SMYRNA, GA – A number of technical webinars will debut during Virtual PCB, the industry’s virtual trade show and conference for the PCB design, fabrication and assembly markets.

The live event will take place Mar. 2-4.

Scheduled on-demand webinars include Go Greener in Your Cleaner!; How Interconnects Can Screw Up High Speed Serial Link Signals and What Transceivers Can Do About It; Next Generation Design Data Management; Solving Mechanical Challenges with a 3D PCB Environment - Make Sure it Fits the First Time!; Status of the Proliferation of Lead-Free Alloys: 2010; Using FPGAs to Embed Test Instruments into Your PCB Design, and more.

Also available will be downloadable information about these topics: Pb-free alloys; package-on-package; advanced cleaning practices; signal integrity, and counterfeit component identification and mitigation.

Exhibiting firms include Altium, Assembléon, Bare Board Group, Cadence, CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY, Downstream Technologies, EMA Design Automation, EPEC Engineered Technologies, FHP Reps, Imagineering, Kyzen, National Instruments, PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB, Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA), Sunstone Circuits, UP Media Group, Zuken and more!

Register for free at https://vts.inxpo.com/scripts/Server.nxp?LASCmd=AI:4;F:QS!10100&ShowKey=1783.

Visit http://www.virtual-pcb.com for more information.

Virtual PCB is brought to you by UP Media Group, parent firm of Printed Circuit Design & Fab and Circuits Assembly.

The SMTA is an exclusive sponsor of this event.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American-made shipments of printed circuit boards fell 3.2% year-over-year in December, while orders rose 22.1% compared to the same month in 2008.

For the year, shipments were down 21.7%, and orders fell 17.2%. Compared to November, combined shipments increased 12.6%, and orders rose 21.5%, said IPC, which tracks the data.

The book-to-bill ratio dipped but remained positive at 1.04. A ratio of more than 1.0 suggests current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to six months.

Rigid PWB shipments fell 3.4%. However, orders were up 27.3% compared to December 2008. For the year, rigid shipments were down 23.2%, and orders dropped 18.1%. Sequentially, rigid PWB shipments increased 13.2%, while orders increased 23.3%. The book-to-bill ratio was 1.05.

Flex circuit shipments for the month fell a slight 0.4%, while orders dropped a dramatic 27.4% year-over-year, according to the association. For 2009, flex shipments were down 1.1%, and orders were down 4.9%. Sequentially, flex shipments rose 4.9%, while orders fell 2.9%. The flex book-to-bill in December slipped to 0.95.

Rigid PWBs represent an estimated 91% of the current industry in North America. In December, 86% of total shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 86% of rigid and 84% of flex circuit shipments.

REDMOND, WA – Data I/O’s outlook is brightening, the company’s president says in a just-published presentation.

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SAN JOSE -- The Semiconductor Industry Association today reported that worldwide semiconductor sales in 2009 were $226.3 billion, a decline of 9% from 2008.

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