLDC-80TK dual cure epoxy.

MATERIAL GAINS
Preparing for 6G
It's part of the human condition to never be satisfied. We are always looking forward to what comes next, and this tendency is starkly evident in our attitudes toward technology. As our daily lives have become substantially enabled, empowered, and – many would probably agree – enhanced by the technology in our pockets, in our cars, and in our homes and offices, we have become increasingly demanding of more and better.

ALUN MORGAN

Alun Morgan





















BUSINESS NEWS

WSTS anticipates a single-digit contraction of 9.4% in the global semiconductor market for the year, followed by a robust recovery in 2024 with an estimated growth of 13.1%.

While Asia’s PCB makers continue to differentiate themselves from their competition, they are each looking southward to expand into Southeast Asia.

Global semiconductor equipment billings contracted 11% year-over-year to $25.6 billion in the third quarter, SEMI reported.

Worldwide smartphone shipments are forecast to see 7.3% year-over-year growth in the fourth quarter, according to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

Taiwanese companies invested more in Southeast and South Asia than China for the first time in 2022 as Beijing flexes its economic might to pressure voters ahead of Taiwan's presidential election.

China has pledged to build an open and inclusive industrial supply chain, just after the US announced additional measures to ensure its own access to reliable energy and critical technology.

Amkor Technology will build a $2 billion advanced packaging and test facility in Peoria, AZ.

TRI announced the expansion of its Malaysian office.

Foxconn Industrial Internet released its first "Industrial Fortune SDGs Strategy White Paper," drawing up a blueprint for the comprehensive advancement of sustainable development work.

MacDermid Enthone announced that it is supporting its customers in complying with the upcoming restrictions on chromium (VI) substances for use in decorative plating applications set by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

Cursey Technology installed a Europlacer SMT line.

Inovaxe was named distributor for VisiConsult’s X-ray Counter solutions in the US.

The Low-Carbon Emitting Technologies initiative, incubated and hosted by the World Economic Forum for more than three years, has now officially launched as the independent Global Impact Coalition.

Rocka Solutions appointed PIT Equipment Services as its representative for the eastern US.

Escatec appointed Charles-Alexandre Albin CEO, effective March 31, 2024.

GETTING LEAN
In-House Fixture Fabrication
One thing OEMs universally agree on is that none of them likes non-recurring engineering (NRE) charges. Implemented as part of new product introduction (NPI), however, custom tooling, fixtures and jigs can eliminate defect opportunities by minimizing process variation that could otherwise occur when those issues can’t be resolved through product design changes.

FILEMON SAGRERO

Filemon Sagrero

 






















TECHNICAL ARTICLES


Basics of High-Frequency PCB Materials
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY



Scaling up Nano for Sustainable Manufacturing
Science Daily



Low-Cycle Fatigue Life Assessment of SAC Solder Alloy through a FEM-data Driven Machine Learning Approach
Soldering & Surface Mount Technology

EVENTS

Dec. 6-8: HKPCA International Electronics Circuit ExhibitionShenzhen, China
Dec. 13: PCEA Member Webinar: PCB Material Properties Properties – Consideration for Design and Manufacturing, Online
Jan. 17: PCEA Member Webinar: Via and Trace Currents and TemperaturesOnline
Jan. 23: PCEA Member Webinar: AI in ElectronicsOnline
Feb. 5: Printed Circuit Engineering Professional (CPCD) ClassOnline
Feb. 6-8: Chiplet SummitSanta Clara, CA
April 5: Printed Circuit Engineering Professional (CPCD) ClassOnline
May 28-29: New-Tech Exhibition 2024Tel Aviv, Israel
Jun. 14: Printed Circuit Engineering Professional (CPCD) ClassOnline
Jun. 4-7: PCB East 2024Boxborough, MA
Oct. 8-11: PCB West 2024Santa Clara, CA


SUBMISSIONS

Email industry press releases or links to the editors of PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY: pr@pcea.net.

 

BOOK-TO-BILLS/MARKET TRENDS
             Oct. Trend
EMS 1.23 Down
ICs TBA -
PCBs 0.97 Down
Component Sales Sentiment 88.8% Up
Changes are year-over-year.    
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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