June 3, 2026

North American PCB Bookings Surge in April as Sales Continue to Climb North American PCB demand gained momentum in April 2026 as bookings surged 25.5% year over year and shipments rose 5.8%. The book-to-bill ratio reached 1.24, its highest level in over a year, signaling stronger demand and growing production backlogs. Global Electronics Association

Sponsor Gripping Systems from micro assembly to heavy lifting The first industrial-suited grippers from SCHUNK were a milestone. Since then we have brought countless newly and further developments to market. SCHUNK

New AI phase starting: Pegatron Pegatron Corp chairman Tung Tzu-hsien says AI is shifting toward agentic and physical models, creating new opportunities for Taiwan's supply chain. He highlights demand for robotics, sensors and components, expanding AI servers, and constraints like DRAM in data centers. Taipei Times

A Universal AI-Powered Segmentation Model for PCBA & Semiconductor A universal AI & Deep Learning powered model that enhances defect detection in AOI systems for PCBAs and semiconductors, further improving accuracy, speed and consistency - streamlining inspection processes. Technical Paper

This company builds the iPhone. Now it's launched an electric car. Foxconn's EV arm Foxtron has launched the Cavira, an electric SUV aimed at the Tesla Model Y. The vehicle offers up to 359 miles of range, fast charging, a tech-focused interior, and starts at about $38,000 in Taiwan. Mashable

Sponsor Test Instead of Guessing Your Cleaning Process Compare PCBA cleaning systems neutrally and validate results with analytics. Make safe decisions based on real data- not assumptions. Start your cleaning test today. ZESTRON Europe

Photonics: A Foundational Scaling Layer for AI-Era Computing Photonics is emerging as a core scaling layer for AI computing, extending optical interconnects across chips, racks, and data centers to reduce latency, power, and bottlenecks. It enables disaggregated memory and faster accelerator coordination beyond Moore's Law. EE Times

The Causes of Tiny Solder Balls After Reflow We have been seeing tiny solder balls across our boards after reflow. It appears that the solder is exploding as the balls are in areas where there is no paste or components. Board Talk

Technical Papers ■ 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 ■ Scaling SMT Traceability ■ The Drawbacks of Internal Recycling Systems for Solder Dross ■ 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 MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor Eliminate Worry of Cross Contamination While Models 529 and 1550 are similar semi-automatic cleaners with single wash and rinse tanks, the Model 2003 includes 2 wash tanks for cleaning multiple applications in one machine. Smart Sonic

Redefining teaching in the AI era Chiayi student sued a teacher for failing two subjects, but the court dismissed the case, sparking debate on education. The report argues schooling has shifted into a consumer service, while AI demands teachers evolve into coaches teaching practical tacit skills. Taipei Times

Hon Hai chair meets with Macron, announces new investments in France Hon Hai chair Young Liu met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to unveil semiconductor and AI infrastructure investments. The company launched Tessalia joint venture with Thales and Radiall and partnered with Bull to expand European AI manufacturing capacity. Taipei Times

Development of Si-Interposers for 3D Heterogeneous Integration This paper will review the status of the ongoing interposer development program and provide details on the process capabilities that have been established. Technical Paper

Sponsor The "Fried Egg" Effect in Soldering Burnt-on flux residue that is visible on the solder mask of PCBs after improper reflow settings produces significant challenges to the reliability of finished boards. KYZEN

Taiwan key to AI development: Lai President William Lai said Taiwan is indispensable to global AI development at Computex Taipei, highlighting strong foreign investment, record tech growth, and confidence in its system. He pledged stable power, reforms, and deeper international AI collaboration. Taipei Times

Trump signs AI executive order asking companies to give government early access to models President Trump signed an executive order urging AI companies to voluntarily share models with federal government to benchmark cyber capabilities, identify frontier systems, set cybersecurity priorities amid regulatory debate rapid AI growth. CNBC

Solder Joint Void Metrology to Monitor Solder Joint Quality We are showing what could be done when using a 2D X-ray system to collect high resolution images and process them with Deep Learning using AI. Technical Paper

Sponsor Plasma Etch PE-Avenger The PE-Avenger is an ultra low-cost entry level plasma cleaning system allowing more labs to utilize plasma. It's a low frequency plasma cleaner designed for surface activation and organics removal. Plasma Etch

A startup is using AI to find lithium deposits directly beneath Europe's battery factories In Germany and Poland, Atana Elements uses AI and historical geological data to locate lithium deposits beneath industrial regions near battery factories. The US company aims to localize supply chains and cut reliance on distant mining operations. TechSpot

China's military obtained Nvidia chips despite US export controls, report claims China's military has spent years pursuing Nvidia AI chips; records show procurement efforts. The findings show procurement interest across branches, raising concerns US tech may still aid Beijing defense AI modernization despite sanctions. TechSpot

Sponsor Removal/Milling of Underfilled Parts: AVX1000M High precision milling with zero adjacent clearance. Auto laser height measurement of board and component. Learn more. Air-Vac Engineering

Nvidia's new PC chips represent CEO Huang's bid to win at every layer of AI stack Nvidia is expanding beyond data centers into AI-powered PCs, unveiling its RTX Spark chip with MediaTek and Microsoft. CEO Jensen Huang aims to "reinvent the PC," challenging Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm while extending Nvidia's dominance across the entire AI ecosystem. CNBC

2nd Generation of indium TIM A new generation of indium TIM has a protective layer to suppress surface oxidation. This work examines the performance of indium as TIM for BGA packaging. Technical Paper

Agentic computing could reshape data centers, PCs, robots, and vehicles, says Nvidia CEO Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says computing is entering an agentic computing era where AI-driven data centers, PCs, autonomous vehicles, humanoid robots satellites share a unified architecture, driving shift in computing comparable to past revolutions. Digitimes

Circularity for Electronics and Metal Recovery in Practice Atlantic Copper shows how circular economy policy can work in practice through its CirCular e-waste project near Seville, recovering copper and precious metals. With 62M tons of global e-waste and only 22.3% recycled, urgency grows today now. Global Electronics Association

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

New propulsion system could make tiny satellites both fast and fuel-efficient MIT engineers show a dual-mode propulsion system using a single non-toxic propellant to power both chemical and electric thrusters boosting CubeSats with greater maneuverability fuel efficiency and flexibility for Earth and deep-space missions. MIT News