44 The PCB Design Magazine • November 2015
PCB007
Highlights
N.A. PCB Book-to-Bill Ratio Reaches
Five-year High in August
Total North American PCB shipments increased
1.5% in August 2015 compared to August 2014.
Year-to-date shipment growth stood at -0.1, re-
flecting the negative sales growth rates seen ear-
lier this year. Compared to the previous month,
PCB shipments were up 3.6%.
Final Surface Finishes for Automotive:
No One-Size-Fits-All Solution
Regardless of whether your application is automotive,
medical or military, there are many factors to consid-
er when selecting a final surface finish. Cost, lead or
lead-free requirements, end environment, shelf life,
fine-pitch components, RF applications, probe-abili-
ty, thermal resistance and shock and drop resistance,
to name a few. There is not a one-size-fits-all finish.
Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of
each surface finish allows the designer to select the
finish that best fits each particular application.
Becoming an Automotive Supplier—
Proceed with Caution
Possibly further fueling a growing desire in our
industry towards participating in the automotive
electronics sector have been further technology
advancements in automobiles, as well as a tear in
Tesla's stock price and headlines.
All Flex Now Offers High Temp
Flexible Circuits & Heaters
All Flex, manufacturer of flexible printed circuits
and heaters, has developed a polyimide-based ma-
terial set specifically targeting the market for high
temperature flexible circuits and flexible heaters.
Increasing demands for high temperature applica-
tions have driven the development process at All
Flex over the past 18 months.
Testing Flexible Circuits, Part 2:
Raw Materials and Components
Even though the raw materials may individually
meet certain specifications, it is important to de-
termine if the final product configuration meets
those specs, which means that testing done at the
finished circuit level is also needed.
TTM Technologies Consolidates
Manufacturing Operations
TTM Technologies Inc., a major global printed cir-
cuit board manufacturer, today announced that it
plans to close three facilities in order to improve to-
tal plant utilization, operational performance and
customer focus.
The Re-industrialisation of Europe
With an inquisitive mind and a head for challenges,
besides the ability to think outside the box and the
courage to dare to be different and strive to be
first, Spirit Circuits MD Steve Driver can be relied
upon to grab the attention of an audience of PCB
professionals. As keynote speaker at the Institute of
Circuit Technology Hayling Island Seminar, he lived
up to his reputation with a motivational presenta-
tion, the two themes of which exemplified his lat-
est entrepreneurial venture.
Inaugural Boards, Chips and Packaging
IMPACT Conference Adds 15 Industry
Experts to Presentation List
Isola Group and Semico Research announced to-
day that the inaugural event, "Board, Chips and
Packaging: Designing to Maximize Results Confer-
ence" is garnering significant interest from the em-
bedded design community with the addition of 15
industry experts added to the agenda.
World PCB Production in 2014
Estimated at $60.2B
The world market for PCBs reached an estimated
$60.2 billion in value in 2014, growing just 0.7%
in real terms, according to IPC's World PCB Produc-
tion Report for the Year 2014. Production growth
in China, Thailand and Vietnam compensated for
declining PCB production in most other regions.
AT&S Highlights the Future of
PCB Industry
Miniaturisation and performance enhancement
are leading trends not only for mobile devices
such as smartphones; applications in the automo-
tive sector and in medical technology are also get-
ting progressively smaller, more efficient and more
powerful.
44 The PCB Design Magazine • November 2015
