Printed Circuit Design & Fab Online Magazine

NEWS

TNO Presents Roadmap to Sustainable Printed Electronics

22 September 2023

EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS – An estimated 1.2 metric tons of printed circuit boards end up in the total amount of annual e-waste, but only a third is recycled in en... Read More...

Global 200mm Fabs to Reach Record High Capacity By 2026, Semi Reports

19 September 2023

MILPITAS, CA – Semiconductor manufacturers worldwide are projected to increase 200mm fab capacity by 14% from 2023 through 2026, adding 12 new 200mm volume fabs... Read More...

Ultra Librarian Integrated into Altair ECAD Solutions

19 September 2023

TROY, MI – Ultra Librarian's CAD (http://www.pcdandf.com/pcdesign/menu-research/cad-cam-pcb-software) model library is now available to Altair users in several ... Read More...

Rick Hartley Receives 2023 PCEA Leadership Award

06 September 2023

SANTA CLARA, CA – The Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) today announced Rick Hartley as recipient of the annual PCEA Leadership Award, for his life... Read More...

Bob McCreight Receives 2023 PCEA Membership Award

13 September 2023

SANTA CLARA, CA – The Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) today announced Bob McCreight as recipient of the second annual PCEA Membership Award. The ... Read More...

CCL Market Sees Sharp Decline in 2022, Says Prismark

15 September 2023

COLD SPRING HARBOR, NEW YORK – The copper-clad laminate market saw a sharp decline in both revenues and profits in 2022, primarily due to weak demand from PCB f... Read More...

PCEA Announces Free Technical Sessions for PCB West 2023

14 September 2023

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – Registrants for the PCB West (https://pcbwest.com/) exhibition this fall will gain access to seven free technical sessions, the Printed Cir... Read More...

Icape Group Expands German Presence with Princitec Acquisition

13 September 2023

FONTENAY-AUX-ROSES, FRANCE – Icape Group has strengthened its presence in Germany with the acquisition of Princitec, a Düsseldorf-based PCB supplier. Read More...

Global Fab Equipment Spending Recovery Expected in 2024, Says SEMI

12 September 2023

MILPITAS, CA – Global fab equipment spending for front-end facilities in 2023 is expected to decline 15% year-over-year to $84 billion from a record high of $99... Read More...

TPCA: Global FPC Market to Decrease 13% in 2023

12 September 2023

TAOYUAN, TAIWAN – The global flexible PCB (FPC) market is expected to total $17.2 billion in 2023, a 12.6% drop from 2022's market worth of $19.7 billion, accor... Read More...

nScrypt Receives Patent for Modular Mobile Direct Digital Manufacturing System

11 September 2023

ORLANDO, FL – Florida-based microdispensing specialist nScrypt has received a patent for a shipping container-based modular system tailored for direct digital m... Read More...

PCB East 2024 Conference Task Group Named

08 September 2023

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – The Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) today announced the PCB East (https://www.pcbeast.com) 2024 Conference Task Group member... Read More...

IPC: US Economy Remains Resilient, but Headwinds Loom

08 September 2023

BANNOCKBURN, IL – The forecast for US economic growth, initially expected to be 0.5% at the beginning of 2023, is now expected to grow by 2%, according to IPC’s... Read More...

Global Semiconductor Sales Increase 2.3% Month-to-Month in July

07 September 2023

WASHINGTON — Global semiconductor industry sales totaled $43.2 billion in July, an increase of 2.3% compared to June's total of $42.2 billion but 11.8% less tha... Read More...

Global Semiconductor Equipment Billings Dip 2%

07 September 2023

MILPITAS, CA – Global semiconductor equipment billings dipped 2% year-over-year to $25.8 billion in the second quarter, while quarter-over-quarter billings slip... Read More...

FEATURES

Show Them the Money: The 2023 PCD&F PCB Designer Salary Survey

Compensation continues to rise among PCB designers. Read More...

3-D Printing of Plastic Structures onto PCBs for Circuit Protection Strategies

A design, equipment, process and materials methodological approach. Electronics for automotive applications, as well as for other industries, are expected to r... Read More...

Public Sector Efforts ‘Chip Away’ at PCB Funding Deficit

The PCBAA is ramping up efforts to secure funding for R D and capacity in the US. What constitutes the printed circuit board industry? And how much, if any, in... Read More...

A Plethora of Pitches

The unstructured evolution of integrated circuit package technology (and its consequences). I purchased my first "integrated circuit" around 1957, wh... Read More...

The Heat is On

Claire Wemp is hot on the trail of better thermal interface materials and more engineering roles for women. Thermal interface materials (TIM) are used between ... Read More...

‘We Teach the Engineering of PCB Design’

For students at Palomar Community College, a finely-tuned design curriculum is just the beginning. It goes without saying that finding talent is a big deal in ... Read More...

Understanding Criticality of Thermal Performance in Thermal Interface Material Applications

Effects of types of TIM types, thicknesses and contact pressure in a real-world application. Power electronics are integral parts of power components, power su... Read More...

The West is Rediscovering India

The subcontinent explodes with new EMS work, prompting a spate of IPOs. Putting aside the obvious supply chain disruptions, the two big stories out of the EMS ... Read More...

Simulating Electronics Components in the Cloud

Methods for assessing component temperatures and fan performance. Cloud technology has become increasingly prevalent, allowing use of 3-D models and numerical ... Read More...

Onderdonk's and Preece's Equations: How Do They Compare?

Two unique equations can be used when fusing a trace – each offering its own strengths and weaknesses. Up until about 10 years ago, when PCB designers searched... Read More...

Cpk or Ppk? A Look at Using Both Capability Indices

Summary statistics can be misleading, but in different ways. Cpk and Ppk are numeric capability summaries of process or product characteristics based on common... Read More...

Reflections from Discontinuities

Models for predicting the effects of signal-destroying reflections. An ideal digital interconnect is a lossless transmission line with characteristic impedance... Read More...

'A Solution for Anybody in North America'

Following its acquisition of ACI, APCT head Steve Robinson is bullish on what's ahead. APCT in February completed the acquisition of Advanced Circuits Inc. (AC... Read More...

Understanding Electroless Nickel Thickness in ENIG and ENEPIG

The actual phosphorus content in the deposit must be considered. While the current focus in the electronics industry is chips, components and microelectronics,... Read More...

How Interconnects Work: Characteristic Impedance and Reflections

Understanding reflections caused by transmission line characteristic impedance and termination impedance mismatch. Analysis of “digital interconnects” is the a... Read More...