US Congress Introduces Legislation to Support America’s PCB Industry

WASHINGTON, DC – New bipartisan legislation introduced by US Representatives Blake Moore (R-UT) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) encourages investment in a trusted, reliable domestic source of PCBs and substrates, and is generating plaudits from an industry association dedicated to building the domestic printed circuit board industry.

The Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates Act of 2023 “finishes the job the Chips Act began by incentivizing investment in the domestic printed circuit board (PCB) industry,” said the Printed Circuit Board Association of America in a press release. The Chips Act passed by Congress last year allocates tens of billions of dollars in direct funding and tax incentives to promote US technological superiority in semiconductor manufacturing.

ASKPCB Building New Thai Facility

YIYANG, CHINA – Chinese PCB fabricator ASKPCB is building a factory in Thailand that is expected to have a production capacity of 120,000 sq. m. and be capable of providing volume production of 28-layer PCBs in all fields, including data centers and next-generation switches.

The factory is being built in Thailand’s Rojana Ayutthaya Industrial Park, which is near Wus Group’s Thai factory and near the city center of Bangkok. With a land area of around 26.67 hectares, the Thailand factory is expected to commence trial production by the second quarter of 2024.

In an online investor briefing, the company said the primary goal of the Thailand factory is to address supply-chain security concerns of core customers, providing them with matched services across various domains, including servers, cars, communications, and consumer products.

TPCA: Taiwan’s PCB Industry Creating New Cluster in Thailand

TAOYUAN CITY, TAIWAN – The Taiwanese PCB industry is increasingly investing in Southeast Asian countries – particularly Thailand – as customers look to secure their manufacturing bases against global uncertainties and move out of mainland China, according to the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association.

Currently, Taiwanese PCB manufacturers have more than 60% of their capacities in Mainland China and 37% in Taiwan, and for many years, Taiwanese companies have not valued the Southeast Asian countries because of their planning and management in Taiwan and mainland China. Since last year, however, international political instability and end-customers’ concern about supply-chain disruption have driven a worldwide trend to relocate the supply chain.

AT&S Building New Research Center in Austria

LEOBEN, AUSTRIA – AT&S has received a €250 million loan ($271 million) from European Investment Bank to fund research and development activities and help finance the construction of a new research center at its headquarters here.

The new center in Leoben will help the European Union to achieve digital autonomy, a priority under the European Chips Act, and the goal is to create a chip ecosystem to ensure Europe’s security of supply in microchips and to strengthen its digital technology production capabilities, EIB said in a release.

HDP Announces Launch of 3 New Projects

ROUND ROCK, TX – Following the successful completion of its spring member meeting, held in Santa Rosa, CA, in February, the High Density Packaging User Group has launched three new projects:

Large Footprint BGA Warpage. PCB warpage is a common phenomenon due to material CTE mismatch, copper distribution, PCB processes, etc. For large BGA footprints (e.g., >75mm square), extra warpage on the PCB surface and package warpage have been creating significant challenges to SMT (solder joint issues) due to the flatness mismatch between the PCB surface and package. This project focuses on flatness within the BGA footprint that is impacting assembly with the aim of defining a sustainable and achievable BGA flatness guideline.

FTG Completes Acquisitions of IMI, Holaday Circuits

TORONTO – Firan Technology Group has completed its previously announced acquisitions of Holaday Circuits and IMI Inc. Completion of the deals, both of which were announced last year, was slowed by mandatory US regulatory reviews.

Further to the previous announcements made by FTG regarding these acquisitions, FTG has now attained the approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and all closing conditions have been met and both acquisitions are now closed.

CHIPS for America Outlines Vision for the National Semiconductor Technology Center

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a paper outlining its vision and strategy for a National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), a key component of the research and development program established by President Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act.

Congress appropriated funds for the creation of a national center to support and extend US leadership in semiconductor research, design, engineering, and advanced manufacturing and strengthen US competitiveness.

Quanta Betting Big on Mexico

NUEVO LEÓN, MEXICO – Quanta Computer will invest a reported $1 billion in the northern state of Nuevo León, Mexican government officials announced in late May.

Governor Samuel García cited the nearshoring trend for the investment, saying the area expects an almost-ninefold increase in foreign investment in 2023.

Éolane Launches Malaysian Subsidiary

PENANG, MALAYSIA – Éolane is launching a new subsidiary here, which will include a new factory to better serve its customers as closely as possible to their markets, especially those of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Éolane Malaysia’s new factory is planned to open at the end of the year, and will join Intel, Hewlett Packard (now Keysight Technologies and Agilent Technologies), Robert Bosch, AMD, Litronix (now Osram Opto Semiconductors), Hitachi (now Renesas), Clarion and National Semiconductor at Kulim Hi-tech Park.

APG Makes ‘Significant’ Investment in XLR8

SAN CLEMENTE, CA – XLR8 EMS in May announced a significant equity investment from American Pacific Group, a $1.2 billion private equity fund. The small-tier electronics manufacturing services provider said the investment, the terms of which were not disclosed, would be used to expand its facilities and capabilities.

Founded in 2013, XLR8 is a rapidly growing contract manufacturer of printed circuit assemblies with a core focus on speed and technology for commercial, AS:9100, ISO:13485, and ITAR customers. For the past five years, XLR8 has been recognized by the CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Service Excellence Awards as a leader in its category for quality and dependability, as voted by its own customers, and for the past three years won the top honor of overall leader in its category.

SigmaTron Sells Majority Position of Wagz

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL – SigmaTron announced that it reached an agreement in late April to sell a majority position of its wholly owned subsidiary, Wagz, to Vynetic.

During SigmaTron’s preparations for its third quarter financial statements, it was determined that updated projections resulted in a triggering event for the company’s goodwill and long-lived asset groups, which would incur non-cash impairment charges of approximately $23.1 million. These impairment charges coupled with Wagz’ operating losses triggered a default with SigmaTron’s credit agreements with J.P. Morgan Chase Bank and TCW Asset Management Company. The company also received a delinquency notification letter from Nasdaq indicating that it was not in compliance with the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq for failing to timely file the Company’s Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2023. That notification also constituted a default.

ISC Acquires MX Electronics’ Santa Ana Facility

SANTA ANA, CA – Interconnect Solutions Company, a provider of electromechanical and interconnect solutions, announced that it has acquired the Santa Ana-based assets of MX Electronics Manufacturing.

In a statement announcing the acquisition, ISC said the addition of MX Electronics’ assets adds capacity in many existing business lines, plus capability in printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) to better serve both existing and future customers. ISC is part of Tide Rock’s manufacturing portfolio.

PCB East 2023 Registration Up 59% Year-over-Year

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – Registration for the PCB East 2023 conference and exhibits rose 59% overall from last year, the Printed Circuit Engineering Association announced.

Conference registration more than doubled, rising 110% from last year, while the expo-only trade show registration rose 63% over the same period.

The annual trade show was held May 9-12 at the Boxboro Regency Hotel and Conference Center in Boxborough, MA. In all, more than 60 leading suppliers of electronics design tools, manufacturers of bare boards and assemblies, and suppliers of fabrication and assembly equipment and materials exhibited at the show.

National News

Conferences Task Group. The PCB West 2023 technical conference schedule is now available at pcbwest.com. This year’s conference features more than 120 hours of top-rank training from the leading names in electronics design and manufacturing. We will also have a special “Ask the Experts” session all day on Sept. 20, where you can get advice or just commiserate with gurus like Rick Hartley, Keven Coates, Mark Finstad and Nick Koop. Visit pcbwest.com for details.

EMI seminar. Rick Hartley will present a special live two-day workshop on “Control of EMI, Noise and Signal Integrity in High-Speed Circuits and PCBs,” coming June 20-21 to the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta. As Hartley notes, EMI is a leading concern for electronics designers and a major cause of failures. The seminar has been updated to contain a fair amount of new information that was not taught in years past. Each attendee will receive a color PDF copy of the full slide deck. For details, visit pcb2day.com.

Chapter News

San Diego. Palomar Community College is offering a comprehensive online PCB design course, taught by John Watson. The classes include a 16-week beginner course and a 16-week advanced course, with the beginner classes starting on Aug. 22, 2023, and the advanced courses starting on Jan. 30, 2024.

The chapter has elected John Watson vice chair and Nick Maldonado communications director.

Electronics Supply Chain Coming into Balance in H2, Says Supplyframe

PASADENA, CA – Lead times and prices are expected to drop toward historical norms in the second quarter, while inventory reductions and corrections will continue into the second half of the year, according to the latest analysis from Supplyframe.

Consumer markets remain lethargic, but automotive and industrial segments are relatively robust. And macroeconomic shifts will have massive repercussions for the global electronics supply chain – with a demand rebound for PCs, smartphones, and data centers required to drive new growth.

“Despite global economic challenges and uncertainties, [our data] show that commodity supply-demand rebalancing is well underway,” said Supplyframe CEO and founder Steve Flagg. “Some electronics commodities and end markets have shown initial signs of recovery through Q1.”

Global electronic component sourcing activity rose 3.6% quarter-on-quarter, led by fiber optic component demand, which increased 22.1% and offered signals for potential demand rebounds, according to Supplyframe.

Onderdonk’s and Preece’s Equations: How Do They Compare?

Two unique equations can be used when fusing a trace – each offering its own strengths and weaknesses.
by DOUGLAS BROOKS, PH.D.

Up until about 10 years ago, when PCB designers searched for information about the current needed to melt a trace on their boards, only two names popped up in the literature, W. H. (Sir William Henry) Preece and I. M. Onderdonk. Each is credited with developing a unique equation, bearing their respective name, and those equations became the basis for many PCB calculations.

Preece’s background is considerably well known. In the 1880s, he was a consulting engineer for the British General Post Office and became engineer-in-chief in 1892. At that time, the Post Office was responsible for the telegraph (and later wireless telegraph) system in England. He published three papers in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London in the 1880s that formed the basis for his famous equation¹:

where d is the diameter of the wire in inches
a is a constant (10244 for copper), and
I is the fusing current in amps.

Interestingly, in the 1890s, Preece became an ardent supporter, both politically and financially, of Guglielmo Marconi and his work on trans-oceanic wireless telegraph.²

On the other hand, almost nothing is known about Onderdonk. I have found no earlier reference than a small article in a 1928 issue of the General Electric Review by E. R. Stauffacher.³ Onderdonk’s equation is referenced a few places in the literature, and it is always quoted as a “given” (much like we take Ohm’s law as a given.) I have found no original work by Onderdonk.

Simulating Electronics Components in the Cloud

Methods for assessing component temperatures and fan performance.
by ALEX FISCHER

Cloud technology has become increasingly prevalent, allowing use of 3-D models and numerical methods to analyze CAD models of electronic devices and components. Numerical computations of conduction, convection and radiation are essential for understanding how these heat transfer mechanisms can be utilized for effective cooling techniques.

Advantages of cloud-native simulation include fast and easy access in a web browser, the ability to explore a complete design space and eliminate poor design choices earlier in the development process, and the ability to import geometry without tedious CAD cleanup constraints. The mesh for Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) solvers, for example, is founded on a cartesian grid, making it resilient to geometrical features and obviating CAD simplification. The sheer limitless computing power and scalability of the cloud means sharing simulation capabilities across a full organization of geographically dispersed engineers is simple and easy. Engineers can perform cooling, heat and fluid flow analysis of electronic devices, PCBs, electronics systems and enclosures along with structural and mechanical assessment using a single CAD model, all in one simulation platform.

C_pk or P_pk? A Look at Using Both Capability Indices

Summary statistics can be misleading, but in different ways.
by Patrick Valentine, Ph.D.

C_pk and P_pk are numeric capability summaries of process or product characteristics based on common cause variation (due to chance) and assignable cause variation (special cause). Understanding these capability indices and their limitations is critical in pursuing world-class quality, “on target with minimal variation.” C_pk and P_pk indices are reviewed, and details on how to use them synergistically are provided.

Capability indices are numeric summaries that compare the behavior of a process or a product characteristic to customer specifications. Capability indices relate the customer specification limits (voice of the customer) to the natural process limits (voice of the process). Large index values imply that the process can produce parts that meet the customer’s specification limits. Small index values imply the process will likely produce some parts that will not meet the customer’s specification limits.

Process capability is a statistical measure of the inherent process variability of a given characteristic.¹ Capability indices are convenient numeric summaries. These indices reduce complex process information to a single number. Capability indices are unitless values, and can be used to compare the capability of different processes. Most process engineers and quality managers believe capability indices less than 1.00 are unacceptable, and many process engineers and quality managers consider 1.33 a minimum acceptable value for capability indices. Capability indices ≥1.50 are generally considered world-class quality, “on target with minimal variation.”

The West is Rediscovering India

The subcontinent explodes with new EMS work, prompting a spate of IPOs.
by MIKE BUETOW

Putting aside the obvious supply chain disruptions, the two big stories out of the EMS industry in 2022 were the emergence of India, led in particular by Apple’s pivoting from China, and the number of IPOs.

While the Indian government is aggressively recruiting foreign electronics investment, there’s no question India’s appearance as a viable competitor to – dare we say it? – China is being driven by Apple. The world’s most valuable company tripled its production to more than $7 billion of iPhones in what is now the world’s most populous country during the past fiscal year,¹ mostly at the expense of China. Some reports hold Apple will raise India’s share of its production to 25% in two years.

One of the winners was Pegatron, which beat out Foxconn for the India orders, and is reportedly investing $150 million in a second iPhone manufacturing facility in Chennai.² Luxshare, called little Foxconn by some, has also barged in, buying two of Wistron’s plans in India, and projecting unit sales to more than double to nearly 50 million units this year.

Not to be outdone, Foxconn will invest a reported $700 million on a plant in southern India to make telecom components and possibly iPhones.³

In Case You Missed It

Additive Manufacturing

“Creating 3-D Objects with Integrated Electronics via Multiphoton Fabrication In Vitro and In Vivo”

Authors: Sara J. Baldock, et. al.

Abstract: 3-D objects with integrated electronics are produced using an additive manufacturing approach relying on multiphoton fabrication (direct laser writing). Conducting polymer-based structures (with micrometer-millimeter scale features) are printed within exemplar matrices, including an elastomer (polydimethylsiloxane, or PDMS) have been widely investigated for biomedical applications. Printing process fidelity in PDMS is assessed by optical coherence tomography, and the conducting polymer structures are demonstrated to be capable of stimulating mouse brain tissue in vitro. Furthermore, the applicability of the approach to printing structures in vivo is demonstrated in live nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans). These results highlight the potential for such additive manufacturing approaches to produce next-generation advanced material technologies, notably integrated electronics for technical and medical applications (e.g., human-computer interfaces). (Advanced Materials Technologies, March 2023, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/admt.202201274)