Siemens Acquires Altair in $10B Deal

MUNICH – Siemens has signed an agreement to acquire Altair Engineering for $113 per share, representing an enterprise value of approximately $10 billion.

The acquisition of the simulation software provider will increase Siemens’ digital business revenue by 8%, adding around EUR600 million ($651 million) to its revenue of EUR7.3 billion ($7.9 billion) in fiscal year 2023, the company said, and providing Altair full access to its global footprint and customer base should have a revenue impact of more than $500 million per year in the mid term and more than $1 billion per year in the long term.

“Acquiring Altair marks a significant milestone for Siemens,” said Roland Busch, president and CEO, Siemens, said in a release announcing the acquisition. “This strategic investment aligns with our commitment to accelerate the digital and sustainability transformations of our customers by combining the real and digital worlds. The addition of Altair’s capabilities in simulation, high performance computing, data science, and artificial intelligence together with Siemens Xcelerator will create the world’s most complete AI-powered design and simulation portfolio.”

TTM Receives $30M from DoD to Fund Expansion

SYRACUSE, NY – TTM Technologies received a $30 million grant from the US Department of Defense to help fund an expansion of its PCB manufacturing capabilities.

The grant, facilitated through the Defense Production Act Purchases (DPAP) office, will enable TTM to acquire and install advanced manufacturing equipment and develop prototype designs for printed circuit boards. The project will begin at TTM’s Centers of Excellence across the US and culminate in integration into its new Syracuse facility.

“The DoD requires state-of-the-art advanced printed circuit board manufacturing capability to support defense programs,” said Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of defense for Industrial Base Policy. “This project provides domestic manufacturing capabilities to meet demand for current and future US systems.”

Würth to Close PCB Plant After Drop in Orders

NIEDERNHALL, GERMANY – Würth Elektronik will close its PCB production plant in Schopfheim, Germany, citing a “dramatic decrease” in orders due to weakness in the European electronics industry. The closure affects more than 300 jobs at the facility.

The company said the region’s economic crisis has reached historic proportions, particularly in the industrial electronics sector, leading to a sharp decline in European PCB manufacturers as orders shift to China and other countries. It said the situation is exacerbated by massive increases in energy and personnel costs, as well as geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

The demand from other industries that rely heavily on regional value creation is too low to permanently utilize the capacities of all Würth PCB production facilities, including medical technology and aerospace, the company said.

Ventec Consolidates German Facilities

KIRCHHEIMBOLANDEN, GERMANY – Ventec in October announced plans to consolidate two facilities here into a single production and logistics center. The company said the project is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Following the company’s acquisition of Holders Technology in October 2021, Ventec has two separate facilities in this southwestern Germany town, and the company said it plans to consolidate the two and upgrade a 13,500 sq. ft. campus with modern offices, fully equipped production halls and a new 1,800 sq. m. warehouse.

The enhanced facilities will include an enlarged prepreg cutting cleanroom, a new hall for cutting the company’s laminate materials and state-of-the-art drilling and milling machines. The facility will also include a modern dust-extraction system that meets the latest CO₂ reduction requirements, as well as solar power and heat pumps to ensure the buildings meet the latest eco guidelines.

VVDN to Build PCB Plant in India

MANESAR, INDIA – VVDN Technologies plans to invest up to $200 million in a new PCB fabrication and connectors facility, part of a larger strategy for the ODM to ensure a steady supply chain for key components and lessen its imports from China.

The new plant is expected to come online within three to four years, said Vivek Bansel, president of VVDN, according to published reports.

VVDN is one of India’s largest electronics ODMs.

Amber, Korea Circuit Form JV for PCB Production

GURUGRAM, INDIA – Amber Enterprises has signed a joint venture with Korea Circuit to manufacture advanced printed circuit boards in India.

Amber said the partnership is aimed at addressing India’s growing demand for electronics, and through this collaboration, the companies plan to bring cutting-edge technology and manufacturing processes to the nation’s market.

Amber and Korea Circuit will own 70% and 30% of the joint venture, respectively, which will focus on manufacturing high-density interconnect (HDI) PCBs, flexible PCBs, and semiconductor substrates.

AT&S Sells Korean Plant to Somacis

LEOBEN, AUSTRIA – AT&S in September completed the sale of AT&S Korea, including its PCB manufacturing plant in Ansan, South Korea, to Somacis for around €405 million ($452.8 million). The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be completed in the next few months.

“With the sale of the plant in Ansan we aim to further sharpen the group’s strategic profile,” said AT&S CFO Petra Preining. “We strongly believe that with the Italian technology group Somacis as its new owner, the Ansan site will unleash its full potential and continue pursuing an attractive journey of strong growth.”

“Ansan is an AT&S success story,” said CEO Andreas Gerstenmayer. “When AT&S acquired the plant in 2006, all revenue was generated locally, and its performance was far below the expectations of AT&S. The development of new applications, strong investment in technology and capabilities, as well as the strong commitment of the responsible team resulted in strong revenue growth and a significant improvement in performance. Within only a few years, revenue quadrupled.”

Scanfil Acquires Asia-Pacific Manufacturer SRXGlobal

OULU, FINLAND – Scanfil in October announced the acquisition of SRXGlobal and its factories in Melbourne, Australia, and Johor Bahru, Malaysia, for €23.3 million ($26 million).

Between the two factories, SRX has eight total SMT lines and around 300 employees.

“The acquisition of SRX is a step in building our presence in Asia-Pacific region and the implementation of our strategy,” said Scanfil CEO Christophe Sut. “It creates synergies in procurement, improves geographic diversification and strengthens our customer portfolio. The acquisition brings us new customers and allows our existing customers to expand their operations with us in the new areas of the fast-growing Asia Pacific region.”

Jabil Acquires Thermal Management OEM

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Jabil in October announced the acquisition of Mikros Technologies, a manufacturer of liquid cooling solutions for thermal management.

Jabil said the continued adoption of AI, energy storage and electric vehicles is driving higher-power density systems, and liquid cooling has emerged as a more energy-efficient alternative to air cooling for many applications.

The company said the acquisition of Mikros will enable Jabil to help its customers manage the intense thermal requirements of their current and next-generation products while considering sustainability and cost considerations.

Flex to Acquire Crown Technical Systems

AUSTIN, TX – Flex entered a definitive agreement to acquire Crown Technical Systems, a specialist in power distribution and protection systems, for $325 million.

Crown Technical Systems brings nearly three decades of power distribution and control experience, with capabilities in modular solutions, medium-voltage switchgear, and control and relay products. The company has customers in utilities, data centers and power generation, and has facilities in California, Texas, and Canada.

“The addition of Crown Technical Systems strengthens our position to help customers solve power, heat, and scale challenges in the data center space aligned with our long-term growth strategy,” said Flex CEO Revathi Advaithi. “This acquisition reaffirms our commitment to differentiate our value through our EMS + Products + Services strategy that will deliver longer-term shareholder value.”

Mycronic Buys German AOI Maker

TÄBY, SWEDEN – Mycronic has acquired Modus High-Tech Electronics, a German provider of automated optical inspection systems.

Modus specializes in automated optical inspection units for coating, soldering and components within printed circuit board assembly, and has also developed solutions for fuel cell inspection. The company was founded in 1999, has 18 employees and more than 1,650 scanners and 650 camera systems in service. Its net sales in 2023 amounted to €4 million ($4.3 million).

“Modus’ inspection systems are an integral part of conformal coating production lines, where Mycronic’s High Volume division is a global leader in electronics conformal coating solutions. Together we will be able to offer complete and optimized solutions to our respective customers,” said Ivan Li, senior vice president, high volume, Mycronic.

Aimtron Expands Operations After Public Listing

AHMEDABAD, INDIA – Aimtron Electronics announced an expansion of its domestic electronics assembly operations in India after a public listing earlier this year.

The company said the public listing marks a significant milestone in its journey, providing greater financial flexibility and an opportunity to accelerate its strategic initiatives.

“India holds tremendous potential in electronics manufacturing, and we aim to be a major contributor to that growth. Our goal is to ensure that a significant share of our production and innovation happens within the country,” said CEO Mukesh Vasani.

Report: Jabil Looks to Expand India Investments

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Jabil is looking to invest an additional $250 million to $275 million in India over the next few years for at least two more manufacturing units, the Economic Times reported.

The company currently has two units in Pune where it manufactures plastic casings for Apple’s AirPods, and could be looking to make plastic casings for chargers, some older iPhone models, AirPods or components for Apple watches and Mac computers, according to ET’s report.

As Apple continues to look to India as an alternative to China, 13 of its suppliers, including Zhen Ding Technology, TDK Corporation, Tata Electronics, Sunwoda Electronic Company, Shenzhen YUTO Packaging Technology, Jabil and Foxconn, have manufacturing and assembly facilities in the country.

Summer Doldrums Hit Japan’s PCB Market

TOKYO – Japan’s printed circuit board recovery remained mixed in August, as rigid board sales fell nearly 10% year-over-year on a nearly 13% drop in production output.

The data are compiled by the Japan Electronics Packaging and Circuits Association (JPCA) based on reporting from scores of domestic manufacturers.

Flex boards were nearly flat, growing 0.7% from a year ago in sales, while output was down about 7%. IC substrate sales were the outlier, rising 11% for the period despite a production drop of about 2%.

For the year, flex circuits sales are up 6.5% on a 1.3% rise in output. Rigid board sales are down 5.4% on a 13% drop in output, and IC substrates are down 11% in revenues despite a 10% increase in output. (more)

The Future is Thin, Flat and Flexible

What’s ahead for antennas, heaters and inks.
by Michael LeFebvre

In the 39 years I’ve been in the printed electronics industry, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing, influencing and playing a part in life-changing innovations such as the SonoCine ultrasonic breast imaging device and printed wearable therapeutics. As brilliant as these breakthroughs were back in the day, however, they don’t hold a candle to today’s conductive transparent thin films that are enabling limitless design and engineering possibilities.

The following is a synopsis of some of the leading-edge technologies and their applications. After reading about the following examples based on my current experience, I think you’ll agree that the future of our industry is exciting indeed!

Aesthetic and Green

Transparent, flexible antennas. Today’s 5G frequencies don’t penetrate buildings well, and the need for more antennas to facilitate 5G speed is growing exponentially. The problem is that consumers don’t want unsightly features (read: antennas) attached to their products or visible anywhere within their environments.

Rocking and Rolling at ZIW

The annual user event was tuned into AI, but that’s not the only melody being played.
by Tyler Hanes

Zuken welcomed customers and partners to Cleveland in September for the electronics design software company’s annual users event, providing an opportunity for networking and a backstage pass to the company’s most recent software updates and future innovations.

Zuken Innovation World Americas, colocated with Vitech’s Integrate24, opened with comments from Kent McLeroth and Enrique Krajmalnik, the chief executives of Zuken USA and Vitech, respectively, and a keynote address befitting its location in the supposed birthplace of rock and roll with Mark Schulman, drummer for such artists as P!NK, Billy Idol, Foreigner and Cher.

Schulman shared his musical journey and some of the lessons learned from rock’s legends, as well as his own methods to change his perspective and enter a “rock star” state of mind – whether on the stage or in daily life.

ENEPIG Corrosion Mechanisms

Different types of nickel corrosion and potential mitigation strategies.
by Patrick Valentine

Electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG) chemistries were introduced in the mid-1990s to replace electrolytic nickel and gold for high-density circuits. In the mid-1990s, nickel corrosion, soon to be known as the ubiquitous “black pad,” was discovered. Chemical suppliers and board manufacturers took steps to reduce the occurrence of black pad. To that end, in 2002, IPC released IPC-4552, “Performance Specification for Electroless Nickel/Immersion Gold (ENIG) Plating for Printed Boards.”

In the late 1990s, electroless nickel electroless palladium immersion gold (ENEPIG) chemistries were introduced as a universal finish for gold, aluminum and copper wire bonding, with perceived protection from black pad. In 2013, IPC released IPC-4556, “Specification for Electroless Nickel/Electroless Palladium/Immersion Gold (ENEPIG) Plating for Printed Boards.” Today, black pad is still a reality with ENIG and ENEPIG plating.

Electroless Nickel Deposition

The most common electroless nickel baths for printed circuit boards (PCBs) use a phosphorous-containing reducing agent, typically incorporating ≤10% phosphorous, by weight, in the nickel deposit. The nickel phosphorous (Ni-P) deposit is amorphous and has an isotropic surface energy. This produces a Ni-P deposit with hemispherical nodules that look like soap bubbles (Figure 1).

Royalty Flush

A noted solutions architect offers an audacious plan for AI acceptance. It just might work.
by Tyler Hanes

The talk of AI-based printed circuit design – and the idea that artificial intelligence could theoretically design a board faster and more efficiently than a human – has inevitably led to the fear that designers will be replaced by their algorithmic counterparts.

Rather than stoke those fears, a proposed process for AI implementation presented by a leading ECAD architect at PCB West in October focused on the new opportunities that could come for designers as AI implementation begins to take place.

That proposal, offered up in the keynote address by Charles Pfeil, was the precursor to several panels and conference sessions at this year’s conference, apropos as AI and its impact on PCB designers is front and center on the minds of many in the industry as AI continues to grow.

When to Downsize Solder Paste Powders

Smaller components do not always need a smaller paste.
by Gayle Towell

As components shrink in size, the demand for finer solder pastes increases. But the selection of solder paste is not just about matching component size; it’s also about optimizing printing and reflow processes to prevent defects and ensure reliability.

Here we explore the significance of solder paste powder size, particularly when and why manufacturers should consider downsizing from standard types to finer alternatives.

The exact method for creating solder powder, and ultimately solder paste, can vary significantly from one manufacturer to another. These differences in production methods can lead to very different outcomes when printing with a particular paste size.

Keeping Electronics Cool

Types of TIMs and their application methods.
by Nathan Preslan

As demand for high-performance electronic devices continues to grow, managing heat dissipation effectively has become a critical challenge. Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are pivotal in ensuring efficient thermal management by facilitating heat transfer between heat-generating components and heat-dissipating devices. Here, we examine the various types of TIMs and their application methods, including insights into modern dispensers and the advantages and disadvantages of these methods in electronics manufacturing.

In the electronics industry, thermal interface materials are integral to various applications, including processors and GPUs, power electronics, memory modules, automotive electronics and telecommunications. For example, TIMs are used between processors or GPUs and their heatsinks to ensure efficient heat transfer, preventing thermal throttling and enhancing performance. This issue has been magnified by the recent surge in AI-related hardware, which often requires significantly more processing power and generates more heat that must be managed effectively.

Other high-power components, like power transistors and LEDs, also generate significant heat, and TIMs help maintain optimal operating temperatures, prolonging the lifespan and reliability of these components. Memory chips, especially those in high-performance applications, benefit from TIMs as they manage heat dissipation and maintain thermal stability.

In Case You Missed It

Defect Detection

“A Novel YOLOv5_ES Based on Lightweight Small Object Detection Head for PCB Surface Defect Detection”

Authors: Yi Gao, et. al.

Abstract: In the manufacturing process of printed circuit boards (PCBs), surface defects have a significant negative impact on product quality. Considering that traditional object detection algorithms have low accuracy in handling PCB images with complex backgrounds, various types and small-sized defects, this work proposes a PCB defect detection algorithm based on a novel YOLOv5 multi-scale attention mechanism spatial pyramid dilated convolution (SPD-Conv) (YOLOv5_ES) network using improved YOLOv5s framework. First, the detection head is optimized by removing medium and large detection layers, leveraging the capability of the small detection head to identify minor target defects. This approach improves model accuracy and lightweighting. Second, to further reduce the number of parameters and computational costs, the SPD-Conv is introduced to improve feature extraction capability by reducing information loss. Third, an EMA module is introduced to fuse context information of different scales, enhancing the model’s generalization ability. Compared to the YOLOv5s model, there is a 3.1% improvement in mean average precision (mAP0.5), a 55.8% reduction in model parameters and a 4.8% reduction in giga floating-point operations per second (GFLOPs). These results demonstrate a significant improvement in both accuracy and model parameter efficiency. (Scientific Reports, October 2024, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-74368-7)