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March 31st, 2026
News and Resources for PCB Design, Fab and Assembly Professionals Subscribe •  Advertise •  PCD&F •  Circuits Assembly •  Tell A Friend
THE LEAD

A new memristor-based chip could cut AI energy consumption by up to 2000 percent. Taiyo has found a new suitor in KKR.

TECH NEWS

Researchers developed a memristor-based chip that processes time-dependent data in hardware, potentially making certain AI workloads up to 2000 times more energy efficient.

A high school student filed a provisional US patent for an AI tool that converts PCB images into schematics, components and netlists, cutting reverse-engineering time from hours to minutes.

Researchers developed a five-unit “super molecule” that functions as a single electronic system, advancing molecular-scale design for more efficient next-generation electronic materials.

Master Bond offers EP6STC-80 epoxy adhesive.

CalcuQuote and Banyan.eco launch Compliance Agent tool for EMS regulatory workflows.

PCEA is offering free technical sessions and a keynote at PCB East 2026, covering AI, UHDI, simulation and PCB design best practices.

Karen Burnham highlights key EMC challenges in PCB design and emphasizes integrating EMC early in high-speed layouts ahead of PCB East 2026 on the PCB Chat podcast.

CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY announced the winners of the 2026 New Product Introduction (NPI) Awards, recognizing leading electronics assembly equipment, materials and software introduced over the past year.

Francisco Aguilar, CEO of Bounce Imaging, will keynote PCB East 2026, sharing how a prototype 360-degree tactical camera evolved into a mission-critical tool through iterative design and EMS collaboration.

PCB Detroit will return to Wayne State University June 15-16 with technical sessions covering ESD, EMI, RF design, thin copper impacts, thermal management, signal integrity and AI-driven PCB workflows, alongside a tabletop exhibition and networking events.

PCEA will debut the PCB Management Forum at PCB East on April 28, focusing on AI adoption, material shortages and workforce challenges.

CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY has opened registration for the 2026 Service Excellence Awards, inviting EMS providers and industry suppliers to benchmark customer service performance through direct customer feedback ahead of the April 31 deadline.

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.

ROI
The Next Materials Reckoning in Electronics Manufacturing
Necessity is the mother of invention, they say. Well, I am not sure necessity is the mother of all invention, but it can definitely be tied to a whole bunch, and probably has more than a few still to birth.

PETER BIGELOW

Peter Bigelow





















BUSINESS NEWS

The Commercial Drone Alliance urged a coordinated federal strategy to grow the US drone industry, calling for policy alignment and investment to reduce reliance on foreign components and strengthen domestic manufacturing.

KKR agreed to acquire PCB materials manufacturer Taiyo Holdings in a $3.3B deal.

Taiwan is investigating 11 Chinese firms for allegedly illegally recruiting semiconductor and high-tech talent, intensifying efforts to prevent technology leakage.

India approved 29 new electronics component projects under its ECMS program, expanding domestic supply chain capacity and reducing reliance on imported components.

Rohm confirmed talks to combine with Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric power chip units after a roughly $8.2B takeover approach.

TSL acquired JLCooper Electronics and will relocate production to Northridge, CA.

SP Manufacturing expands into the UK avionics sector.

Videoton is expanding US manufacturing through its Limtronik integration, increasing SMT capacity in Denver.

Koh Young appointed Dave Nemeth senior manager of eastern regional sales and Mitchell Kim manager of service and applications.

Express Manufacturing promoted David Vue to military and aerospace division manager.

THE ROUTE
Is It Time to Retire the Round Table?
Having just returned from the IPC Apex trade show, and listening to comments from stakeholders who are charged for volunteering their time to develop standards, one wonders if there is a better way.

MIKE BUETOW

Mike Buetow






















TECHNICAL ARTICLES

Consider Manufacturing Complexity When PCB Designs Have Tight Hole-to-Trace Spacing
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY


Mechanochemically Activatable Liquid Metal Powders for Sustainable, Reconfigurable, and Versatile Electronics
Advanced Functional Materials


Reconfigurable Superconducting Quantum Circuits Enabled by Micro-Scale Liquid-Metal Interconnects
Quantum Physics


EVENTS

Apr. 28-May 1: PCB East 2026Worcester, MA
May 15, 22, 29, June 5, 12: Certified Printed Circuit Design Training, Online
May 26-29: IEEE Electronic Components and Technology ConferenceOrlando, FL
June 2-4: Fac Tec China 2026Shanghai, China
June 9-10: EIPC Summer Conference, Lithuania
June 9-11: ZIW Americas 2026Dallas, TX
June 15-16: PCB Detroit 2026Detroit, MI
June 24-26: Vietnam Intcomm 2026 & Electronic Vietnam 2026Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Sept. 29-Oct. 2: PCB West 2026Santa Clara, CA
Feb. 17-19, 2027: Nepcon JapanTokyo, Japan


 

BOOK-TO-BILLS/MARKET TRENDS
             Dec. Trend
EMS 1.24 Up
Semiconductors         25.6% Up
PCBs 1.18 Up
Component Sales Sentiment 120.1 Down
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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