Episode 56: A Conversation about Solder Voiding with Solder Materials, Stencil, and Cleaning Experts Voiding is the cause of multiple failure mechanisms. I spoke with solder material expert Tim O'Neill of Aim Solder, stencil manufacturer Prakash Gango of StenTech, and cleaning materials manufacturer Kalyan Nukala of Zestron about how solder voiding leads to product failures and methods to reduce voiding. My guests may be reached here: Tim O'Neill Aim Solder toneill@aimsolder.com www.aimsolder.co...
Nov 24, 2020•50 min
My guest today is Dr. Martin Anselm. Martin is a professor at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and is also the newly elected President of the Surface Mount Technology Association or SMTA. Martin also worked for Universal Instruments. During his 12 year career at Universal Instruments, Martin was, among other positions, a Process Research Engineer and Manager of Failure Analysis Services. Martin completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering through Binghamton University. His res...
Nov 10, 2020•49 min
Episode 54: A Conversation with Michael Ford about Digital Twin Michael Ford and I talk about Digital Twin, its purpose, value, and its future. Michael Ford, Sr. Director of Emerging Industry Strategy Aegis Software Michael Ford has more than 30 years working within the electronics assembly manufacturing space. Michael has a degree in Electronics from the University of Wales, Michael started his career with Sony in the UK, creating software solutions as he acquired a broad range of manufacturing...
Oct 27, 2020•59 min
Episode 53: Meet the Press - A Conversation with Industry Journalists about the State of the EMS Industry In this episode, I speak with Mike Buetow, Editor In Chief of Circuits Assembly and Printed Circuit Design and Fab magazines, Trevor Galbraith, publisher of Global SMT and Production magazine, and Philip Stoten of Scoop TV. We discuss the state of the electronics assembly industry, the affects of COVID-19 on our industry, emerging technologies, and more. Mike Buetow may be reached here: http...
Oct 13, 2020•1 hr 7 min
Episode 52: A Conversation with Conformal Coating Expert Dr. Sean Clancy of HZO Dr. Sean Clancy and I discuss the various types of conformal coatings designed to protect circuit assemblies from moisture and other hazards. We discuss coating best-practices and current IOT-based products that are increasing the need for protecting circuit assemblies from harsh environments. Dr. Sean Clancy is the Director of Coating Technology at HZO, where he leads a group developing thin-film conformal coatings....
Sep 22, 2020•56 min
Episode 51: A Conversation with X-Ray Expert and Entrepreneur Dr. Bill Cardoso Bill started his first company in Brazil at age 17 and sold it a few years later to move to the US to work for the Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory to do nuclear and high energy physics research. As the Department Head for Systems Engineering and after a 10-year long career at Fermilab, He moved from Chicago to southern California to start Creative Electron from his garage Bill was what cou...
Sep 08, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Episode 50 - A Conversation with IPC's Matt Kelly on IPC Technology Focus & Investment IPC’s New Chief Technologist Matt Kelly talks about Factory and Supply Chain of the Future Modernization In this new leadership role, Kelly will help IPC’s members to engage in latest technology trends and supply chain transformation that continues to evolve across the electronics industry. He will work to define the scope of what future products and services the association should develop in the areas of ...
Aug 25, 2020•52 min
Episode 49 - A Conversation with SMTA's Global Executive Director Tanya Martin and SMTA President Greg Vance about SMTAI 2020's new virtual format. Numerous exhibitors are taking part in this new format. More than 100 technical presentations and papers will be available on-demand. Additionally, nine 3.5 hour professional development courses will be presented live! Register to attend the virtual exhibition and technical conference here: https://smta.org/mpage/smtai...
Aug 11, 2020•33 min
Episode 48: A Conversation with David Alexander, a China supply chain expert about Importing from and Exporting to China. We are all familiar with the pros and cons of importing goods from China. China supply chain expert David Alexander discusses pros and cons of doing business in China. David also discusses the lesser known opportunities of exporting US goods to China and China's appetite for western brands. David is the Founder and President of Baysource Global, company which provides managem...
Jul 28, 2020•54 min
Episode 47: A Conversation with Environmental Sustainability Expert Matthew Chalkley Matthew Chalkley has over 26 years of supply chain experience in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Matthew has held a number of senior operational management positions within, engineering, manufacturing, materials management, procurement, and customer order fulfillment. Matthew was the Global Program Manager for IBM’s Supply Chain Social & Environmental Management System and the Glob...
Jul 14, 2020•1 hr
Episode 46: "The Experts" - A Special Episode Featuring a Conversation with Four Industry Experts Mike Konrad joins Dr. Jennie Hwang, Phil Zarrow, Bob Willis, and Ray Prasad to discuss several industry topics including the pandemic, common technical issues, training and support, and other interesting topics. A video version of this podcast is also available here: https://vimeo.com/433866207/d0f9ac8f65 Dr. Jennie Hwang jennie.hwang@h-techgroup.com www.jenniehwang.com Phil Zarrow phil_zarrow@itmco...
Jun 30, 2020•1 hr 11 min
Episode 45: A Conversation with Dr. Chris Jackson About Reliability Dr. Chris Jackson discusses reliability and his five-part article series entitled "3 Ways to do Reliability Allocation." Dr. Chris Jackson is the founder of Acuitas, a company dedicated to reliability. Chris founded Acuitas in 2010. He was awarded his mechanical engineering degree from the University of New South Wales, and has since receive a Masters in PhD in Reliability Engineering from the University of Maryland. He is an Am...
Jun 23, 2020•52 min
Episode 44: A Conversation with Dr. Jennie Hwang About Reliability Dr. Hwang's wide-ranging career encompasses international business operations, sustained leadership in worldwide manufacturing and technology services, innovative research, intellectual property management, global leadership positions, as well as corporate and university governance. Dr. Hwang held senior executive positions with Lockheed Martin., SCM Corp., Sherwin Williams., and was the CEO of International Electronic Materials ...
Jun 09, 2020•48 min
Episode 43: A Conversation with Cal State University's Dr. Mike Stull about Entrepreneurship and Today's Challenging Times Dr. Mike Stull is the Director of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). He also serves as Chair for the Department of Management in the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration and academic director for entrepreneurship. With more than 30 years as an entrepreneur in for-profit, non-prof...
May 27, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Episode 42: A Conversation with X-Ray Expert Keith Bryant Keith discusses the advantages of x-ray technology, its practical uses, and common mistakes made when using x-ray technology. Keith's Bio: A fully qualified engineer, Keith has over thirty years’ experience in Electronics Manufacturing. He is well known and respected for presenting technical papers at many high-profile events around the world and for his many published articles and interviews. He started his career in this industry with b...
May 26, 2020•56 min
Episode 41: A Conversation with Better Board Buying's Greg Papandrew About Ways to Buy Boards Better. Should you purchase boards overseas or domestically? What questions should you ask your board vendor? Greg answers these and other board-buying questions. Our guest is Greg Papandrew, co-founder of Better Board Buying. Greg is the author of PCB Basics for Buyers. Greg can be reached here: Greg Papandrew greg@boardbuying.com https://boardbuying.com...
May 12, 2020•42 min
Episode 40: A Return Conversation with SMT Guru Bob Willis. Thirty nine episodes after Bob's first appearance on Reliability Matters he returns to discuss life as a consultant in the electronics assembly industry. Bob can be reached at: Bob Willis 2 Fourth Avenue, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 4HA England Tel: +44 (0)1245 351502 https://www.bobwillis.co.uk bob@bobwillis.co.uk...
Apr 28, 2020•52 min
Episode 39: A Conversation with Advanced Assembly's Mark Hughes and Greg Ziraldo About Producing Reliable Assemblies Within a CM Environment. During this interview, we discuss two papers: Introduction to Reliability in Electronics: Tools and Metrics for Anticipating Device Failure by Mark Hughes https://tinyurl.com/rxmntru Cosmic Mishaps: How Cosmic Rays Can Disrupt Your Design Part 1: https://tinyurl.com/smccuf7 Part 2: https://tinyurl.com/ro4e5nt Part 3: https://tinyurl.com/qp94aos...
Apr 14, 2020•1 hr 7 min
Episode 38: A Special COVID-19 Episode - A Conversation with Circuits Assembly Magazine's Editor in Chief Mike Buetow Mike and I discuss the state of the industry amid the COVID-19 crisis. Mike provides a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of our industry and provides his view from Productronica and APEX.
Mar 31, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Episode 37: A Conversation with IPC's President and CEO Dr. John Mitchell Dr. John Mitchell talks about the state of the industry, COVID-19 (Corona Virus), and the future of the electronic assembly industry.
Mar 24, 2020•58 min
Episode 36: A Conversation with "Board Talk" hosts Phil Zarrow and Jim Hall. Welcome to a special episode of Reliability Matters, recorded live at IPC APEX Expo, thanks to my friends at Scoop TV. You may hear some background noise as I’m not in my usual studio rather, I’m on a busy and rather loud trade show floor. Today, we are bringing back two previous guests, Phil Zarrow and Jim Hall of ITM Consulting. Phil and Jim host Board Talk, a popular broadcast where they field assembly-related questi...
Mar 10, 2020•28 min
Episode 35: A conversation with Dr. Darren Williams of Sam Houston State University about cleaning processes and materials. Dr. Williams has been at SHSU since 2004 teaching Physical Chemistry, Forensic Chemistry, and graduate courses in Spectroscopy and Thermodynamics. He came to Huntsville from the US-DOE Pantex Plant in Amarillo. He taught at West Texas A&M University for four years after obtaining his Ph.D. from Oregon State University in 1997. He is originally from Fort Worth, and obtai...
Feb 25, 2020•42 min
Episode 34: A Conversation with "The Cleaning Lady and the Rocket Scientist" Barbara and Ed Kanegsberg about all things cleaning. Barbara and Ed are the authors of Handbook for Critical Cleaning available here: https://tinyurl.com/rlomsz2 Barbara and Ed discuss their upcoming Product Quality Cleaning Workshop, in cooperation with Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX and Dr. Darren Williams May 13-14. For more information, please click on the link below: https://www.shsu.edu/academics/c...
Feb 20, 2020•59 min
Episode 33: Altium's Judy Warner (a fellow podcaster) interviews Reliability Matter's host Mike Konrad on the subject of Cleaning for Reliability. Judy is the host of Altium's On-Track podcast . More podcasts from Judy are available here: https://resources.altium.com/altium-podcast
Jan 28, 2020•48 min
Episode 32: A Conversation with Greg Smith and Tony Lentz About Stencil Design and Void Reduction Greg and Tony talk to me about stencil design and how to reduce voiding. Voiding is a key concern in specific electronic applications including automotive and LED electronic manufacturing. Greg and Tony published a paper entitled "Root Cause Stencil Design for SMT Component Thermal Lands" Download here: https://tinyurl.com/szx3xt8 Greg Smith can be reached here: gsmith@blueringstencils.com Tony Lent...
Jan 14, 2020•56 min
Episode 31: A Conversation with Scoop's Phil Stoten recorded at SMTAI in Chicago. Phil discusses Industry 4.0 and other industry-related topics.
Dec 10, 2019•30 min
Episode 30: A Conversation About Reflow Technology with Heller Industries' CEO David Heller. David joined the family business in 1987, twenty seventy years after its founding. David shares what reflow ovens were like at the beginning stages of surface mount technology and the numerous technological changes required along the way.
Nov 26, 2019•59 min
Episode 29: Recorded at SMTAI in Chicago - A Return Conversation with Foresite's Lead Investigator Eric Camden. Eric discusses his experiences in field failure analysis including the failures and causes.
Nov 12, 2019•25 min
Episode 28: Part 2 - A Conversation with IPC's Brook Sandy about IPC APEX EXPO’s Technical Program Register for IPC APEX EXPO here: https://ipcapexexpo2020.ipc.org
Oct 25, 2019•58 min
Episode 27: Part 1 - A Conversation with IPC's Brook Sandy about the IPC APEX EXPO. Register for IPC APEX EXPO here: https://ipcapexexpo2020.ipc.org
Oct 25, 2019•55 min
