News

A Day of Assembly Classes at PCB West 2026

Posted on by Andy Shaughnessy

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – August 12, 2026 – PCB West 2026 offers 11 presentations on circuit assembly processes across two days in September at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. 

The two-day event on September 29-30 features a half-day workshop on solder paste qualification, coupled with 10 presentations spanning the spectrum on electronics assembly, from basic fundamentals of circuit assembly processes to more advanced topics.  

The program “Introduction to Circuit Assembly Processes” covers the fundamentals: Chrys Shea of Shea Engineering’s class on the SMT printing process, pick-and-place fundamentals with Daniel Stanphill of Aurora Boardworks, the basic components of solder paste with Anna Lifton of MacDermid Alpha, and the basics of cleaning with Doug Pauls of ItDepends.

“Advanced CA Processes” picks up in the afternoon: X-ray imaging resolution misconceptions, Type 5 solder pastes and beyond, stencil design and manufacturing, placement for high-reliability applications, formic acid reflow soldering, and cleanliness measurement with conformal coatings.

Shea will also present “A Data-Driven Solder Paste Qualification Process,” a half-day course on building a qualification protocol that produces defensible data instead of opinions.

PCB West will be held Sept. 29 to Oct. 2, 2026, at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The event includes a one-day exhibition on September 30.

To register, visit pcbwest.com.

News

‘Early Bird’ Discount for PCB West Technical Conference Ends August 21

Posted on by Andy Shaughnessy

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – August 6, 2026 – The discounted price for the PCB West 2026 technical conference ends August 21, conference organizers said today. From August 22 through September 29, registrants will pay the advanced conference price, which is $100 more than the “early bird” rate.

The technical program for PCB West 2026 features more than 50 classes and over 120 hours of in-depth electronics engineering training on circuit board design and assembly. The conference features classes for every level of experience, from novice to expert. 

 Rick Hartley, Karen Burnham,  Susy Webb, Stephen Chavez, and Tomas Chester are among the headliners of this year’s conference. It will be held September 29 to October 2 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. 

The scope of classes ranges from the basics of design engineering, libraries and circuit grounding to more advanced fare such as power distribution, EMC, stackups, and thermal management. 

 More than 25 of the presentations are new to the conference, including curriculum for advanced dielectrics for thermal PCBs, AI, and time budgets for new projects.

“Act now to get the best rates for this industry-leading conference,” said Mike Buetow, president, PCEA. “There is simply no other place to gain access to the leading experts in PCB design and engineering.”

PCB West will be held September 29 – October 2, 2026, at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. The event includes a one-day exhibition on September 30, which will include a free lunch on the exhibit floor.

PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB and CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY magazines are media partners for the event.

For more information about PCB West, visit pcbwest.com or contact Conference Director Mike Buetow at 617-327-4702; mike@pcea.net. 



News

PCB West 2026 Show Floor Almost Sold Out 

Posted on by Andy Shaughnessy

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – July 16, 2026 – The exhibition floor space is almost sold out for this year’s PCB West, the largest exhibition and conference for printed circuit board design, fabrication and assembly in the Silicon Valley, Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) said today. 

Fewer than 5% of booths remain for the annual event, PCEA added. Last year marked the eleventh time in 12 years that all booths have been sold for the popular exhibition.

“We had a fantastic PCB West 2025, and booth sales for our 2026 event have been strong,” said Brooke Downey, vice president of sales at PCEA. “We’re looking forward to another great event.” 

PCB West will be held September 29 – October 2, 2026, at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. The event includes a one-day exhibition on September 30.

This year’s show will feature more than 100 exhibitors showcasing the leading companies in the PCB industry, including the top CAD and CAM vendors and top names in printed circuit fabrication and electronics assembly. Attendees will be treated to a free lunch on the exhibit floor during the exhibition on September 30. 

PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB and CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY magazines are media partners for the event.

For more information about PCB West, visit pcbwest.com or contact Conference Director Mike Buetow at 617-327-4702; mike@pcea.net. 



News, PCB West

PCB West Keynote: It’s Time to Kill the Respin

Posted on by Andy Shaughnessy

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – JULY 6, 2026 – The Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) today announced that AJ Cooper, CEO and cofounder of Itera, will keynote PCB West 2026.

His keynote, “It’s Time to Kill the Respin,” takes place Sept. 30 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.

Itera, a new deep tech startup, has developed the world’s first “fluid” circuit board, which can rewire itself in real time. Built upon an electrowetting platform, the system replaces copper traces with reconfigurable liquid metal interconnects embedded in glass. When the design is updated digitally, the system reroutes the liquid metal traces to match the new design. The company says that this technology can make hardware iteration 1,000 times faster than the traditional PCB design process.

In his keynote, Cooper will discuss fluid PCB technology, its potential for accelerating development of AI infrastructure, and why he believes that hardware updates will eventually be as simple as a software update – triggered with the push of a button. 

Cooper served as director of hardware engineering for Lyft and head of electrical engineering for Uber, as well as a director of engineering at Flex. He holds a Ph.D. and an M.S.E.E., both from the University of Virginia. 

“AJ Cooper has a deep understanding of the fabrication and assembly issues designers face in trying to realize their novel ideas,” said Mike Buetow, president, PCEA. “Itera has developed a unique process for overcoming the up-to-now inherent obstacle that affects every designer and design engineer: in getting a printed circuit board design from a drawing board to a working prototype.”

PCB West will be held Sept. 29 – Oct. 2 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. The event includes a one-day exhibition on Sept. 30.



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