PCB Chat

Jim Rathburn may not be a household name in the printed circuit industry, but maybe he should be. A self-styled serial technologist and innovator, Rathburn holds more than 80 patents covering the gamut of high-density printed circuits, materials and semiconductors.

As founder and president of Precision Circuit Technologies, Rathburn helps commercialize the Minneapolis area company’s high-performance, high-density printed circuits, electrical interconnects, and advanced materials for the next generation of semiconductors, electronics, and systems.

He discusses PCT's technologies, in particular with liquid crystal polymer, and its use of both additive and conventional processes to build lines and spaces down to 6 microns. He also details PCT's zero-discharge processing, and licensing approach.

As the demand for more durable and dependable electronics continues to rise across industries, the choice of soldering materials, such as solder paste, plays a pivotal role in determining the reliability of these devices. We'll discuss how selecting the right solder paste can influence performance and longevity, and we'll hear from an industry expert about the latest advancements and best practices in soldering material technology. 

Chapters:

00:00:00 Importance of Soldering Materials in Electronics Reliability

00:02:06 Evolution in Soldering: From Lead to Lead-Free

00:03:53 Trends in Automotive Industry Adaptations

00:05:59 Understanding High Reliability in Different Industries

00:08:04 Enhancing Material Reliability for Safety-Critical Applications

00:10:12 Classifications of Reliability in Electronics 

00:12:29 Selecting Solder Paste for Wearable Devices in Harsh Conditions

00:14:29 Ensuring Reliability in Electronics 

00:16:27 Understanding Electrochemical Reliability in Circuit Design

00:18:27 Understanding No-Clean Solder Paste Reliability 

00:20:29 Choosing the Right Powder for SMT Applications

00:22:37 Understanding Type Numbers and Their Industry Impact

00:24:44 Addressing Environmental Concerns in Soldering Materials 

00:26:52 Achieving Sustainability Goals with Recycled Tin 

00:29:00 The Benefits of Zero Discharge Practices

00:30:56 Thermomechanical and Electrochemical Reliability Challenges

00:32:59 Emerging Trends in the Electronics Industry

00:34:54 Challenges in Thermomechanical and Electrochemical Reliability 

00:36:53 Standardization and Industry Collaboration

00:38:56 Best Practices for Consumer Buying Habits in Electronics

00:41:05 Future Trends in Electronics Reliability 

00:43:16 Embracing Change in Electronics Assembly Industry

00:45:12 Evolving Soldering Materials and Environmental Standards

00:47:01 How to Engage with the Reliability Matters Podcast

JITX is a San Jose-based developer of PCB design automation tools. The company's novel platform takes design concepts and convert them into schematics, circuit design, and component placement, among other features.

Duncan Haldane, CEO and cofounder, talks with Mike Buetow about the JITX platform, which proposes to rethink and simplify the way electronics are designed by using common language instead of machine code to realized complex ideas as a product design, overcoming legacy technology, and working on the desktop instead of the cloud. 

And (teaser alert), listen for an announcement about the premiere PCB Design Community event taking place on October 9 at PCB West at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center.

Two episodes ago, in RM 149, we talked all about automated optical inspection. Today we're exploring the impact of less automated inspection Technology, that being optical microscopes.

From commercial, class 1 electronics to high-reliability class 3 electronics, the intricate electronic devices we rely on daily are assembled with astonishing precision. This precision wouldn't be possible without the aid of advanced optical microscopes. These remarkable instruments allow technicians and engineers to inspect, analyze, and ensure the quality of electronic components down to the minutest detail.

By providing high-resolution images and magnification, these microscopes help in detecting defects, ensuring correct alignment and polarity of components, and verifying the integrity of solder joints. This meticulous inspection process is crucial for maintaining the reliability and performance of electronic devices, ultimately ensuring customer satisfaction and, in many cases, safety.

In today's episode, we're exploring automated optical inspection (AOI) and x-ray inspection technology within the electronics assembly industry.

Zachary Feuerstein founded his latest venture in 2022 after running into problems purchasing basic white goods and consumer electronics due to the post-Covid supply chain disruptions.

That company, Breadboard, was officially launched with the very modest goal of revolutionizing the electronics supply chain management industry.

Designed to automate and expedite BoM processing, optimize component spend, and automate quoting processes, the Breadboard platform now boasts more than 60 EMS customers.

Feuerstein joins PCB Chat host Mike Buetow to explain the platform and his "Eureka" moment.

Just like the famous line from the 1984 film, The Terminator, “I’ll be back,” SMTAI is back.

Back to the Chicago area. We’re back in Rosemont, co-located with the Assembly Show, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, October 20-24.  

Between SMTAI and the Assembly Show, there will be thousands of engineers and industry professionals in attendance.  The exhibit floor features hundreds of exhibitors showing off the latest technology. But the topic we're discussing today is the technical conference and other planned events taking place at this year’s SMTAI.  

This year, there are 11 scheduled professional development courses, about 100 technical presentations across seven technical tracks.

Joining Mike Konrad to discuss what’s in store for attendees is Jason Keeping, member of the SMTA Board where he is vice president of technical programs for SMTA. Jeff Kennedy, past SMTA president and director of the Manufacturing Excellence track, and Robert Boguski, member of the SMTA board where he is VP of membership and director of the Test and Inspection track.

This episode of Reliability Matters features three interviews including:

• Kimberly Fagan from PVA

Recorded live in Anaheim, CA, during IPC Apex Expo.

Wally Rhines returns to give the latest data and analysis on the printed circuit board and MCM design software market, and the broader electronic design automation market.

Rhines comments on the quarterly data released by the ESD Alliance, shifts in demand from India and China, seasonal buying trends, employment and more.

The CHIPS Act has hogged much of the oxygen in the tech industry for the past few years, but the industry trade group known as the Printed Circuit Board Association of America is trying to build on that momentum by relentlessly pointing out that the board industry needs love too, or as they put it, chips don't float. With us today is David Schild, the executive director of the PCBAA.

Schild and Mike Buetow discuss the prospects of pending Congressional legislation to support the US PCB industry, the need for domestic substrate and bare board production to complete the triad of the semiconductor "stack," and a just-announced Commerce Department plan to allocate up to $1.6 billion in funding to support the packaging supply chain.