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November 8th, 2025
News and Resources for PCB Design, Fab and Assembly Professionals Subscribe •  Advertise •  PCD&F •  Circuits Assembly •  Tell A Friend
THE LEAD

From biodegradable PCBs and 2-D transistor breakthroughs to soaring server demand and chip acquisition ambitions, innovation and investment are accelerating across the electronics supply chain.

TECH NEWS

Researchers have demonstrated a scalable, low-temperature process for printing all-2-D thin-film transistors on rigid and flexible substrates without ionic-liquid gating, acids,or high-heat steps.

Engineers at the University of Maine researchers have developed a new modeling method that accurately predicts the strength of lightweight, gyroid-infilled 3-D-printed parts.

Matthias Wagner, CEO and cofounder of Flux, discusses AI-powered PCB design challenges, language prompting capabilities, democratization of product design and more.

Sandia National Laboratories researchers developed an X-ray method using multiple metal targets, creating color-rich images that can better distinguish materials and defects than traditional black-and-white X-rays.

Molex launches first quad-row board-to-board connector.

Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories have created a fully biodegradable PCB made from lignocellulose.

Fuji America said technical service manager Tony Picciola will join an expert panel on Nov. 11 for the webinar “Beyond Automation.”

PCB West 2026 will take place Sept. 29–Oct. 2 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, with booth registration opening today for returning exhibitors.

PCB West 2025 reported a 3.5 percent year-over-year attendance increase, drawing a strong international crowd to its Santa Clara conference and exhibition.

Circuits Assembly opened entries for its 2026 NPI Awards, recognizing innovations in electronics assembly equipment, material and software.

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.

BOARD BUYING
Again I’m Asking: Where Are All the PCB Youngbloods?
Where are all the PCB youngbloods? Why aren’t young men and women entering the industry in the numbers they did in the past? I asked these questions several years ago, and the situation has improved slightly since. But not enough.

GREG PAPANDREW

Greg Papandrew





















BUSINESS NEWS

Foxconn chairman Young Liu said US–China tensions are pushing manufacturers toward regionalized supply chains and argued that AI will be “game-changing” for future competitiveness.

India approved new private-equity investment into IL JIN Electronics, clearing ChrysCapital, Two Infinity Partners and Raptor Investments to acquire shares.

Electronic component sales sentiment held strong at an index of 122.2, up four points from September, but expectations for November plunged to 103.5.

Taiwan’s major copper clad laminate suppliers reported strong October revenue on surging demand from AI servers and data centers.

SoftBank explored a potential takeover of Marvell Technology earlier this year as Masayoshi Son looked to expand the group’s AI hardware portfolio.

Global server shipments rose 8 percent in the third quarter, driven by a 13 percent jump in orders from major US cloud providers racing to expand AI capacity.

Lacroix reported third-quarter sales essentially flat year-over-year.

Benchmark Electronics posted third-quarter revenue of 681M, up 3.5 percent year-over-year.

Nan Ya Printed Circuit Board posted a nine-month profit of roughly 23M.

Celus and NextPCB formed a strategic partnership linking Celus’s AI-assisted design platform with NextPCB’s manufacturing and assembly services.

ViTrox Americas added Wiley Unruh as assistant engineer, technical support.

BEST PRACTICES
Why Rigid-Flex PCBs are an Untapped Design Solution
Think of rigid-flex as the ultimate chameleon of circuit boards, seamlessly blending the robust stability of rigid boards with the dynamic flexibility of flexible circuits.

STEPHEN V. CHAVEZ

Stephen V. Chavez






















TECHNICAL ARTICLES

5 Things that Will Haunt Your Plating Tanks this October
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY


Electromigration in Eutectic Gold-Tin (80Au20Sn-wt%) Solder Joints
Journal of Electronic Materials


Printed Circuit Board Substrates Derived from Lignocellulose Nanofibrils for Sustainable Electronics Applications
Scientific Reports


EVENTS

Nov. 3-Dec. 1: PCEA Training Certified Printed Circuit Designer CourseOnline
Nov. 12: PCB CarolinaRaleigh, NC
Nov. 18-21: ProductronicaMunich
Dec. 3-5: HKPCA ShowShenzhen
Feb. 3-4, 2026: EIPC Winter ConferenceAix-en-Provence/Marseille, France
Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27, Mar. 6: Certified Printed Circuit Design Training, Online
Apr. 28-May 1: PCB East 2026Worcester, MA
May 26-29, 2026: IEEE Electronic Components and Technology ConferenceOrlando, FL
June 9-11: ZIW Americas 2026Dallas, TX
June 15-16: PCB Detroit 2026Detroit, MI
Sept. 29-Oct. 2: PCB West 2026Santa Clara, CA


 

BOOK-TO-BILLS/MARKET TRENDS
             Oct. Trend
EMS 1.31 Up
Semiconductors         15.3% Up
PCBs 0.92 Down
Component Sales Sentiment 122.2 Up
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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