




PCEA
PO Box 807
AMESBURY, MA 01913
Stephen Chavez, chairman
Tara Dunn, vice chairman
Justin Fleming, secretary
Gary Ferrari, chairman emeritus
MEMBERS
Michael Buetow
Tomas Chester
Michael Creeden
Douglas Dixon
Richard Hartley
Scott McCurdy
Anaya Vardya
Susy Webb
Eriko Yamato

THE PRINTED CIRCUIT ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION, INC. BRANDS:
PUBLICATION
- PCD&F/Circuits Assembly digital.pcea.net
WEBSITES
- PCD&F pcdandf.com
- Circuits Assembly circuitsassembly.com
NEWSLETTER
- PCB Update pcbupdate.com
PODCASTS
- PCB Chat pcbchat.com
EVENTS
- PCB West pcbwest.com
- PCB East pcbeast.com
EDUCATION
- PCB2Day pcb2day.com
- Printed Circuit University printedcircuituniversity.com
AWARDS PROGRAMS
- Service Excellence Awards circuitsassembly.com
- NPI Awards circuitsassembly.com
pcdandf.com
DATABASE
- Directory of EMS Companies circuitsassembly.com

Staff
PRESIDENT
Mike Buetow 617-327-4702 | mike@pcea.net
VICE PRESIDENT, SALES & MARKETING
Frances Stewart 678-817-1286 | frances@pcea.net
SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE
Brooke Anglin 404-316-9018 | brooke@pcea.net
MANAGING EDITOR
Tyler Hanes 205-258-0067 | tyler@pcea.net
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY EDITORIAL
MANAGING EDITOR
Tyler Hanes 205-258-0067 | tyler@pcea.net
COLUMNISTS AND ADVISORS
Clive Ashmore, Peter Bigelow, Robert Boguski, John D. Borneman, John Burkhert, Jr., Joseph Fama, Mark Finstad, Nick Koop, Alun Morgan, Susan Mucha, Greg Papandrew, Chrys Shea, Jan Vardaman, Gene Weiner
PRODUCTION
ART DIRECTOR & PRODUCTION
blueprint4MARKETING, Inc. | production@pcea.net
SALES
VICE PRESIDENT, SALES & MARKETING
Frances Stewart 678-817-1286 | frances@pcea.net
SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE
Brooke Anglin 404-316-9018 | brooke@pcea.net
REPRINTS
brooke@pcea.net
EVENTS/TRADE SHOWS
EXHIBIT SALES
Frances Stewart 678-817-1286 | frances@pcea.net
TECHNICAL CONFERENCE
Mike Buetow 617-327-4702 | mike@pcea.net
Printed Circuit Design & Fab/Circuits Assembly is distributed without charge to qualified subscribers. To subscribe, visit pcdandf.com or circuitsassembly.com and click on Subscribe. For changes or cancellations to existing subscriptions: subscriptions@pcea.net
Printed Circuit Design & Fab/Circuits Assembly is published monthly by Printed Circuit Engineering Association, Inc., PO Box 807 Amesbury, MA 01913. ISSN 1939-5442. GST 124513185/ Agreement #1419617.
© 2023, by Printed Circuit Engineering Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of material appearing in Printed Circuit Design & Fab/Circuits Assembly is forbidden without written permission.
Booth #419
autolam: Base-Material Solutions for Automotive Electronics
High-Performance Automotive Electronics begins with Innovative Materials
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The Route

mike
buetow
President
Keep an Eye on AI
Y NOW YOU probably have heard of ChatGPT. This new artificial intelligence program mimics conversations and language in a way the general public has never seen. Per its website, its developers trained an initial model using “supervised fine-tuning”; in other words, humans provided conversations in which they acted as both user and AI “assistant.” Model-written suggestions were used to help compose their responses.
After several iterations and refinements, ChatGPT was rolled out in November and has, as they say, gone viral.
Because I’m curious that way, I had to see for myself how this worked. So I logged in at openai.com and waited patiently for my turn – it is often at capacity. After a few hours, a slot opened and I fired my first shot: What is the future of printed circuit boards?
PCDF People
Garmin promoted Aaron Parker to senior printed circuit board designer.
Google named Brian Riley PCB design engine at its Augmented Reality division.
Lockheed Martin promoted Steven Bowles to associate fellow.
Around the World
Simmtech opened its $120 million Penang factory earlier this year, and the decision to expand the facility earlier than originally planned shows the company’s management team’s determination to invest in Malaysia, said Simmtech SE Asia Managing Director Jeffery Chun.
MMAB Group is a manufacturer and distributor of PCB for small quantities and prototypes on an express delivery basis, with activities mainly focused on Scandinavia. In addition to its Northern European operations – consisting of a production factory and headquarters – the group has two subsidiaries in Eastern Europe – one in Hungary and the other in the Czech Republic – as well as a sourcing and logistics facility in China.
With more than 200 active customers in the automotive, railway, defense and medical industries, MMAB Group saw revenues of SEK 132 million ($12.7 million) and an EBITDA of nearly SEK 20 million ($1.9 million) over the past year.
ECIA Publishes Publishes China Tariff Avoidance and Recovery Process Document
The China Tariff Avoidance and Recovery Process Update document offers an outline of what the GIPC recommends to members about current practices in this arena. The document explains several pathways for tariff avoidance and recovery, with specific suggestions for how to evaluate this complex issue. The intent is to enable companies to compare their current processes with identified best practices and make adjustments as required.
“Four years ago, this Committee collected input from ECIA component manufacturer and distributor members with the goal of identifying and sharing the most efficient processes for Tariff Avoidance and Recovery based on the previous administration’s tariff policies,” explained Don Elario, vice president of Industry Practices, ECIA. “With the Biden administration currently reviewing the tariffs, we revisited that document and updated it with best practices learned over the last four years.”
The updated China Tariff Avoidance and Recovery Process document is available only to ECIA members.
Benchmark named Chris Lentz senior director of supply chain.

ECD hired Michael Pliska as director of engineering. He has a master’s in physics and an MBA from Portland State University and extensive electronics experience.

Indium promoted Claire Hotvedt to senior product development specialist. She joined Indium in 2018 as a research technologist, and later became product development specialist.

Northrup Grumman named Raj Kumar senior staff engineer, Materials & Process, PCB SME. He spent the previous seven years at TTM Technologies as vice president, technology solutions, and previously was vice president of technology at Viasystems.

Panasonic North America named Jeff Mogensen regional sales manager. He has held high-level sales management positions at Saki, Parmi, Speedline Technologies and Amistar, among others, during his career.
The report discusses these developments and describes thermal interface materials offered by suppliers. The report includes OSAT financials and examines economic trends impacting the industry. China’s Covid lockdowns, new US exports controls, continued inflation, and the war in Ukraine are discussed. The report also examines the trends in EV charging with examples of the packages used for charging stations. Companies offering charging equipment and services are listed.
Around the World
BRUSSELS – SEMI in December announced key actions proposed by SEMI Europe and European Commission (EC) representatives in consultation with semiconductor industry stakeholders to overcome the skills shortage in Europe’s microelectronics industry. The actions resulted from a Dec. 2 workshop held in Brussels to support the European Chips Act and address challenges and future opportunities for developing skills critical to Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem.
The workshop marked the first meeting of SEMI Europe representatives, Lucilla Sioli, director of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Industry in Directorate-General CONNECT at the European Commission, and more than 80 semiconductor industry stakeholders including representatives from SEMI Europe member companies to discuss key projects under the Pact for Skills for Microelectronics.
Katek to Acquire EMS Firm Nextek
Nextek is a US-based supplier of high-tech and high-value electronics located in Madison, AL, and the agreement to acquire the company is Katek’s second transaction in North America in the past year after the acquisition of the Canadian SigmaPoint Technologies last August.
According to a release from Katek, the acquisition is intended to expand the group’s presence in North America and strengthen its access in the fast-growing Homeland Security & Defense, Medical, Energy, Highend Industrial and Aerospace sectors, which are new to Katek. Nextek generated profitable annual sales of $37 million last fiscal year with approximately 170 employees.
BASINGSTOKE, UK – EC Electronics, a UK EMS provider, in December announced the purchase of Swan EMS. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Based in Abertillery, UK, Swan EMS will continue operating as an independent business from its existing premises under its current management team.
“I believe that the EC group is the perfect home for Swan,” said Phil Simmonds, CEO, EC Electronics. “We are wholly dedicated to our electronics manufacturing services (EMS), and the addition of Swan will allow us to increase our cable assembly and box build capacity.
“At EC Electronics, we believe there is excellent potential for the growth of mid-sized cable assembly and electronics box build specialists in the UK and mainland Europe,” he added. “Adding Swan to the EC group will significantly strengthen its UK capabilities.”
PCEA CURRENT EVENTS

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – PCEA seeks abstracts for its annual PCB West technical conference coming in 2023.
PCB West will be held Sept. 19-22, 2023, at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. The event includes a four-day technical conference and one-day exhibition.
Presentations of the following durations are sought for the technical conference: one-hour lectures and presentations; two-hour workshops; and half-day (3.5 hour) and full-day seminars.
Preference is given to presentations of two hours in length or more, and no presentations of less than one hour will be considered.
Membership. In early December, Mike Creeden led a leadership session for existing and startup chapters. He gave updates on the association, strategic plan and education committees, and events planned for 2023. The sessions were recorded for chapter leaders who could not make the live call.
Education. We have received more than 50 abstracts for PCB East 2023. The Conference Task Group is led again by Rick Hartley. A PCEA Conference Abstract Selection Process will be used for the first time for this event. The target date for releasing the three-day technical program is Jan. 3, and PCB East takes place May 9-11 in Boxborough, MA.
Ontario, Canada. We held a virtual Lunch’ n’ Learn on Nov. 24 featuring Ata Syed, field application engineer at PFC Flexible Circuits. Syed is starting a multipart series on flex circuits. In this first session, he covered the five “W’s” of flex technology:
– What is flex?
– Why use flex?
– Who should know flex?
– When to use flex.
– Where to use flex.
To view the presentation, visit https://printedcircuituniversity.com/index.php/flex-circuits
Market Watch
WASHINGTON – Top Mexican and US officials in December agreed on the outline of a plan to attract manufacturing supply chains to migrate to North America, in particular from Asia.
Mexico Economy Minister Raquel Buenrostro and US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo indicated a specific emphasis on printed circuit boards and semiconductors, which are seen as integral to national security and economic development.
The officials hope to have a joint presentation in place in early 2023 to convince businesses of the economic advantages of producing onshore.
BANNOCKBURN, IL – Eighty percent of electronics manufacturers are experiencing rising material costs, while 77% indicate that labor costs are on the rise, according to the IPC’s November Sentiment of the Global Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain report. At the same time, ease of recruitment, profit margins, and inventory from suppliers are presently declining.
“Over the next six months, manufacturers expect to see increases in both labor and material costs, although somewhat to a lesser extent,” said Shawn DuBravac, IPC chief economist. “While supplier inventory is expected to improve, ease of recruiting and finding skilled talent and profit margins are likely to remain challenging.”
Business plans always require some degree of forecasting and estimating, as well as a list of assumptions that underpin the metrics used when budgeting. In (relatively) normal years, some of these prove inaccurate, yet the majority are reliable. It could easily be argued, however, that the times we are in are not necessarily “normal” and few of the business leaders of today were around 40 years ago when inflation last escalated and was a serious economic concern. In such times as these, it is normal to find yourself rethinking basic operating assumptions and adjusting the business plan frequently to stay in step with the ever-changing cost structure and supply availability.
Why Become a
PCEA Corporate Member?
- Information, opportunities & marketing channels to highlight your brands, products & services to buyers & users worldwide
- Inclusion in the PCEA Member Directory, a product & service guide for buyers & users
- Free advertising of your products & services to more than 50,000 design engineers, fabricators & assemblers
- Discounts on trade shows, technical conferences, online learning platforms & webinars
- Information, opportunities & marketing channels to highlight your brands, products & services to buyers & users worldwide
- Inclusion in the PCEA Member Directory, a product & service guide for buyers & users
- Free advertising of your products & services to more than 50,000 design engineers, fabricators & assemblers
- Discounts on trade shows, technical conferences, online learning platforms & webinars
Offering price points to meet every company’s budget and needs!
PCB buyers who do not routinely review the performance of their vendor base are perhaps too comfortable in their jobs. It’s a core buyer responsibility to keep vendors competitive in pricing, and it is management’s job to ensure buyers are not so overwhelmed with other responsibilities they neglect that core duty. Management should also ensure that buyers and PCB salespeople are incentivized to bring prices down.
I went to school for this in 1988, the year the telephone system moved from Alexander Graham Bell’s analog technology to a digital system. Four years prior, the US Congress used antitrust law to break up AT&T into numerous regional “Baby Bells.” This set off the telecom revolution that led us to today’s information saturation.
The first wave of PCs. Back then, the “Big Three” service providers were Compuserve, Prodigy and AOL. Prior to that were so-called Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) where my primitive computer could connect over the old phone system at baud rates that would be laughable in today’s world. Let’s just say that 56K dialup would have been crazy talk.



Among the most interesting technologies is autonomous driving, which is bringing vast quantities of sensors on board – radar, lidar, infrared, camera modules – not to mention the signal processing and software needed to turn that data into real-time driving instructions. Then, of course, there is the transition to all-electric drivetrains, slated to become mandatory in several major markets by about 2030. With that, our takeover of the automobile will be complete!
For me, what pops into my head is design for manufacturability or excellence (DfM or DfX), which includes fabrication and assembly – but let’s not forget producibility as well.
Let’s first understand what is meant by design for manufacturing. It is a design technique for accounting for all the constraints of the assortment of parts that constitute the final product after assembly. DfM focuses on minimizing the complexities involved in manufacturing operations as well as reducing the overall part production cost.
A comparison of energy, water and chemical use for two common processes. by Lenora Clark
Over the past years, the term “sustainability” had been something of a buzzword. We see it in our everyday lives and, honestly, I don’t always understand it. We have eliminated plastic bags at many stores, but now I’m collecting reusable bags by the handful. What are customers supposed to do with all these bags? Many end up in the trash, especially when they are being handed out similarly to a disposable product. Is it better that they are not plastic, or is it just as bad because we are creating the same level of waste?
This makes my head hurt. I need to see things in a basic form to make sense of it and determine if it is an improvement – or not.


by Jenny Gallery and Thuy Nguyen
Bravo, Lacroix!
Buoyed by acquisitions and a resplendent new flagship manufacturing center, the French EMS is prepping for a sustainable future. by Mike Buetow
In October 2021, France President Emmanuel Macron unveiled “France 2030,” the nation’s strategy to reinvent several key domestic sectors, including automotive, aerospace and green industry.
On a smaller scale, European-headquartered businesses are adopting measures similar to those in the US, India, Vietnam and elsewhere to ensure a strong domestic manufacturing base. The ability to build products sustainably and at scale undergirds the trend.
Lacroix is a perfect example of one of those businesses. Based in France, with operations worldwide, the conglomerate is perhaps best known for its electronics manufacturing services, although its history dates to 1945.
And while Europe has a history of supporting its nations economically, even industrial powerhouses like France have not been immune to the call of lower-cost regions.
A new chapter is beginning, however, and Lacroix is intent on writing its place in electronics manufacturing history.
The NPI process does include design for manufacturability (DfM) recommendations. The pilot run of 10 to 30 pieces is reviewed by the facility’s engineering team to determine any issues. When issues are identified, they are communicated to the customer in a document that includes photos along with recommendations on how best to improve the process. Not all customers respond to these recommendations, however.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that some prefer deference to authority, as opposed to independently determining a course of action, making responsible decisions on their own and accepting the consequences. It’s so much easier when others call the shots; all one must do is acquire marching orders and execute accordingly. No muss, no fuss. One sleeps through the night unburdened by what-ifs. The shot-callers are the only ones who are sleep-deprived.
“In order for you to recertify in 2023 as our valued supplier-partner, you must complete the attached RFQ, which requests a firm, fixed-price estimate for the following services: flying probe testing; in-circuit testing; boundary scan/JTAG testing; cross-section services; CT scanning services; x-ray inspection and failure analysis services; dye-and-pry services; and reports for all the aforementioned. You will find quantities on the x-axis, with services above listed on the y-axis. Please insert pricing in US dollars in the intersecting cells. Pricing will be valid through December 31, 2023, inclusive, and will be the unchanging basis for awarding all purchase orders for those services throughout 2023. There will be no exceptions, and no revisions allowed, during the applicable period.”





In Case You Missed It
Author: Bartłomiej Podsiadły, et al.
Abstract: This work aims to evaluate the possibility of fabricating conductive paths for printed circuit boards from low-temperature melting metal alloys on low-temperature 3D-printed substrates and mounting through-hole electronic components using the fused deposition modeling for metals (FDMm) for structural electronics applications. The conductive materials are flux-cored solder wires Sn60Pb40 and Sn99Ag0.3Cu0.7. The deposition was achieved with a specially adapted nozzle. A comparison of solder wires with and without flux cores is discussed to determine whether the solder alloys exhibit adequate wettability and adhesion to the polymer substrate. The symmetrical astable multivibrator circuit based on bipolar junction transistors (BJT) was fabricated to demonstrate the possibility of simultaneous production of conductive tracks and through-hole mountings with this additive technique. Additional perspectives for applying this technique to 3D-printed structural electronic circuits are also discussed. (Electronics, November 2022; https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9292/11/22/3829)
