Global PCB Connections

October 08, 2025

Global PCB Connections: Understanding Your Fabricator’s Capabilities (or Niche)

Not every PCB fabricator is a good fit for every design. This is something many seasoned OEMs and greenhorn designers learn the hard way. The industry is full of talented board shops: global giants, regional specialists, niche fabricators, and everything in between. But even the best shop can fail a job if it's not the right fit for that specific board, volume, or customer requirement.

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August 14, 2025

Global PCB Connections: Understanding the General Fabrication Process—A Designer’s Hidden Advantage

Designers don’t need to become fabricators, but understanding the basics of PCB fabrication can save you time, money, and frustration. The more you understand what’s happening on the shop floor, the better you’ll be able to prevent downstream issues. As you move into more advanced designs like HDI, flex circuits, stacked vias, and embedded components, this foundational knowledge becomes even more critical. Remember: the fabricator is your partner.

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July 17, 2025

Global PCB Connections: Let the Spec Fit the Board, Not Just the Brand

If you’ve ever seen an excellent PCB quote delayed, or worse, go cold because of a single line on the fab print, you’re not alone. Often, that line reads something like, “Use 370HR only,” or “IT-180A required.” These and other brand-name materials are proven performers, but unless your design needs that specific resin system (say, for RF performance, thermal reliability, or stringent CAF resistance), you may inadvertently be holding your job hostage.

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June 19, 2025

Global PCB Connections: Embedded Components—The Future of High-performance PCB Design

A promising advancement in this space is the integration of embedded components directly within the PCB substrate. Embedded components—such as resistors, capacitors, and even semiconductors—can be placed within the internal layers of the PCB rather than mounted on the surface. This enables designers to maximize available real estate and improve performance, reliability, and manufacturability.

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May 20, 2025

Global PCB Connections: Rigid-flex and Flexible PCBs—The Backbone of Modern Electronics

In the past decade, flex and rigid-flex PCB technology has become the fastest-growing market segment. As an increasing number of PCB companies develop the capabilities to fabricate this technology, PCB designers are becoming comfortable incorporating these designs into their products.

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April 17, 2025

Global PCB Connections: The Next Wave of HDI PCBs– How Design Engineers Can Stay Ahead

High density interconnect (HDI) printed circuit boards have come a long way from their origins as a niche technology for miniaturized applications. Today, HDI PCBs are at the forefront of innovation, driven by an insatiable demand for faster, smaller, and more powerful electronic devices. As consumer electronics, 5G infrastructure, and AI-driven systems advance, design engineers must stay ahead of the curve to ensure their PCB designs meet evolving industry demands.

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March 27, 2025

Global PCB Connections: A Field Engineer’s Perspective on the Top 10 Trends to Watch

As a field application engineer for a major Chinese PCB company, I see firsthand the challenges and, more excitingly, the trends shaping our industry. Talking to engineers, designers, and procurement teams worldwide, one thing is clear: PCBs have come a long way, but we’re barely scratching the surface of what’s possible. Here are 10 trends I believe will define our industry over the next decade.

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February 25, 2025

Global PCB Connections: How Technology Can Level the Playing Field

Technology can help us all become equal by leveling the playing field. It doesn’t matter where you build PCBs because the rules of physics are universal. There are several ways global standardization helps when it comes to working together to create the best possible products.

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January 16, 2025

Global PCB Connections: The Future of HDI PCBs

High-density interconnect (HDI) printed circuit boards (PCBs) transform modern electronics by providing increased functionality, reduced sizes, and enhanced performance in complex designs. They do so by using advanced techniques, such as finer line and space definitions, microvias, and additional board layers. Specialized via structures—namely blind, buried, and stacked vias—offer complex routing while conserving space. This allows for the development of highly compact electronic devices. This article delves into HDI PCB technology, the function and benefits of blind, buried, and stacked vias, and their impact on PCB performance and design.

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December 18, 2024

Global PCB Connections: Following DFM Rules Leads to Better Boards

As a PCB field applications engineer, ensuring smooth communication between PCB designers and fabricators is one of my frequent challenges. A critical part of that dialogue is design for manufacturing (DFM). Many designers, even experienced ones, often misunderstand or overlook important DFM considerations. They may confuse design rules with manufacturing minimums, leading to technically feasible designs that are difficult or costly to produce. In this column, I will clarify some common DFM guidelines and help designers understand the difference between “design rules” and “minimums” while sharing best practices that will simplify the production process and ensure the highest quality PCB.

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November 14, 2024

Global PCB Connections: A Technical Overview of Long-flex Printed Circuit Boards

Flex printed circuit boards are an essential advancement in the electronics industry, enabling the development of flexible, lightweight, and durable electronic designs. As technology has evolved, long-flex PCBs have emerged as a key component in applications requiring extended or intricate routing paths. Because of their use in automotive, commercial, and medical devices, designers are becoming more comfortable designing PCBs with this technology. This column will explore their attributes and role in modern products. I will also offer some essential tips for designing with manufacturability in mind.

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October 24, 2024

Global PCB Connections: Mission Critical—Communication Between PCB Designers and Fabricators

In my first column, I want to discuss the critical importance of communications between the PCB design and the PCB fabrication engineer. I’ll explore why clear communication is so important, highlight the differences between standard and CTQ items, and outline the key issues that must be agreed upon to achieve success in PCB manufacturing.

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