-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Growing Industry
In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we talk with leading economic experts, advocacy specialists in Washington, D.C., and PCB company leadership to get a well-rounded picture of what’s happening in the industry today. Don’t miss it.
The Sustainability Issue
Sustainability is one of the most widely used terms in business today, especially for electronics and manufacturing but what does it mean to you? We explore the environmental, business, and economic impacts.
The Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Estimated reading time: 1 minute
The PCB Norsemen: New Trends in the PCB Industry at productronica 2019
Working with PCB technology and standardization as I do, it is always interesting to see the new trends and where the PCB industry is moving. Changes tend to happen at a slow pace; still, I visited productronica this year for dedicated meetings and expected to learn about new processes and production equipment. What hit me was the different manufacturing focus between Asia and Europe. 5G applications and smartphones—both making an impact in the news as a high focus in Asia, where most of the production is placed—were hardly mentioned at productronica 2019. However, I picked up on other new trends in the PCB industry.
A Crystal-clear Focus for Europe
It’s crystal clear that the European manufacturers have another focus, including the technologies they do best, where high reliability is in focus, with complex buildup, advanced rigid-flex boards, or printed circuits where there are specific demands for the material. The focus is more toward what the customer requests within technology and demands and less on new processes and equipment for extremely fine-line applications, like 5G applications and smartphones, which are already established in Asia.
However, it’s no secret there have been struggles for European PCB manufacturers lately. I recently learned that seven German factories had shut down this summer. Still, it seems the course is set in the right direction, at least that’s my impression after visiting productronica 2019 and talking to several industry colleagues.
Walking through hall B3 for PCB and EMS production equipment, talking to people, and looking for new trends and changes, I realized almost no stands had groundbreaking news, processes, materials, or equipment, going one step further in manufacturing solutions, precision, or processes. What I found was a focus on what I call panel-by-panel engineering or adapted processing.
To read this entire column, which appeared in the December 2019 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
More Columns from The PCB Norsemen
The Laminate Market: What Will the Future Bring?The PCB Norsemen: Avoid Failures in PCB Production With Compliance Control
The PCB Norsemen: From Wooden Huts to Homemade Go-karts—It All Starts With Design!
What Is Reliability Without Traceability?
The PCB Norsemen: Merging the Best of Both Worlds—Young Superheroes and Knowledgeable Wizards!
The PCB Norsemen: My Flexible Story—Flex Circuit Development Through the Decades
A PCB Broker’s Guide Through the Galaxy of Automation
The PCB Norsemen: Technology’s Future Comes Together—A Great Slogan for Us All!