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THE LEAD
PCB Technologies is expanding into Silicon Valley with its planned acquisition of Gorilla Circuits. A palm-sized, open-source quadruped robot demonstrates how a PCB can double as a structural chassis.
TECH NEWS
Q8botOne is a palm-sized, open-source four-legged robot that uses its central PCB as the structural chassis, with no wiring.
Circuits Assembly announced the winners of its 34th annual Service Excellence Awards, recognizing EMS providers and industry suppliers for outstanding customer service based on verified customer feedback.
Researchers present MIMAS, an open-source miniature microscope whose electronics combine rigid PCB and flexible printed circuit sections.
Viscom releases iX7059 SMT edition 3-D inline AXI system.
PCEA will host a 3.5-hour webinar on Nov. 4 led by Susy Webb covering signal routing techniques to improve signal integrity and EMI performance.
CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY is accepting entries for the 20th annual New Product Introduction Awards, with submissions for electronics assembly products due Dec. 14.
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.
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CAVEAT LECTOR
China and Taiwan Expand Lead in PCB Fabrication
Many of us look forward to the NTI-100. It provides a detailed snapshot of the biggest companies in the PCB fabrication segment that you just can’t find anywhere else. No one but “Naka” has this much information, in this much detail, about so many fabricators around the world.
ANDY SHAUGHNESSY
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BUSINESS NEWS
PCB Technologies agreed to acquire Gorilla Circuits for $12M, establishing a US manufacturing footprint and expanding its PCB fabrication and assembly capabilities in Silicon Valley.
The FCC will vote Oct. 29 on barring all Chinese labs from testing US electronics; chair Brendan Carr says 82 percent of electronics were tested in China in 2025.
Worldwide PC shipments fell 20.1 percent year-over-year in Q3 2026 to 62.7M units, according to preliminary results from IDC, the second consecutive quarterly decline.
The overall component index average improved from 136.7 in August to 142.0 in September, beating expectations by 6.6 points, ECIA said.
Z2Data explains how rising costs and raw-material bottlenecks are pushing PCB prices up and availability down.
Samsung Electronics expects record third quarter operating profit above 100 trillion won (about $80B), driven by AI memory demand.
Indication Instruments is adding ready-made displays and smart sensors and plans to add a second SMT line.
Gradian has named Hari Prasad India managing director.
Vergent Products promoted Chris Johnson to associate quality engineer.
Celestica named Robert Toohey printed circuit board design engineer.
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THE FLEXPERTS
Understanding Flex Circuit Cost Drivers
Every designer is tasked with creating a design that meets all performance criteria. A flex circuit must interconnect a variety of components and inputs and outputs within the envelope of the finished product. It must achieve size, weight and power goals while also meeting cost targets.
NICK KOOP
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TECHNICAL ARTICLES
High-Power Thermal Management: Two-Layer IMS Design Considerations
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY
Oxidized Liquid Metal-Based Stretchable Patch for Wearable Health Monitoring
Wiley Advanced
Heterogeneous Molecular-Silicon Integration for Precision Neuromorphic Computing
Wiley Online Library
EVENTS
| Oct. 16, 23, 30, Nov. 6, 13: |
Certified Printed Circuit Design Training, online |
| Oct. 20, 2026: |
PCEA webinar: Coin-Style PCB Heat Sinks, online |
| Oct. 20-22, 2026: |
TPCA Show, Taipei |
| Oct. 21, 2026: |
PCEA webinar: How to be a Great PCB Designer, online |
| Nov. 4, 2026: |
PCEA webinar: Designing the Signal Routing to Control Energy in Digital PCBs, online |
| Nov. 17, 2026: |
PCEA webinar: Sourcing PCBs Globally, online |
| Feb. 17-19, 2027: |
Nepcon Japan, Tokyo |
| Apr. 27-30, 2027: |
PCB East, DCU Center, Worcester, MA |
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| BOOK-TO-BILLS/MARKET TRENDS |
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August |
Trend |
| EMS |
1.39 |
Up |
| Semiconductors |
144% |
Up |
| PCBs |
1.29 |
Down |
| Component Sales Sentiment |
1.36 |
Down |
| Changes are year-over-year. |
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Brought to you by the Printed Circuit Engineering Association
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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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