Aug 26, 2026 North American PCB Demand Strengthens as July Bookings Surge 62% North American PCB shipments climbed 14.5% year over year in July, while bookings jumped 62.0%. The Global Electronics Association reported a 1.46 book-to-bill ratio, signaling demand is outpacing supply and industry growth should continue. Global Electronics Association

Sponsor 5 Keys to Component Lead Tinning Success Re-conditioning of electronic components mitigates gold embrittlement, eliminates tin whiskers enhancing quality and sustainability prior to soldering. BEST Inc.

Divergent results for Apple suppliers highlight memory price squeeze ahead of new iPhone Chinese Apple suppliers face diverging fortunes as soaring memory costs slash Lens Technology’s profit, while Luxshare thrives by expanding into automotive and data centers. Both expect new iPhone and foldable demand to drive growth this year. South China Morning Post

Evaluation of Techniques for Intentional Contamination of PWB Substrates for Quantitative Cleanliness Analyses Intentional contamination of PWBs offers a practical and controlled approach for evaluating cleanliness analysis techniques and for developing meaningful and effective cleanliness guidelines. Technical Paper

The Electronics Talent Gap Starts with an Awareness Gap Electronics manufacturing faces a talent crisis as 60% of companies struggle to hire. A Global Electronics Association survey finds students want hands-on experience and clear career paths, while job security, advancement and pay drive career choices. Global Electronics Association

Sponsor Reliable drying of UV materials Rehm Thermal Systems launches the RDS UV dryer to meet faster hardening demands, enabling efficient, eco-friendly UV coating for electronics and various industries. Rehm Thermal Systems

Gartner Forecasts the Market for Securing AI Will Reach $4.8 Billion in 2027 Gartner projects the AI security market will surge 68.7% to $4.8 billion in 2027, driven by rising vulnerabilities, prompt injections and access-control flaws. AI usage control and gateways will post the fastest growth as companies bolster defenses. Gartner

Rosin Flux or Water Soluble - Which To Use? What are the differences between rosin based fluxes and water soluble fluxes? Under what circumstances should we use one over the other? The Assembly Brothers, Phil Zarrow and Jim Hall, discuss and provide insight into these questions. Board Talk

Technical Papers ■ UHDI Fabrication for IC Substrates: SAP and mSAP Processes ■ Flux-Free, Reliable, Efficient: Soldering with Formic Acid ■ Redesigning Material Logistics for High-Mix EMS Production ■ Unlocking Academic-Industry Synergy: A Collaborative Model for Hands-On Electronics Manufacturing Education ■ Viscosity Does Not Equal Rheology: What Solder Paste Measurements Really Tell You ■ Salvaging Electronic Components: A Reliable Method for Reducing Electronic Waste and Ensuring Economic Reuse ■ Digital Warehouse Automation in High-Mix PCB Assembly ■ Evaluation of Techniques for Intentional Contamination of PWB Substrates for Quantitative Cleanliness Analyses MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor Low Thermal Resistance Epoxy Master Bond EP53TC is a thermally conductive, electrically insulating adhesive that combines good physical properties and the ability to transfer heat rapidly and effectively. Master Bond

Amazon service Bezos once called ''artificial artificial intelligence' is shutting down Amazon will shut down Mechanical Turk on Sept. 30, 2026, ending the 21-year-old platform that connected hundreds of thousands of workers with microtasks. Rising AI capabilities and competition from data-labeling startups hastened its decline. CNBC

Your Company Uses AI. That Doesn't Make It AI-Native. Here's the Difference. Adopting AI tools doesn't make a company AI-native. AI-native firms redesign workflows around abundant intelligence, build strong context, redefine roles, emphasize human judgment, measure cycle times and complete one workflow before scaling. Entrepreneur

Solder Column Attachment for Absorbing Large CTE Mismatch Paper reviews commercially off-the-shelf solder columns available, including plain columns, copper wrapped columns and more. Technical Paper

Sponsor Introducing our new Board to Board Connectors These new Board to Board Connectors feature pitch sizes from 0.50 mm to 1.00 mm with multi-pitch and custom pitch designs available. Designed for long-life applications and robust handling. Advanced Interconnections Corp

SpaceX plans to build a $100 billion spaceport in Louisiana SpaceX plans a $100 billion Starbase launch facility in Louisiana’s Vermilion Parish, aiming to support thousands of Starship launches and create thousands of jobs. The project also includes coastal restoration and wetland protections amid scrutiny. CNBC

China's hackers are using AI tech to escalate cyberattacks Chinese hackers are escalating cyberattacks by using DeepSeek and other open-source AI models for reconnaissance, exploit code and malware. Researchers say AI has more than doubled attack activity, while hackers exploit weak guardrails and low costs. Taipei Times

Reliability of Copper, Gold, Silver and PCC Wirebonds Under Operation In this paper, a detailed study of the electrical and mechanical degradation of wirebonds under high temperature exposure is presented. Technical Paper

Sponsor What are your economic depaneling needs? Our depaneling machines are high-performance machines for single circuit boards with electronic components. The cutting principles are fast, the best quality. SCHUNK

Three ways AI could change the course of humanity AI could reshape humanity's fight against disease, war and economic upheaval. It may improve healthcare, boost productivity and cut costs, but autonomous weapons and job losses could deepen conflict and disrupt societies, economies and lives. Taipei Times

IBM Built the Cold War's Most Powerful Code Breaker for the NSA The NSA's secret Harvest computer processed cryptographic data at up to 200 times the speed of its peers from 1962 to 1976. Its streaming architecture, robotic tape library and custom language foreshadowed modern data processing and AI hardware. IEEE Spectrum

Sponsor Complete Engineering Changes Quickly Without Interrupting Production PCB rework solutions for implementing engineering change orders, circuit modifications, component replacements, and design corrections quickly and accurately. Circuit Technology Center

"We've all been too ambitious": Sam Altman says our old habits are delaying the great AI transition Sam Altman admits AI's impact has arrived slower than expected as old habits, public distrust, job losses, data-center backlash and rogue agents fuel resistance. He says adoption needs more trust, autonomy and clearer benefits. TechSpot

Condensation Testing - A New Approach The data for a range of conformal coatings are correlated back to the material type, and coverage and thickness by cross-sectioning. Technical Paper

What It Takes to Be an Adaptable Engineer The AI boom is reshaping engineering careers, accelerating skill turnover and complicating hiring. Experts urge young engineers to build adaptability by recognizing change, responding effectively, and navigating uncertainty as workplaces rapidly redefine tools, roles, and expectations. IEEE Spectrum

BlackBerry CEO says robotics is one of its fastest-growing businesses BlackBerry says robotics is now one of QNX's fastest-growing businesses as it targets industrial, warehouse and medical applications. QNX, already embedded in 275 million vehicles, has a $950 million backlog, with some orders tied to robotics. CNBC

Sponsor Scoring Big With Glenbrook's Real-Time X-Ray Inspection Jewel Box 70T helps East/West Manufacturing ensure accurate assembly of complex boards, for a system delivering statistics in seconds. Read more Glenbrook Technologies

IBM is building a dual-architecture mainframe chip that will run Arm and Z software on the same cores IBM is developing a 2nm mainframe chip that natively runs Arm and IBM Z instructions concurrently. The 11-core processor targets Linux, cloud and AI workloads alongside critical transactions, with AI and I/O accelerators. The chip may debut in 2028. TechSpot