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52 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2023 Harken back to the start of the millennium, which rung in several historically defining events: Ramifications of Y2K were dispelled (to global relief ), George Bush defeated Al Gore in the 54th U.S. presidential election, and AOL combined with Time Warner in a $165 billion merger, signaling the convergence of old and new media. is significant moment in history also marked the onset of decay for PCB fabrication in America. Just a few decades prior, the United States had been dominating the electronics indus- try. Innovation and manufacturing were done symbiotically on home soil; improvements of one led to reform of the other. Advancements, such as surface mount technology (SMT), were developed in the late 1980s, which not only improved integrated circuit board perfor- mance, but significantly reduced manufactur- ing costs by allowing for automation of assem- bly processes. e advent of EDA soware allowed for designs to be saved as computer files and input directly into manufacturing machinery to produce PCBs (instead of relying on photo- graphs). Finally, the arrival of ball-grid array technology in the 1990s enabled higher board complexity and densification. Manufacturing reached new heights. is synergy between research and manufacturing (coupled with the growing demand for consumer electron- ics) allowed the U.S. PCB industry to reach its apex by the late 1990s, where it was valued at $11 billion (30% of the global share) with over 2,000 operating board shops. By the start of the millennium, however, The Revival of Domestic PCB Fabrication Material Insight by Preeya Kuray, AGC MULTI MATERIAL AMERICA