Blog

Happy New Years 2026!

As we step into 2026, we are celebrating the people who make PICA what it is from China, Malaysia, and Derry, New Hampshire, our teams are sharing New Year wishes in their own languages.Each message reflects the culture, traditions, and pride behind the work they do every day.Different locations. Different...

LPI Solder Mask vs. Polyimide Coverlay: Choosing the Right Protection for Flexible Circuits

Protecting the copper circuitry on a flexible printed circuit (FPC) is essential to ensuring long-term reliability and performance. Two common protective approaches are Liquid Photoimageable (LPI) solder mask and Polyimide (PI) coverlay. While both serve to insulate and safeguard traces, they differ significantly in their material properties,...

See What You Can’t See: AOI & X‑Ray Inspection in PCB Assembly

In today’s electronics world, component densities are rising, geometries are shrinking, and reliability expectations are higher than ever. Failures at the board level can jeopardize product launches, erode customer trust, and lead to costly recalls. Simply put: what you don’t see can kill your design. That’s where inspection technologies like...

Rigid-Flex: The Winning Technology Behind Smart Impact Monitoring Mouthguards

When it comes to sports safety, precision and reliability are non-negotiable. Impact monitoring mouthguards, like those used to measure head acceleration in contact sports, demand electronics that are compact, durable, and capable of withstanding extreme conditions. This is exactly where rigid-flex PCB technology shines.Rigid-flex combines the stability...

Using Flex Circuits to Design Smaller, Smarter Electronics: The Smartphone Advantage

From the palm of your hand, smartphones have revolutionized how we connect, work, and navigate the world. But behind the sleek glass and metal casing lies a key technology that makes their compact, high-performance design possible: flexible printed circuits (FPCs).At PICA Manufacturing Solutions, we specialize in engineering...

Compact Power, Cooler Systems: The Case for Ceramic PCBs in Modern Electronics

Modern electronics are expected to run hotter, switch faster, and survive harsher environments than ever. Standard FR-4 hits its limits quickly in these scenarios. Ceramic printed circuit boards (PCBs) step in with exceptional thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, and mechanical stability, enabling compact, long-life designs in power, RF/microwave,...

New PICA eBook – Pushing the Limits of Flex

Pushing the limits of Flex Circuits: Advanced Designs and Manufacturing Topics

What happens when flex circuit design moves beyond the basics? In our latest eBook, we highlight advanced flex PCB topics including HDI and miniaturization, copper thickness, bend radius, trace routing, impedance control, rigid-flex design, ultra-thin flex, extra-long flex, and testing.These are...