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August 7th, 2026
News and Resources for PCB Design, Fab and Assembly Professionals Subscribe •  Advertise •  PCD&F •  Circuits Assembly •  Tell A Friend
THE LEAD

The Trump administration will impose new trade restrictions on polysilicon and products made with the material, while ECIA’s June Industry Pulse sentiment index reached its highest level in five years.

TECH NEWS

An upstate New York school district paused plans to deploy a $60,000 AI-powered humanoid classroom robot following concerns over student data privacy, safety and its potential role in education.

MIT researchers developed a lightweight $300 robot capable of flying and swimming underwater, with potential applications in ocean monitoring and conservation.

PCEA released the sixth edition of PCB Basics: An Introduction to the PCB Industry, adding chapters on HDI/UHDI and AI applications across PCB design, fabrication, assembly, test, inspection and procurement.

Tufts University engineers developed ultra-thin, thread-based integrated circuits that can bend, stretch and conform to the body for wearable electronics and continuous health monitoring.

PCB West’s early bird conference rate ends Aug. 21, with more than 50 classes and 120 hours of PCB design and assembly training scheduled for Sept. 29-Oct. 2 in Santa Clara.

Hakko introduces FX-310 wave soldering pot.

Common active filter nonidealities and recommendations on how to mitigate the problem.

CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY is accepting entries for the 20th annual New Product Introduction Awards, with submissions for electronics assembly products due Dec. 14.

Sean Patterson discusses why AI adoption in manufacturing depends on building practical workplace habits rather than relying on training alone in the latest PCB Chat.

PCEA has opened PCB East 2027 booth sales for returning exhibitors and Gold and Platinum corporate members. The exhibition will be held April 28, 2027, at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA, alongside the four-day technical conference, with general booth sales opening Aug. 12.

PCB West 2026 is nearly sold out, with fewer than 5 percent of exhibition booths remaining for the Sept. 29–Oct. 2 event at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

PCEA announced a dedicated electronics assembly program for PCB West 2026, featuring 10 technical sessions on solder paste, placement, reflow, stencil design and cleaning.

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.

CAVEAT LECTOR
Back in the Saddle
So let me start where Mike Buetow left off in our last issue: Thanks. And let’s hear a round of applause for Mike. He’s spent 26 years writing this column, longer than both of my marriages combined.

ANDY SHAUGHNESSY

Andy Shaughnessy





















BUSINESS NEWS

Global semiconductor sales reached $403B in the second quarter, up 35 percent sequentially, while June sales surged 123 percent year-over-year to $134B.

The Trump administration will establish a minimum import price for polysilicon and impose a 15% tariff on products made with the semiconductor and solar material beginning in December.

TTM Technologies reported second-quarter revenue of $1B, up 37 percent year-over-year.

NEOTech finalized its acquisition of Virtex, creating an electronics manufacturing operation with 11 US facilities and more than 2,500 employees.

Thailand attracted more than $26B in semiconductor and advanced electronics investment applications from 2023 through mid-2026, including $9B across 224 PCB projects.

South Korea and Taiwan each surpassed Japan in total exports for the first time in the first half of the year.

Nano Dimension reported second quarter revenue rose 12 percent year-over-year to $29M.

RRP Electronics plans to acquire Vital Electronics.

Neros named David DiDomenico vice president of operations.

BOARD BUYING
The "China Plus One" Reality Check for High-Mix, Low-Volume PCBs
For high-mix, low-to-medium volume PCB production, supply chain resilience depends as much on manufacturing ecosystems and engineering expertise as it does on geography.

GREG PAPANDREW

Greg Papandrew






















TECHNICAL ARTICLES

Selective UHDI: Using Ultra HDI Where Needed, Not Everywhere
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY


Reliability Analysis and Parameter Optimization of Board-Level BGA Packaging Structures under Thermal-Drop Impact LoadC
Soldering & Surface Mount Technology


From Biotechnological Residues to Biodegradable Printed Circuit Boards: Aspergillus Niger Mycelium as a Structural Support Material
Cleaner Materials


EVENTS

Sept. 4, 11, 18, 25, Oct. 9: Certified Printed Circuit Design TrainingOnline
Sept. 28-Oct. 2: Certified Printed Circuit Design TrainingSanta Clara, CA
Sept. 29: PCEA Annual MeetingSanta Clara (CA) Convention Center
Sept. 29: CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Service Excellence Awards CeremonySanta Clara (CA) Convention Center
Sept. 29-Oct. 2: PCB West 2026Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center
Oct. 20-22, 2026: TPCA ShowTaipei
Oct. 16, 23, 30, Nov. 6, 13: Certified Printed Circuit Design TrainingOnline
Feb. 17-19, 2027: Nepcon JapanTokyo
Apr. 27-30, 2027: PCB EastDCU Center, Worcester, MA


 

BOOK-TO-BILLS/MARKET TRENDS
             June Trend
EMS 1.33 Down
Semiconductors         123% Up
PCBs 1.49 Up
Component Sales Sentiment 154 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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