April 2, 2025

No Technical Obstacles to New Giant Particle Collider in Europe: CERN CERN confirmed no technical obstacles to building the $17B Future Circular Collider, aimed at maintaining Europe's physics leadership. While officials push for funding, critics slam the project's massive cost, environmental impact, and disruption to local communities. Phys.org

Sponsor Reflow Solderable TIM1 Thermal Grease AIT's CGR7016 & CGR7019-LB series are proven reliable for thermal interface usage at extreme temperatures. 100% chip to heat-spreader lid seal after multiple reflow soldering. AI Technology

Consumer electronics see electric performance China's consumer electronics sector is surging, fueled by government subsidies, AI innovation, and a resilient supply chain. Smartphone sales soared, foldable devices dominated globally, and companies raced to upgrade products, driving growth across upstream and midstream industries. China Daily.com.cn

Unlocking the Potential of Nanoscale Conformal Coatings Revolutionary Plasma Coating as Conformal Coating - discover it now! PlasmaPlus® enables ultra-thin, solvent-free functional coatings under atmospheric pressure - without post-treatment. Ideal for corrosion protection, insulation and adhesion improvement. Technical Paper

North American EMS Industry Up 1.7% in February IPC reported North American EMS shipments rose 1.7% year-over-year in February 2025, while bookings jumped 8.6% from January. The book-to-bill ratio hit 1.33, the strongest level since May 2024, signaling strong demand. IPC

Sponsor Micro Dispensing Technology White Paper The trend toward micro-dispensing technology increases as electronic assembly's shrink & component packages decrease in size. DL Technology

Intel will spin off its 'non-core' businesses, new CEO says New Intel CEO Tan pledged to spin off non-core units, refocus on AI and Software 2.0, and revive innovation by simplifying operations, building strong teams, and revitalizing its foundry business after years of underperformance. Quartz

Technical Papers ■ Unlocking the Potential of Nanoscale Conformal Coatings ■ Recycling vs Circularity: Minimising E-Waste in Manufacturing ■ Optimizing Cleaning Strategies for Advanced Packaging Technologies with Low Standoff Components ■ Probe Card Manufacturer 'Sees the Unseen' With X-ray ■ Electronic Assembly Cleaning Basics: Manual Concentration Monitoring Methods ■ An Eight-Step Methodology for Bringing a Process Under Statistical Control ■ Bismuth in Solder Alloys: From Bulk Constituent in Low Temp to Performance Enhancer in High Rel ■ Plasma as a Key Technology: Increasing Efficiency and Quality Assurance in the Electronics Industry ■ Use of Numerical Simulation Methods for the Development of Thermal Systems & Coating Equipment ■ Recent Advances in Final Finishes Push Past the Limits of Conventional Electrolytes MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor The new Smart Rack Mobile Optimize your workflow with Smart Rack Mobile: intelligent storage, mobility, and real-time component management. Discover more! Essegi Automation

Trump tariffs kick off today: Electronics companies hope for a reprieve As Trump's administration readies new tariffs, India's electronics sector eyes a waiver amid intense negotiations. Industry leaders expect any imposed tariffs to be short-lived, pending the finalization of a bilateral trade agreement with the U.S. The Economic Times

Meta's head of AI research announces departure Joelle Pineau, Meta's VP of AI research, announced she'll leave the company on May 30. Her exit comes as Meta races to dominate AI, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg investing heavily in AI assistants and artificial general intelligence. CNBC

Sponsor Advances in Final Finishes Push Past the Limits of Conventional Electrolytes New article explores DIG, RAIG, EPIG, EPAG, and the competition-fueled evolution from mSAP to full semi-additive SAP. Read it here. Uyemura

Auto Tariffs Send Ripples Across Supply Chains – Part 2 President Trump's auto tariffs threaten to raise vehicle prices by up to $10,000, slash U.S. auto sales, and spark global retaliation. Automakers face higher costs, consumers lose affordability, and global trade tensions escalate sharply across major markets. EE Times

How Digital Archivists Are Saving Public Information from the Memory Hole The Internet Archive and Harvard's Library Innovation Lab race to preserve vanishing U.S. government datasets, vital to science and engineering. Under Trump's second term, thousands of pages disappeared, threatening research integrity and sparking urgent digital archiving efforts. IEEE Spectrum

Sponsor High power atmospheric plasma system Our 1000 Atmospheric Plasma System is available with PC or PLC control for lab or high speed production use with the same high powered systems. Remove contaminants and increase bond strength! Plasma Etch

Trump's upcoming tariffs 'will be effective immediately,' White House says President Trump will unveil and immediately implement sweeping "reciprocal tariffs", targeting nations with duties on U.S. goods. Dubbed "liberation day," the announcement follows weeks of buildup, though details about scope and impact remain unclear. CNBC

5 Simple Productivity Hacks You'll Wish You Knew Sooner Effective leaders build success through daily habits like morning routines, Sunday planning, and consistent reading. These practices boost productivity, sharpen decision-making, and enhance clarity—positioning entrepreneurs to lead with focus, discipline, and long-term impact. Entrepreneur

Sponsor You need clear soldering results? The SEHO PowerVision AOI system is for fast, automated optical inspection. Designed for THT processes & focusses on 2 points: Continuous quality assurance & cost-efficient production processes. SEHO Systems GmbH

Protecting Robots in Harsh Environments with Advanced Sealing Systems Freudenberg Sealing Technologies tackles outdoor robotics challenges with its Ingress Protection Seals for Robots (IPSR), engineered to withstand extreme conditions. Using advanced simulations and materials like Fluoroprene XP, IPSR seals boost durability, and enhance robotic safety. IEEE Spectrum

GM's first-quarter U.S. vehicle sales lead industry as automakers braces for tariffs General Motors led a strong first-quarter sales surge in the U.S., jumping 16.7% year-over-year, fueled by electric vehicle and SUV demand. Hyundai, Kia, and others also posted gains, as the industry braces for looming Trump-era auto tariffs. CNBC

Solder Joint Performance Under Shock for ENIG and ENEPIG Surface Plated Tester PCBs This paper discusses the results of a comparative study for solder joint performance - under shock - for ENIG and ENEPIG surface plated tester PCBs. The best cost-reduction practice for Intel manufacturing is to deliver testers with high quality and reliability. Circuit Insight - Analysis Lab

Sponsor Electronic Assembly Cleaning Basics Monitoring & effectively controlling chemistry concentration when cleaning electronic assemblies is crucial for maintaining optimal cleanliness results & preventing costly consequences. KYZEN

The Evolution of Optical Computing: Part 1 Optical computing uses light's speed and parallelism to solve complex problems faster than traditional computers. Though early systems faced limitations, breakthroughs in spatial light modulators and neural networks laid groundwork for today's promising new generation. EE Times

Voids in SMT Solder Joints – Trends in Automotive Electronics There is a need for a more extensive coverage of voiding in standards where customer specifications often contain requirements for voiding in SMT solder joints. Circuit Insight - Production Floor

Memory Safety Will Be Key to Tackle Fundamental Cyber Security The U.K.'s Digital Security by Design initiative showcased CHERI, a memory-safe hardware technology, in London. Experts praised its cybersecurity potential but noted adoption challenges. With 160+ companies involved, standardizing memory safety remains a key priority. EE Times