Principal Mineral Acquires Isola, Secures $280M for Expansion

DALLAS – Principal Mineral in June acquired PCB materials manufacturer Isola Group and secured approximately $280 million in new funding to support expansion, technology development and supply-chain investments. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition adds Isola’s copper-clad laminate and dielectric prepreg portfolio to Principal Mineral’s existing operations, which include Camden Copper, a producer of electrodeposited copper foil. Together, the businesses supply two key materials used in printed circuit board manufacturing, strengthening the company’s position in advanced electronics supply chains.

Kingboard to Expand PCB Capacity, Sells Stake in Laminate Unit

HONG KONG – Kingboard Holdings plans to raise approximately $1.5 billion through a stake sale in subsidiary Kingboard Laminates Holdings to expand production capacity and support growing demand for AI-related printed circuit board materials.

Kingboard Laminates, one of the world’s largest producers of copper-clad laminates, will use the proceeds to increase multilayer and high-density interconnect (HDI) PCB capabilities, expand manufacturing capacity, accelerate research and development efforts, and repay debt.

The move comes as AI infrastructure investment continues to drive demand throughout the electronics supply chain. Major cloud providers are expected to spend more than $800 billion on AI infrastructure in 2026, increasing demand for advanced PCB materials and manufacturing technologies.

AT&S Announces $1.7B IC Substrates Expansion

LEOBEN, AUSTRIA – Citing continued strong demand for AI infrastructure and advanced packaging technologies, AT&S in June announced plans to invest €1.5 billion to €2 billion ($1.7 billion to $2.27 billion) to expand production capacity for high-end IC substrates.

The plans are supported by key customers, including AMD and another undisclosed technology company, AT&S said. The agreements will support the installation of additional production capacity at the fabricator’s existing plant in Kulim, Malaysia, and in a previously unused building of a second plant there.

TTM Completes $130M New York UHDI Facility

DEWITT, NY – TTM Technologies has completed construction of a $130 million advanced manufacturing facility in DeWitt, NY, expanding domestic production of ultra-high-density interconnect (UHDI) printed circuit boards for defense applications.

The 215,000-sq.-ft. facility, known as Syracuse Diamond, is expected to create up to 400 engineering and manufacturing jobs and increase TTM’s Central New York workforce to approximately 1,000 employees.

The project received $30 million in funding from the US Department of Defense and is intended to strengthen the domestic defense electronics supply chain. TTM said the facility will produce UHDI PCBs used in advanced military systems and support ongoing research and development efforts related to advanced packaging and substrate technologies.End of article content 

Chase Acquires Sheldahl from Flex

WESTWOOD, MA – Chase Corp. in June completed its acquisition of Sheldahl from Flex, adding a portfolio of coated films, laminates and flexible circuit technologies used in aerospace, automotive, industrial and medical applications. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Sheldahl specializes in advanced materials and flexible circuitry, expanding Chase’s capabilities in specialty manufacturing and strengthening its position in high-reliability markets. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition aligns with Chase’s focus on advanced materials and is expected to broaden its product offerings and market reach. Sheldahl’s technologies support a range of applications requiring lightweight, flexible and durable electronic solutions.

Schmid Plans New China Manufacturing Campus to Expand Capacity

FREUDENSTADT, GERMANY – Schmid Group has signed a preliminary agreement with local authorities in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, to establish a new manufacturing campus in China aimed at supporting future growth and increasing production capacity.

The planned facility will consolidate the company’s manufacturing operations currently spread across two leased sites into a single company-owned campus. According to Schmid, the new site is expected to nearly double the effective manufacturing capacity of its existing China operations through expanded floor space, improved workflows and more efficient logistics.

The investment is part of Schmid’s “In China for China” strategy and is intended to support growing demand for advanced wet-process equipment used in the production of high-density interconnect boards, IC substrates, AI server boards and other advanced electronic applications.

Green Circuits Changes Hands, Adds Canadian EMS

SAN JOSE – Green Circuits, one of the largest quickturn prototype electronics manufacturers in North America, changed hands in May. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Reichmann Segal Capital Partners in June acquired the EMS company from Praesidian Capital, which in turn had provided the capital to support Evolve Capital’s acquisition of Green Circuits in 2018. Reichmann Segal launched a fund, Metatron Private Equity, to acquire Green Circuits and

Polymatech Opens Singapore Hub for LED Packaging and Memory Module Assembly

SINGAPORE – Polymatech has opened an advanced electronics manufacturing facility in Singapore that will serve as its Asia-Pacific hub for LED chip-on-board (CoB) packaging and advanced memory module assembly.

Backed by an investment of approximately $25 million, the facility is located at Mapletree Hi-Tech Park and is designed to support optoelectronics, advanced packaging and computing applications. The site includes dispensing, packaging, curing, inspection, testing and module assembly systems for high-precision electronics manufacturing.

Nano Dimension Nears End of Strategic Review, Teases Next Move

WALTHAM, MA – Nano Dimension said it is nearing a decision on its long-term strategic direction after completing major restructuring efforts, divesting businesses and reducing operating expenses as part of a three-phase plan aimed at maximizing shareholder value.

In a letter to shareholders, CEO David Stehlin said the company has made significant progress since launching a strategic review in September 2025. The review was designed to streamline operations, reduce cash burn, monetize product lines and identify the most compelling path forward for the business.

Nano reported that standalone operating expenses declined approximately 22% year-over-year in the first quarter, while operating cash burn has fallen each quarter since the third quarter of 2025. The company also completed the sale of its AME and Fabrica product lines and announced the $42.5 million all-cash sale of MarkForged to Stratasys.

Interflex Invests $18M to Expand Vietnam PCB Manufacturing

SEOUL – Interflex will invest approximately $18 million in its Vietnamese subsidiary, Korea Circuit Vina, as part of an ongoing effort to expand printed circuit board manufacturing capacity in Vietnam.

The investment will increase South Korea-based Interflex’s ownership stake in Korea Circuit Vina from 83.5% to 89.3%. Located in Vinh Phuc province, the facility serves as a PCB manufacturing base supporting the Korea Circuit Group’s regional production strategy.

Somacis Completes Acquisition of ACB Group

MILAN, ITALY – Somacis in late June completed its acquisition of France- and Belgium-based PCB manufacturer ACB Group, expanding its European manufacturing footprint and strengthening its position in the high-reliability printed circuit board market.

The transaction, first announced in February, includes ACB’s production facilities at Atlantec in Malville, France; Cibel in Bellême, France; and ACB NV in Dendermonde, Belgium. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition expands Somacis’ manufacturing, research and development, and customer support capabilities across Europe, complementing its existing operations in Italy, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. The company said the combined organization will be better positioned to serve customers requiring high-technology, high-reliability PCBs in demanding applications.

NCAB Acquires Board Shark to Expand US PCB Presence

SUNDBYBERG, SWEDEN – NCAB has acquired 100% of Florida-based Board Shark, expanding its US printed circuit board presence through a deal valued at up to $26 million.

The acquisition includes an upfront purchase price of $15 million, with an additional earn-out of up to $11 million tied to Board Shark’s financial performance over the next 24 months.

Founded in 2016 by Carl and Rachelle Moehring, Board Shark specializes in PCB solutions for customers in the aerospace, industrial and medical sectors, with a particular strength in quickturn deliveries. The company employs five people and maintains a network of regional sales representatives, giving it a strong presence in the western United States.

AI Computing Power Demand Drives Upstream PCB Material Prices Wildly, Entering a ‘Super Cycle’

TAIPEI – Demand for upstream PCB materials is accelerating as AI servers push PCB layer counts and performance requirements to unprecedented levels, driving a sharp increase in the value of the materials used to build them.

According to industry data, successive generations of Nvidia’s computing platforms have dramatically raised the value of PCBs used in standalone AI racks. The H100 platform introduced in 2022 utilized roughly 16 to 20 layers, with PCB content valued at about $5,000 per rack. By the time the GB300 platform arrives in 2025, layer counts are expected to exceed 26 and PCB value per rack is projected to reach $35,000.

The next inflection point could come with Nvidia’s Rubin architecture, scheduled for volume production in the second half of this year. PCB stackups are expected to jump to between 32 and 40 layers, lifting PCB value per rack to approximately $116,000 – a 233% increase over the GB300 generation. By 2027, the Ultra architecture could require as many as 78 layers. (more)

Breaking the 100GHz Barrier with Ground Guard Sheets in mmWave PCB Design

Breaking through the 100GHz bandwidth limit for coplanar waveguide design with a ground guard sheet in mmWave applications.
by Chang Fei Yee

Millimeter wave (mmWave), or millimeter band, is an electromagnetic (EM) frequency range below infrared (IR). The frequency spectrum of mmWave is applied for high-speed telecommunications, such as 5G and potentially 6G network deployment.^1,2 Referring to Figure 1, the mmWave wavelength ranges from 10mm at 30GHz to 1mm at 300GHz.

Wireless communication in the mmWave band is fast and low-latency, enabling higher data rates than other telecommunications in lower-frequency bands, such as existing cellular networks. With its higher data rate and capacity, the mmWave network handles more data traffic than other frequency bands. Furthermore, mmWave does not propagate or interfere with the neighboring cellular network system.

From Fab Note to Process Control: How to Validate PCB Backdrilling

How to specify, validate and monitor PCB backdrill requirements during NPI and production.
by Joe Clark

As PCB designs incorporate higher-speed signals, and reducing via stubs becomes critical to function, backdrilling is often treated as a simple requirement added to the fabrication drawing. Designers trust the PCB fabricator’s process to meet their stub requirement, but validation of this critical requirement is often overlooked.

The backdrill note in the fabrication drawing can be perfectly clear, but the fabricator may still fail to meet the stub length requirement. This will not appear at bareboard electrical tests, and it may show up later as margin loss, intermittent high-speed failures or unexplained channel performance variation. The fabricator’s success in their backdrill operation depends on clear design requirements, stackup accuracy, layer registration, primary drill and backdrill registration and process repeatability. These factors can be validated in several ways: coupon inspection, first-article CT scan, time domain reflectometry (TDR) or destructive physical analysis (DPA).

Here are recommendations for high-speed backdrill requirements and validation methods to use with your PCB fabricator.

Selective UHDI: Using Ultra HDI Where Needed, Not Everywhere

Applying UHDI only where density and performance demands require it can reduce layer counts, improve yields and lower costs without sacrificing electrical performance.
by Anaya Vardya

One of the most common assumptions PCB designers make when investigating ultra HDI (UHDI) technology is that every layer must be built with ultra-fine geometries using semi-additive processing (SAP) or modified semi-additive (mSAP) processing. In practice, most UHDI stackups are a combination of conventional layers and UHDI layers. This approach – call it selective UHDI – places UHDI layers exactly where they deliver the most benefit and lets conventional layers handle the rest, resulting in a mixed-process stackup.

Apply UHDI selectively, not to every layer. Selective UHDI is the practice of applying UHDI fabrication only to the layers that need it, rather than across the entire board. The result is a mixed-process stackup: a PCB architecture that combines UHDI layers, built using semi-additive processing (SAP) or modified semi-additive (mSAP) processing, with conventional subtractive layers in the same board. The mix here is one of fabrication processes, not dielectric materials, which sets it apart from the material hybrid stackup that combines laminates such as Rogers and FR-4.

The distinction between HDI and UHDI is based on the feature thresholds defined by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Crane. High-density interconnect (HDI) is characterized by BGA pitches of 0.8 to 1mm, trace and space around 75µm (3mils), and microvias of 100µm (4mils) or greater. UHDI extends each of the following: BGA pitches of 0.5mm or less, trace and space of 65µm or less, microvias of 50 to 75µm (2 to 3mils), and impedance control within 3 to 5%.

SMT Pogo Pins Shifting (Post-Reflow)

A stencil aperture modification eliminated pogo pin tilt during reflow, maintaining alignment within customer specifications.
by Akber Roy

Pogo pins are specialized, spring-loaded electrical connectors used to establish reliable temporary or permanent connections between electronic circuits. Comprised of a plunger, barrel and spring, they provide consistent contact force – typically around 1 Newton –ensuring stability against vibration and accommodating thermal expansion in compact devices.

A post-solder reflow inspection revealed SMT pogo pins with angular shifts exceeding the customer’s allowable tolerance of ±0.1° from the required 90° orientation.

Finding a Place in PCB Design

Lauren Waslick and Kristen Aguiar discuss mentorship, visibility and the career few people know exists.
by Ryann Howard

One of the PCB design community’s greatest talents is hiding in plain sight.

Ask a room full of high school students what they want to be when they grow up and you’ll hear doctor, lawyer, engineer, teacher, maybe even influencer if we’re being honest. In my own case, I wanted to be a writer. I simply failed to anticipate that the characters would be engineers.

What you probably won’t hear is “printed circuit board designer.” Which is somewhat ironic, given that modern life would come to a grinding halt without them.

PCB design remains one of the most rewarding careers that few people know exists. Unlike medicine, law or software development, it rarely appears on a student’s radar. Most designers find their way into the field through chance conversations or job postings that open a door they didn’t know was there.

In Case You Missed It

PCB Materials

“A Molecular Pathway to Corrosion-Resistant Printable Copper”

Authors: Jun Zhang, et al.

Abstract: Copper’s exceptional electrical and thermal conductivities make it essential for electronics and energy systems. Oxidation and corrosion, however, limit its long-term reliability, and existing protection strategies often involve high-temperature or multistep processing. The authors report a molecularly reactive strategy that converts copper precursors to metallic copper at <150°C, while generating an ultrathin carbonaceous and copper(I) surface passivation. Catechol-based ligands mediate copper reduction, enable low-temperature interparticle fusion, and impart surface passivation, yielding flexible copper with low resistivity and exceptional stability (>1000 hr. in acid, >200 hr. in sulfide, >240 hr. at 140°C). This strategy resolves the long-standing tradeoff among conductivity, corrosion resistance and processability for next-generation flexible electronics and energy systems. (Science, May 14, 2026, vol. 392, no. 6,799, https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aed4488)