Real Time with... productronica 2025: Polar on Understanding Material Libraries in Design
December 4, 2025 | Real Time with...productronicaEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Pete Starkey and Martyn Gaudion discuss the rapid updates in material libraries and the critical need for designers to grasp material properties. They highlight the role of suppliers and the importance of communication between designers and fabricators. Martyn focuses on the educational aspect of their services, aiming to connect design and manufacturing. The conversation underscores the significance of material knowledge in enhancing the design process through collaboration.
For our full coverage of productronica 2025, visit the Real Time with... productronica event site, located here.
Subscribe
Stay ahead of the technologies shaping the future of electronics with our latest newsletter, Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest. Get expert insights on advanced packaging, materials, and system-level innovation, delivered straight to your inbox.
Subscribe now to stay informed, competitive, and connected.
Suggested Items
MacDermid Alpha to Address Silver Price Volatility Solutions at ECTC 2026
05/15/2026 | MacDermid AlphaAs volatile silver prices continue to place pressure on semiconductor packaging costs and supply chain predictability, MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions will highlight material strategies that help manufacturers reduce dependence on silver without sacrificing reliability, thermal performance, or manufacturing efficiency.
Rethinking Reinforcement Materials for Advanced Packaging
05/14/2026 | Ivana Ivanovic, Flexiramics B.V.Materials that once quietly supported the industry are now becoming limiting factors. The electronics industry is experiencing unprecedented pressure as RF systems push into mmWave frequencies, high-speed digital architectures advance into their next performance generation, and power densities climb across automotive, telecom, aerospace, and computing. Reinforcement materials, long treated as a background detail in laminate design, are suddenly at the centre of performance, reliability, and supply‑chain discussions.
Rethinking Stackup, Materials, and Tolerances in Modern Designs
05/14/2026 | Kristin Moyer, Global Electronics AssociationThe simple rectangular rigid PCB is becoming increasingly infrequent. This reality necessitates designing with concepts well outside traditional rigid PCB methodologies. For example, the designer of wearable electronics may need to implement conductive fibers integrated into the textile material. Heads-up displays, like those in VR/AR headsets and glasses, require transparent circuitry etched into the display glass. The process of designing without a rule book usually starts with something other than the traditional board design process.
Separating Fact from Fear on the FCC ‘China Lab Ban’
05/14/2026 | Jan Pedersen, NCAB GroupRecent news headlines have suggested that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has “banned all testing laboratories in China and Hong Kong.” Understandably, this has created concerns around PCB testing, material approvals, UL listings, and the continued use of established test laboratories in Asia. The good news is that for most PCB, PCB material, and PCBA testing, nothing has changed. Let’s separate fact from fear.
I-Connect007 Announces Upcoming Issue of Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest
05/13/2026 | I-Connect007The next issue of Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest examines the materials, architectures, and integration strategies shaping the next phase of electronics innovation, from reinforcement materials under thermal and frequency pressure to heterogeneous integration and advanced packaging as a system-level scaling factor.