Latest Articles

Is Glass Finally Coming of Age?

Substrates, by definition, form the base of all electronic devices. Whether discussing silicon wafers for semiconductors, glass-and-epoxy materials in printed circuits, or the base of choice for interposers, all these materials function as substrates. While other substrates have come and gone, silicon and FR-4 have remained the de facto standards for the industry.

New Course Presents a Comprehensive Guide to IPC Standards

Francisco Fourcade, electronics technology standards manager for the Global Electronics Association, has spent years helping companies understand and implement the standards that keep the electronics manufacturing industry moving forward. In this interview, he shares updates on ongoing standards development efforts and previews a new course, "IPC Standards: A Guide for the Electronics Industry,” which starts Oct. 14.

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

I-Connect007 has a new monthly digest newsletter, the Advanced Electronic Packaging Digest, and as I was scanning our advanced packaging newsfeeds this week, I came across a primer from tokenring.ai (republished through station WRAL, Raleigh, North Carolina), which I found quite useful. Whether you’re a designer, fabricator, or assembler, the package schemes being developed will change how you work, so be sure to keep your eye on the technological horizon and subscribe to the monthly Advanced Electronic Packaging Digest.

The Latest Issue: Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest to Explore Critical Minerals, Substrates, and Reliability Standards Driving Next-Gen Electronics

I-Connect007 is pleased to announce the upcoming issue of Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest (AEPD) on October 13, 2025, featuring expert insights on the technologies shaping the future of advanced packaging. As the electronics industry evolves, this issue takes a closer look at the materials, designs, and standards redefining performance and reliability across global markets.

ICT Symposium Review: Sustainability and the Circular Economy

It was pleasant autumnal weather as we made our way once again to Meriden, the nominal centre of England, for the 2025 Annual Symposium of the Institute of Circuit Technology. Delegates were welcomed by technical director Emma Hudson who introduced and moderated a skilfully coordinated programme, focused on the highly relevant theme of sustainability.

Amplifying Innovation: New Podcast Series Spotlights Electronics Industry Leaders

In the debut episode, “Building Reliability: KOKI’s Approach to Solder Joint Challenges,” host Marcy LaRont speaks with Shantanu Joshi, Head of Customer Solutions and Operational Excellence at KOKI Solder America. They explore how advanced materials, such as crack-free fluxes and zero-flux-residue solder pastes, are addressing issues like voiding, heat dissipation, and solder joint reliability in demanding applications, where failure can result in costly repairs or even catastrophic loss.

Hall of Fame Spotlight Series: Highlighting Dan Feinberg

This Hall of Fame spotlight features Dan Feinberg. Dan and I have been friends in a variety of relationships and activities for more than half a century. His journey in the electronics and the PCB industry is a testament to dedication, innovation, and leadership. His contributions span over five decades, introducing new technologies, mentoring professionals, and advocating for policies that strengthened manufacturing in the United States. As a Hall of Fame member, Dan’s legacy continues to inspire new generations of engineers, technologists, and business leaders.

EDADOC Ushers in a New Era of Robotics Innovation

On Sept. 11, Shanghai Zhiyuan Technology Co., Ltd. (MScape) made a stunning debut at Shanghai’s 2025 Fourth North Bund Cybersecurity Forum and Cyber Intelligence Security Frontier Technology and Equipment Exhibition. The company presented the world’s first Dvorak super heterogeneous architecture and the Zhijing T-series-embodied intelligence (robotics) edge computing power platform. This has been a game-changer in the cybersecurity technology field, filling the gap in the domestic robotics core computing power platform.

A Catalyst for Success: Meet Emerging Engineers Using the Global Electronics Association to Advance Their Careers

The Emerging Engineer program for the Global Electronics Association is a catalyst for student success, offering tools, resources, and experiences that help shape informed, capable, and confident future engineers. The Electronics Foundation (formerly known as the IPC Education Foundation) invited the following students to attend IPC APEX EXPO 2025 and participate in this program.

PCB West 2025 Showcases Success: An Interview with Mike Buetow

For more than 30 years, PCB West has served the PCB and design industries in Silicon Valley, bringing together engineers, fabricators, and designers for technical sessions and networking. The show is organized by the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA), and this year, PCEA President Mike Buetow was named the association’s first Hall of Fame award recipient. Marcy LaRont spoke with Mike at PCB West to learn firsthand about its origins and mission.

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

It’s been a busy week. We’ve been covering PCB West, and we’ll be bringing you a variety of news and interviews from the show in the next few weeks. We’ll also be attending SMTA International later this month, and productronica as trade show season rolls on. This week, we have a number of interesting columns and news items. We start with a positive story about North American PCB sales, which were heading in the right direction in August. Don Ball writes about the ins and out of working with overseas partners, and there’s a great column by Dan Beaulieu on avoiding the temptation to offer discounts when your customer gets squirrely.

Jiva Leading the Charge Toward Sustainable Innovation

Environmental sustainability in business—product circularity—is a high priority these days. “Circularity,” the term meant to replace “recycling,” in its simplest definition, describes a full circle life for electronic products and all their elements. The result is re-use or a near-complete reintroduction of the base materials back into the supply chain, leaving very little left for waste. For what cannot be reused productively, the ultimate hope is to have better, less harmful means of disposal and/or materials that can seamlessly and harmlessly decompose and integrate back into the natural environment. That is where Jiva and Soluboard come in.

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

Though the news cycle felt a little less exclamatory this week, there were many global business news headlines worth revisiting. Among them, China announced a bold carbon emissions goal of 10% over the next decade to double its solar and wind power capacity. The Wall Street Journal published an article, “Global Port Leaders See Trade Shifting, Not Slowing,” a nod to businesses’ risk mitigation strategies and execution around overreliance on China coming into play in a bigger way.

Inside Thailand’s Rising PCB Hub: Touring a Chinese Fab

From industry giants to emerging forces, many electronics companies are painting a grand blueprint for the future, laying out their plans in the investment hotbed of Thailand. This was evident during THECA in Thailand, where the most frequently heard buzzwords on and off the show floor were "going global," "building factories in Thailand," and "supply chain security.” With these insights, and full of expectations and questions collected at the exhibition, my team visited First Quality Circuit Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Sihui Fuji, located in the Amata Industrial Park in Rayong, Thailand

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

We definitely have advanced packaging on our minds this week at I-Connect007. We just launched our monthly “Advanced Electronic Packaging Digest,” and we’re feeling the excitement. Whenever we find ourselves in the middle of a technological sea change, we’re in for some fun.

Transforming the Industry: Advint's Mission in Metallization

With three decades of experience in engineering, research, and operations in blue-chip organizations, including Boeing and Honeywell, Venkat Raja has developed a passion for electroplating. In 2018, he founded Advint Incorporated, an electroplating advisory and training services firm dedicated to solving operational challenges, enhancing efficiency, and providing specialized training programs.

Integrating Uniplate PLBCu6 With the Digital Factory Suite

Printed circuit board manufacturing is rapidly changing, driven by miniaturization, stringent reliability requirements, and growing pressure for sustainable production. Meeting these challenges requires more than incremental improvements; it demands a combination of precise equipment and real-time process intelligence. The pairing of Uniplate® PLBCu6 with the Digital Factory Suite (DFS) demonstrates how hardware and software can work together to create more responsive, resource-efficient manufacturing.

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

We may be post-Labor Day, but it is still hot-hot-hot here in the great state of Arizona—much like our news cycles, which have continued to snap, crackle, and pop with eye-raising headlines over this past week. In broader global tech news this week, AI and tariff-type restrictions continues to dominate with NVIDIA raising its voice against U.S. lawmakers pushing chip restrictions, ASML investing in a Dutch AI start-up company to the tune of $1.5 billion, and the UAE joining the ranks of the U.S. and China in embracing “open source” with their technology in hopes of accelerating their AI position.

IPS, SEL Raise the Bar for ENIG Automation in North America

IPS has installed a state-of-the-art automated ENIG plating line at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories’ PCB facility in Moscow, Idaho. The 81-foot, fully enclosed line sets a new standard for automation, safety, and efficiency in North American PCB manufacturing and represents one of the largest fully enclosed final finish lines in operation.

Machvision Leads Shift to Automated Inline Final Inspection, AOI in North America

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) chose Machvision inspection equipment due to its capabilities and versatility. Machvision of Taiwan offers circuit inspection, hole inspection and measurement, IC Substrate and HDI inspection, and final visual inspection solutions. The best fit for SEL was the 4.0Pro Circuit Inspection for inner and outer layers, and the AFI6 for final visual inspection of finished panels.

Dan Feinberg on Walt Custer: Remembering an Extraordinary Business Associate and Friend

The passing of Walt Custer marks the end of an era for all those who knew him and were helped and impressed by his presence, both personally and professionally. Walt's life was characterized by his unwavering commitment to the industry, his profound wisdom and willingness to share it, and his infectious enthusiasm for everything he did.

Closing the Loop on PCB Etching Waste

As the PCB industry continues its push toward greener, more cost-efficient operations, Sigma Engineering’s Mecer System offers a comprehensive solution to two of the industry’s most persistent pain points: etchant consumption and rinse water waste. Designed as a modular, fully automated platform, the Mecer System regenerates spent copper etchants—both alkaline and acidic—and simultaneously recycles rinse water, transforming a traditionally linear chemical process into a closed-loop system.

Automation Meets Sustainability

GreenSource Engineering (GSE) is proud to have contributed to the first successful reshoring of a PCB facility on a greenfield site in the United States. While we are honored to have played a key role, full credit for this achievement goes to SEL for its vision, commitment, and professionalism.

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

It’s almost fall here in Atlanta, and that means that the temperature is finally dropping. And it quit raining! It’s been raining since March, and I’m so over it, as the social influencers say. Last night we grilled out on the deck, and it wasn’t hot, and we didn’t get rained on. Life is good. It was a busy week in the industry. In this installment of my must-reads, we say goodbye to Walt Custer, the man who made PCB data points interesting for the rest of us.

Walt Custer: Making Data Interesting

I just learned that IPC Hall of Famer Walt Custer has passed away at 81. I first met Walt about 20 years ago when I started covering the fabrication industry. Right away, he started telling me which companies to watch and which trends to follow. This was in the years following 9/11, and things were still pretty fluid.
Subscribe | Magazines | RealTime with | JobConnect007 | Education | Webinars
Copyright © I-Connect007 | IPC Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. Log in