From Backbone to Breakthroughs: I-Connect007 Wraps PCB Materials Series with Focus on Innovation
May 6, 2026 | I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 1 minute
I-Connect007 wraps up its six-part podcast series, PCB Materials: The Backbone and Future of Electronics, with Episode 6 and a discussion focusing on innovation.
In Episode 6, Marcy LaRont speaks with Isola CTO Kirk Thompson about a critical turning point for the PCB industry as innovation accelerates. As data rates climb and demands from AI infrastructure, power density, flexible electronics, photonics, and chiplet integration intensify, traditional material assumptions are no longer sufficient. Thompson explains how advanced materials are enabling higher speeds, improved thermal management, and tighter dimensional control, while still maintaining manufacturability.
“The merging of PCBs and advanced packaging is both exciting and challenging, requiring substrate-like precision at scale. In the end, early collaboration across the ecosystem and smarter, more integrated materials will shape the next generation of cutting-edge PCBs,” says LaRont.
Find this podcast series on Apple, Spotify, and in I-Connect007’s Industry Resource Center. Listeners can also download the free companion guide to this series.
Listen and download today!
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.
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.
Indium Experts to Address Data Center Thermal Management and Sintering Standards at SMTA Conference
05/13/2026 | Indium CorporationAs a leading materials provider for the advanced electronic packaging market, Indium Corporation® experts will share their technical insight and knowledge on two critical industry topics—data center thermal management and sintering protocols—at the SMTA Electronics in Harsh Environments Conference, May 19-21, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.