February 3, 2026

North American PCB Industry Ends 2025 with Strong Book-to-Bill and Shipment Growth North American PCB demand stayed healthy in December 2025 as the book-to-bill hit 1.18. Shipments rose 11% YoY but fell 12.8% MoM, while bookings also gained 11% YoY. Bookings outpaced shipments, hinting at improving order momentum into 2026. Global Electronics Association

Sponsor Toughened, Non-Drip Epoxy Master Bond Supreme 121AOND is a toughened, heat curing adhesive for bonding and sealing applications that offers chemical resistance and a high glass transition temperature. Master Bond

VIEWPOINT 2026: Greg DeLarge, President, Plasma Etch, Inc. As we conclude another strong year, we are proud of the progress and innovation enjoyed by our organization and our customers. The performance and reliability of our plasma systems continue to be demonstrated across a wide range of applications from the circuit board industry to aerospace. We remain ... Plasma Etch, Inc.

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

Apple Reportedly Plans Clamshell-Style iPhone After First Foldable, Taking Aim at Galaxy Z Flip Apple is already eyeing a clamshell-style foldable iPhone beyond its first book-style model, Bloomberg says. A cheaper flip could follow if the debut gains traction, with Apple targeting dual designs, a 5,500+ mAh battery lead, and a 2026 launch. TrendForce

Sponsor Inline Automatic X-Ray Inspection: TruView™ Verus TruView™ Verus is a high-resolution inline AXI system offering advanced 2D, 2.5D, and 3D imaging to detect defects in electronic assemblies with exceptional accuracy and speed. Creative Electron

Elon Musk's SpaceX acquiring AI startup xAI ahead of potential IPO Elon Musk merged SpaceX with AI startup xAI, forming a vertically integrated powerhouse targeting a $1.25 trillion IPO valuation, uniting rockets, AI and Starlink as SpaceX's profits offset xAI's cash burn amid regulatory and ethical scrutiny. CNBC

Moisture Barrier Bag Issues Moisture sensitive chip components have been exposed to the atmosphere beyond specification. Can they be packaged and sealed with desiccant? Board Talk

Technical Papers ■ Engineering ESD-Safe PCB Assembly for High-Reliability IoT and Industrial Electronics ■ The Analysis of Variance: Drawing Conclusions from Data That Are Correct, Unambiguous, and Defensible ■ PCB Rework Evolves, With X-ray a Constant Support ■ How pH Cleaning Agents Affect Production Performance ■ A Universal AI-Powered Segmentation Model for PCBA & Semiconductor ■ RAIG Minimizes Corrosion, Allows Higher Gold on ENEPIG ■ High Reliability Lead-Free Solder Paste with Rosin and Anti-Crack Resin ■ Understanding Solder Dross: Causes and Control Strategies ■ Optimizing BGA Rework: Challenges, Techniques and Quality Control ■ Maintenance: The Basics of Cleaning Series Part 4 MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor Bring IPC Training to Your Facility Mobile training center offers IPC certified classes at your company’s facility making solder training effective and convenient for your entire team. BEST Inc.

Google dismantles massive proxy network that turned 9 million Android phones into data relays Google dismantled what it calls the largest residential proxy network ever, after tracing odd traffic to IPIDEA. Hidden SDKs in 600+ apps turned over 9 million Android devices into covert data relays, later hijacked into a DDoS botnet in 2025. TechSpot

Don't Regulate AI Models. Regulate AI Use As countries race to regulate AI, the article argues the United States should avoid licensing models and instead regulate AI use. It urges enforcement at distribution and deployment choke points to reduce real-world harm without stifling innovation. IEEE Spectrum

Effects of Substrate Material and Package Pad Design on Solder-Joint Reliabilty This paper describes work to improve the solder-joint reliability (SJR) of a 0.8mm pitch, 25mm body BGA package used in automotive under-the-hood applications. Technical Paper

Sponsor Tech Paper - Keys to Component Lead Tinning Success This paper examines the challenges and best practices of component tinning, with a focus on temperature control, flux selection, and soldering techniques. Circuit Technology Center

Firefox is adding a switch to turn AI features off Mozilla will add an "AI control" option to Firefox on February 24, letting users disable all current and future AI features or manage them individually, reinforcing its promise of user choice and trust amid growing AI integration. The Verge

Apple's Already Working On A New Foldable Phone With A Different Design Apple plans to debut its first foldable iPhone later this year, resembling the Galaxy Z Fold, while exploring a smaller clamshell "Flip" model. Success could push Apple to add premium foldables to its iPhone lineup. BGR

Bi-Based Solders for Low Temperature to Reduce Cost and Improve Yield The use of BiSnbased solder paste improves the BGA solder joint yield relative to SAC based solder pastes during low temperature reflow soldering. Technical Paper

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, Inc.

AI Transforms Autonomous Vehicle Deployment as 2026 Marks Industry Turning Point for Robotaxis Wood Mackenzie says 2026 marks an inflection point for autonomous vehicles, as AI-driven robotaxis scale rapidly, cutting costs and launch times. Global fleets could grow tenfold by 2030, deploying more than 100,000 driverless taxis worldwide. Design News

AI Data Centers Are Causing These 4 Items You Use Every Day To Skyrocket In Price AI's explosive growth is driving massive data center spending, triggering a global memory chip shortage. Surging RAM costs are pushing up prices for PCs, smartphones, cars, and TVs as manufacturers face shortages, higher bills of materials, and tough trade-offs. BGR

Sponsor Reliable Solder Performance for Less Silver Stop overpaying for silver. REL61 offers equivalent mechanical strength and thermal stability to SAC305 with a decade of field-proven success. Switch without the risk. AIM Solder

How to Say No Calmly and Confidently — Without Feeling Guilty Later As leaders gain success, demands on their time surge. Vendors, partners, and peers increasingly push meetings and pitches, competing for calendar space, often promoting products or ideas leaders neither need nor want, forcing sharper prioritization and boundaries. Entrepreneur

Reliability of Polymeric Encapsulation Materials on SnAgCu Solder Joints This study determined the processability, mechanical and temperature cycle reliability of SAC BGA solder joints reinforced by encapsulation using SJEMs. Technical Paper

Thermal Advances Driving Next-Gen AI Chip Design Rising AI power demands and 3D chip stacking are pushing thermal limits, creating extreme hotspots. As GPUs near kilowatt-class loads, designers turn to microfluidic, two-phase cooling and hierarchical thermal modeling to enable reliable next-generation wafer-scale systems. EE Times

HiPEAC 2026: Bridging AI Speed and Silicon Reality Researchers warn the AI boom is outpacing hardware progress, driving soaring energy costs. At HiPEAC 2026, experts urged hardware–software co-design, showcasing new methods that boost efficiency, cut memory use, and push the semiconductor industry toward sustainable AI. EE Times

Sponsor A Lifespan of Reliability Nordson Electronics Solutions makes reliable electronics an everyday reality. Selective soldering, dispensing, coating, and plasma solutions. Nordson Electronics Solutions

AI layoffs or 'AI-washing'? A New York Times report highlights rising "AI-washing," as companies blame artificial intelligence for layoffs. Despite over 50,000 AI-cited job cuts in 2025, experts say many firms lack mature AI tools and use the narrative to mask financial or managerial problems. TechCrunch