Schedule at a Glance

PCB West is the leading technical conference and exhibition for electronics designers, design engineers, fabricators, and assemblers.

Exhibit hours – Wednesday, September 30 10:00am-6:00pm

See you in Santa Clara, California September 29 – October 2, 2026!

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
CPCD. Certified Printed Circuit Designer Training
Stephen V. Chavez, Siemens
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
M1. PCB Management Forum
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
F1. IPC-2581 Consortium Meeting
Hemant Shah, IPC-2581 Consortium
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
1. Decoding Design Intent: Making Sense of Inputs to Achieve Better PCB Layouts
Lauren Waslick and Kristen Aguiar, Newgrange Design
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
2. Effective Switch Mode Power Supply (SMPS) Design
Keith Kowal, Applied Materia
9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
3. Part Placement Choices and Consequences
Susy Webb, DesignScience
9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
4. Beyond the Layers: Advanced Techniques for PCB Stack-Up Design
Troy Hopkins, Hopfinity Designs
9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
5. Circuit Grounding to Control Noise and EMI
Rick Hartley, Rhartley Enterprises
9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
6. Signal Integrity in UHDI PCBs and IC Substrates
Zachariah Peterson, Northwest Engineering Solutions
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
7. Getting It Right the First Time: Best Practices from Concept to PCB Prototype
Andrae Arajo, Mechatronix Lab
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
8. Harnessing the Power of AI in PCB Design: Addressing Challenges and Unlocking Opportunities
David Wiens, Siemens
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Lunch-and-Learn
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
9. PCEA Annual Meeting
Chair: Stephen V. Chavez, Siemens
3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
10. Panel: The Future of PCB Design
Moderator: Matt Leary, Newgrange Design
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
11. Mastering Complex PCB Design for Modern Electronics
Stephen V. Chavez, Siemens
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
12. Ask the Flexperts
Mark Finstad, Flexible Circuit Technologies, and Nick Koop, TTM Technologies
9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
13. Designing for High Speed/SI/and EMI Without Simulation
Susy Webb, DesignScience
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
14. Replacing ePaper Technical Exchanges with IPC-2581 Implementing Electronically Executable DFM Feedback
Vincent Dilello, Cadence Design Systems, and Michael Fisher, KLA
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
15. Precision in Design: A Course on Strategic PCB Assembly
Tomas Chester, Chester Electronic Design
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
16. Designing in 3D: Breaking the Mold
Ethan Pierce, Dodec Labs, and Stephan Schmidt, Harting AG
2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
17. Controlling the Waves: A Field-based Perspective on High-speed PCB Design
Daniel Beeker, System Solution Specialists, LLC
4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
18. Basics of Flex Design
Lauren Waslick, Newgrange Design
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
F2. Copper Pours on PCB Signal Layer
Rick Hartley, RHartley Enterprises
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
F3. The Prototype Trap: Bridging the Sourcing Gap to Volume Production
Ed Dodd, Cofactr
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
F4. Career Day
Matthew McBride, BAE Systems, and John Burkhert, Jr.
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
F5. Changing PCB Design Software: No Big Deal, Right?
Lauren Waslick, Newgrange Design
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
F6. The PCB Market Outlook
Dr. Hayao Nakahara, NT Information Ltd.
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
F7. Keynote
TBA
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
F8. The Hidden Failure Mode Using Mixed VIPPO in BGA Structures
Albert Block, DirectPCB
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
F9. The Most Common Issues Seen in Incoming Designs for PCB Fabrication
Mike Tucker, SCC Shennan China Circuits, and Ray Fugitt, Siemens
1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
F10. Lessons Learned from Installing AI in an EMS NPI Environment
Phil Marcoux, OnePPM
2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
F11. Designing High Thermal PCBs with Advanced Dielectrics
Chris Parker, TCLAD
4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
F12. The Journey of a Material Disruptor
Stephen Driver, JIVA Materials
4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
F13. Panel: Cutting-Edge Fabrication Processes
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
19. Placement Techniques for a New Designer
Kristen Aguiar, Newgrange Design
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
20. Decoupling Capacitor Strategies
Keven Coates, Novium Designs
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
21. Mastering Design Rule Check (DRC) Settings for Optimal PCB Design
Troy Hopkins, Hopfinity Designs
9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
22. PCB Design for Engineers
Susy Webb, Design Science
9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
23. RF and Mixed Signal PC Board Design
Rick Hartley, RHartley Enterprises
9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
24. Getting To 112 Gb/S & Beyond – A Tutorial on Very-High-Speed Digital Design
Chuck Corley, Speeding Edge
9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
25. DC to Daylight
Karen Burnham, EMC United, and Dan Beeker, System Solution Specialists, LLC
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
26. HDI Via Design: Planning the Energy Pipelines
Dan Beeker, System Solution Specialists, LLC
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
27. Using AI in Hardware and PCB Design: Real Strategies to Increase Efficiency and Output
Ethan Pierce, Dodec Labs
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
. Lunch and Learn (Thursday Conference Attendees Only)
1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
28. Stackups That Work: Balancing Signal Integrity, Reliability and Manufacturability
Ramon Roche, NCAB Group
1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
29. BGA Breakout: Escaping the Field
Tomas Chester, Chester Electronic Design
2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
30. Noise, SI, and EMI in Cables and Connectors
Keven Coates, Novium Designs
2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
31. Heat Management Strategies through Better Layout
Syed Ubaid Ali Warsi, Wavetronix
2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
32. Librarian: The How and Why for Lower Costs and Design Optimization
Justin Fleming, LiveWire
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
33. DFT: A PCB Designer’s Guide to Design for Test
Troy Hopkins, Hopfinity Designs
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
34. PCB Thermal Design: Quenching the Blaze
Tomas Chester, Chester Electronic Design, and Ethan Pierce, Dodec Labs
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
35. Launching Electronics with Confidence: A Guide to Successful Design Release
Syed Ubaid Ali Warsi, Wavetronix
9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
36. Differential Pair Routing for SI and EMI Control
Keith Kowal, Applied Materials
9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
37. Low Layer Count PCB Design
Rick Hartley, RHartley Enterprises
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
38. Advanced PCB Manufacturing Processes for Aerospace and Defense Electronics
Kunal Patel, Mega Circuit
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
39. Panel: Ask the Experts
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
40. HDI/Microvias Routing Solutions
Susy Webb, Design Science
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
41. Heat Management for SMD, LED, and Systems 1W to 50W
Keven Coates, Novium Designs