Top 10 Most-Read PCB News Stories of 2016

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As the year ends, look back at the industry's highs and lows. The editors at I-Connect007 have compiled a list of the top 10 most-read news stories from the pages of PCB007. Join us for a look back at the most popular news highlights of 2016.

At #10, IPC Joins NextFlex 

IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries has become a partner of NextFlex, America’s flexible hybrid electronics manufacturing institute, which is based in Mountain View, Calif. As part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), this new public-private partnership aims to establish America as the global leader in the flexible hybrid electronics manufacturing space.

At #9, Eltek Purchased the New Orbotech Diamond 8 Solder Mask System 

ORBOTECH LTD announced today that Eltek, a Nistec company and long-time Orbotech customer, has been successfully using the new Orbotech Diamond 8 Direct Imaging (DI) system for solder mask at its production facility in Petach Tikvah, Israel.

At #8, Summit Interconnect Subsidiary KCA Electronics Recognized at Lockheed Martin Small Business Awards Event 

Summit Interconnect, Inc. subsidiary KCA Electronics was recently recognized by Lockheed Martin Corporation at their Small Business Awards Event.  An award for KCA’s outstanding product quality, service and support was presented to Shane Whiteside, President and CEO of Summit Interconnect and Eva Alcantar, Inside Sales Manager for KCA Electronics. 

At #7, N.A. PCB Book-to-Bill Ratio Increases to 1.04 in January 

IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries announced today the January 2016 findings from its monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Sales and orders slumped in January, but orders continued to outpace sales, bringing the book-to-bill ratio up to 1.04.

At #6, KCA Electronics and MEI Acquired by HCI; Shane Whiteside Named President & CEO   

HCI Equity Partners (HCI), a middle market private equity firm based in Washington DC, announced today that it has acquired both KCA Electronics in Anaheim, CA and Marcel Electronics International (MEI) located in Orange, CA in separate stock transactions.

At #5, AT&S Receives Certification for New IC Substrate Plant in China 

AT&S, one of the global technology leaders for high-end printed circuit boards (PCBs), received the certification for its new plant in Chongqing, China, after roughly 17 months of comprehensive development for the serial production of IC substrates. As a result, serial production will start for the first of two production lines.

At #4, HSIO Circuit Technologies Acquires former HEI Circuit Fabrication Operation in Tempe, AZ 

This acquisition complements the 2012 asset acquisition of R&D Interconnect Solutions to provide the industry leading combination of high performance Printed Circuit, Semiconductor Test Socket, Wafer Probe and Connector products available with over 60 US and International patents issued, granted, licensed and pending with tuned performance beyond 40 GHz.

At #3, FTG Circuits - Chatsworth California Qualified to MIL- PRF-31032 

The FTG Circuits - Chatsworth California facility has been qualified to the Department of Defense performance specification MIL-PRF-31032/3 (flexible printed wiring boards) and MIL-PRF-31032/4 (flex-rigid printed wiring boards).

At #2, PCB Technologies Receives NADCAP Accreditation     

PCB Technologies received Nadcap accreditation for demonstrating their ongoing commitment to quality by satisfying customer requirements and industry specifications. 

At #1, AT&S Offers Expanded PCB Sales Support in the U.S. 

AT&S, one of the global leading manufacturers of high-end printed circuit boards (PCBs) with headquarters in Leoben, Austria, is committed to absolute customer orientation supporting its vision: “First choice for advanced applications”.   

05/26/2023 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007

David Thomas, master IPC trainer at EPTAC, says that the more you understand the work and technology that go into your processes and products, the better you can serve your customers. That includes knowing the basics.

04/27/2023 | Chris Wall, technical director, Electra Polymers

Ever since liquid photoimageable solder masks (LPISMs) were introduced, their UV exposure speed has been a key factor in their performance. The LPISM is coated onto the PCB, dried, and then selectively exposed with UV light via a phototool, or more recently, via direct imaging using LED or lasers. The exposed areas polymerise and become insoluble in the developing solution. The polymerisation is initiated by one or more chemicals called photoinitiators, which are components of the LPISM.

03/16/2023 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007

Widely believed to be the traditional Centre of England, Meriden was a popular venue for a gathering of the UK printed circuit community this month. They braved the forecast of heavy snow for the Institute of Circuit Technology’s annual general meeting to learn about current developments and challenges in a thought-provoking technical seminar and to network with industry peers and contemporaries. Thankfully, the forecasted heavy snowfall did not reach Meriden until after the event; we only had a few flurries, although the weather caused considerable disruption elsewhere in the country.