BANNOCKBURN, IL — Printed circuit boards for military and aerospace applications are the only vertical market segment expected to grow in 2016 as a share of the North American market, says IPC in a new report.

Military and aerospace remains the largest vertical market segment for PCB manufacturers in North America, representing about one-third of the market.

Flexible circuit market growth has continued to outpace rigid PCB growth by a wide margin, but the negative growth rates seen in recent years in the rigid PCB market steadily diminished and growth turned positive in 2015, says the firm.

Estimated PCB production in North America declined 4.3% from 2014 to 2015, while estimated market growth was virtually flat, increasing 0.4%.