April 17, 2026

India's Electronics Push Shifts to Design, but Ownership Gap Remains India is shifting its electronics strategy toward design ownership as MeitY approves a ₹7,104 crore ECMS tranche. Industry leaders stress building IP, fostering independent design houses, and overcoming talent and funding gaps to capture higher value beyond manufacturing. EE Times

Sponsor Built to Scale. Proven in Production. Microsystems World CNC boosted throughput and automation by trading up to a complete inline SMT solution—powered by Manncorp and designed for long-term growth. Manncorp Inc.

China smartphone market shifts to premium, Huawei and Apple lead in 1Q26 China's smartphone shipments fell 3.3% to 69 million in Q1 2026, but strong premium demand for Huawei and Apple devices cushioned the decline. Vendors are shifting toward profitability, prioritizing high-end models, pricing discipline, and operational efficiency over volume growth. Digitimes

Maintenance: The Basics of Cleaning Series Part 4 This article is the fourth and final part of the series titled "The Basics of Cleaning". In this final chapter, some of the common mistakes in maintenance cleaning applications found in electronic assembly operations will be covered and a summary of the entire series. Technical Paper

Revolutionary Battery Breakthroughs, or Maybe Not? Rising competition for attention fuels exaggerated battery "breakthrough" claims that overlook technical limits and scaling hurdles. Experts stress most innovations face long, uncertain paths, with real progress arriving steadily through incremental gains, not sudden leaps. EE Times

Sponsor How to Simplify Solder Paste Printing StikNPeel removable rework stencils simplifies selective printing of solder paste leaving no residue providing cleaner alternative to metal stencils. BEST Inc.

What's The Difference Between Wi-Fi 6 And Wi-Fi 6E? Wi-Fi 6E enhances Wi-Fi 6 by adding a 6GHz band, reducing congestion and improving speeds for compatible devices. It benefits high-speed plans and crowded networks, but requires supported routers and devices, offering limited advantages for older hardware or slower connections. BGR

AI to Predict Compatibility Between Solder Paste Residues and Coatings This paper shows how AI is used to predict compatibility results between solder paste residues and coatings. A physical compatibility study is carried out to benchmark some combinations of solder pastes and coatings of the market. Results between AI prediction and the physical tests are compared to choose the right AI model for a good prediction of the compatibilities. Technical Paper

Technical Papers ■ Scaling SMT Traceability ■ The Drawbacks of Internal Recycling Systems for Solder Dross ■ Engineering ESD-Safe PCB Assembly for High-Reliability IoT and Industrial Electronics ■ The Analysis of Variance: Drawing Conclusions from Data That Are Correct, Unambiguous, and Defensible ■ PCB Rework Evolves, With X-ray a Constant Support ■ How pH Cleaning Agents Affect Production Performance ■ A Universal AI-Powered Segmentation Model for PCBA & Semiconductor ■ RAIG Minimizes Corrosion, Allows Higher Gold on ENEPIG ■ High Reliability Lead-Free Solder Paste with Rosin and Anti-Crack Resin ■ Understanding Solder Dross: Causes and Control Strategies MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor Seven Facilities, One Trusted Source Partner with the industry leader. Summit is trusted and proven, with 7 integrated facilities to load capacity—from fast-turn prototypes to scalable production requirements. Summit Interconnect

Meta's Broadcom Liaison Enters Next AI Phase Broadcom expands its AI lead by extending a long-term chip design deal with Meta, scaling MTIA accelerators for massive workloads. The partnership targets over 1 GW of capacity, boosting generative AI, improving efficiency, and personalizing experiences for billions. EE Times

Is Your Body Language Sabotaging You? This Nonverbal Communication Expert's Method Has Helped Her Clients Generate $2 Billion in Sales. As a firstborn daughter, Clemons developed strong people-pleasing instincts and a natural ability to mediate family dynamics. She became highly attuned to body language, quickly recognizing when others' words conflicted with their facial expressions or posture. Entrepreneur

Metallurgical and Mechanical Analysis of Castellated Via Rigid-Flex Connection The reliability of castellated vias as a rigid-flex interconnection method is evaluated. This is split into metallurgical aging of joints and investigating mechanical robustness/integrity. Technical Paper

Sponsor Scaling SMT Traceability High-mix electronics manufacturing requires precise material control. This whitepaper explains how Tecnimaster improved traceability, inventory accuracy and picking efficiency through integrated automated storage and reel-level tracking. Essegi Automation

Apple accelerates environmental progress with highest‑ever recycled material in its products Apple advances its sustainability push, reporting 30% recycled materials across 2025 products, eliminating plastic packaging, and cutting emissions. The company accelerates progress toward its Apple 2030 carbon-neutral goal through innovation and supply chain collaboration. Apple

How Intel Got Into Trouble: We Test the Last Decade of Intel Flagship CPUs Intel's decade-long CPU evolution highlights modest early gains with the Intel Core i7-7700K, whose slight performance boost and thermal issues disappointed users, even as it remained capable in modern gaming and marked the end of Intel's quad-core dominance. TechSpot

Design for Manufacturability - Perspectives from a Manufacturing Engineer This paper will examine a few key areas of PCB design and manufacturing that can have a substantial impact on product reliability and how to mitigate reliability risks by deploying design for manufacturability (DFM) best practices. It will also explore the dependencies between the design and manufacturing processes. Technical Paper

Sponsor EZ-FLO High Precision Ceramic Dispense Tips The ceramic molding process allows for smaller more precise inner diameters with a glass-like finish, giving you the ultimate control. Learn more. DL Technology

The Thermal and Power Realities of the AI Era AI's rapid expansion is driving unprecedented energy demand, pushing data centers toward chiplets, 3D stacking, and advanced packaging. Engineers confront steep thermal and power challenges, spurring industry collaboration via SEMI's APHI coalition to boost efficiency. Semiconductor Engineering

Gartner Says Organizations with Successful AI Initiatives Invest Up to Four Times More in Data and Analytics Foundations Gartner reports that organizations succeeding with AI invest up to four times more in data, governance, and talent, yet only 39% of leaders expect financial gains, highlighting the need for stronger foundations, trust, and scalable, AI-first strategies. Gartner

Sponsor AIT ORMET® TLPS for Component Attach AIT ORMET®TLPS is proven for outstanding reliability for component attaches and MLCC build-up for high temperature applications beyond 175ºC Ormet® TLPS

3D-printing electronics with focused microwaves redefines possibilities in materials Researchers at Rice University develop a microwave-based 3D printing method that selectively heats electronic ink without damaging surrounding materials, enabling spatially programmed multimaterial devices, and integration into biopolymers. TechXplore

No-Clean Residue Shorts We have a PCBA with a QFN 44 using no-clean flux. We have many test failures during testing. Are the failures due to flux reside between terminations? Jim Hall and Phil Zarrow, The Assembly Brothers, answer this question. Board Talk

US tightens ban on Chinese components, reshaping robotics supply chains Washington is intensifying efforts to remove Chinese ties from critical supply chains, sending shockwaves through the global robotics sector, as American startups speed up initiatives to localize production and reduce reliance on Chinese components and partnerships. Digitimes

China economic growth accelerates to 5% in first quarter — but Iran war clouds outlook China's economy grew 5% in Q1, powered by strong exports, but weak consumption persisted. Rising energy costs from the Iran war threaten global demand, lifting factory prices, slowing exports, and clouding the outlook for sustained growth. CNBC

Sponsor Affordable Profiling Excellence Four channels of precision data capture from the most trusted name in thermal profiling. New and improved V-M.O.L.E.™ 2 is the ideal solution for budget-conscious electronics pros. Learn more here. ECD

Could We Ever See Walking Vehicles In The Future? Engineers have long pursued real-world walking vehicles inspired by sci-fi, from GE's Pedipulator to Hyundai's Elevate. Despite mobility advantages on rough terrain, complexity & slow movement limit progress, though ongoing innovation suggests legged machines could become practical. BGR