PCB Chat

David Schild is executive director of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America. PCBAA was founded in 2021 to advance US domestic production of PCBs and base materials. 

We discuss major investment announcements by US PCB companies, industry funding from the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, the need for intense engagement at every level of government, and the latest on the Protecting Printed Circuit Boards and Substrates Act of 2023.

Robert Feranec is a hardware designer with over 20 years’ experience in the electronics industry, and specializes in PCB design, signal integrity and high-speed digital design. In addition, he is also a self-described passionate content creator on YouTube, where he has developed a large series of help-guides for PCB design and electronics engineering. His company, FEDEVEL Academy, also provides courses on electronics design.

We talk about autorouting, simulation tools and teaching board design concepts on this edition of PCB Chat. 

Today we’ll dive deep into the world of conformal coating. More and more assemblies are being subjected to conformal coating to protect the assembly from harsh environments. What’s leading the drive to conformal coat electronics assemblies? What types of conformal coating options are available? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type? 

We are all aware of the supply chain issues our industry has faced. Beginning with electronic components, it has spread to so many other types of parts are industry relies on. Fortunately, it looks like we are beginning to come out the other end of the supply chain shortage. But the supply chain problems have further spread to the labor market. If you are in a position to hire people for your company, you know firsthand how difficult that process can be today.

Adding to the level of labor acquisition difficulties is the great “Silver Tsunami,” otherwise known as the great retirement. As mentioned on Reliability Matters episode 130, the fact is, Baby Boomers are entering retirement in greater numbers. According to government data, from now until 2030, 10,000 boomers will hit retirement age each day. Millions will begin to officially retire. Some of these retirees are designated subject matter experts within their companies. Not only are people retiring, they are taking with them a vault of valuable knowledge.

This has created an even larger demand for consultants within our industry. I’ve had several industry consultants on my show over the last few years, including today’s guest: legendary industry consultant, Bob Willis. If you’ve been in this industry longer than 18 seconds, there’s a good chance you’ve at least heard his name. If you’ve been in this industry for virtually any length of time, there’s a good chance you’ve seen his videos, read his books, or watched him present at numerous industry conferences and symposiums. If I reviewed Bob’s complete professional biography, it would take an entire episode.

During our conversation, we discussed Bob's newest book, Robotic Soldering Inspection and Defect Guide. Anyone who makes a donation to Bob's chosen charity will receive a download of his book as well as access to Bob's complete book collection:

• Robotic Soldering Inspection and Defect Guide

Click the following link for more information: https://www.justgiving.com/page/bob-willis-roboticsolderingbook

Printed circuit board and multichip module design software revenue increased 6.3% in the second quarter to total $369 million, according to the ESD Alliance's latest Electronic Design Market Data (EDMD) report. The four-quarter moving average for PCB and MCM, which compares the most recent four quarters to the prior four, rose 11.7%.

As a whole, ESD industry revenue increased 5.3% to $3.96 billion in the second quarter from $3.76 billion in the second quarter of 2022. The four-quarter moving average rose 9.5%.

Wally Rhines joins Mike Buetow to explain the latest data trends.

Baby Boomers are entering retirement in greater numbers. From now until 2030, 10,000 Boomers each day will hit retirement age. Millions will begin to officially retire. This is creating a terrific opportunity for young college graduates to enter our industry.

Several years ago, I was a speaker at the SMTA, Pan Pacific Strategic Electronics Symposium in Hawaii. I shared my breakfast table with a longtime colleague, Dr. Ron Lasky, a professor at Dartmouth College. Over the course of breakfast, he asked me how I got into this industry and, more specifically, how I started my company. Dr. Lasky is an engineering professor at Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering. He also teaches entrepreneurship to his soon to be engineers. Dr. Lasky invited me to come speak to his students. I was more than happy to take him up on his offer, and I have spoken to his students on the subject of entrepreneurship every year for the past several years.

Dr. Abramson’s research has focused on novel techniques for thermal characterization of nanostructures, the design and synthesis of unique nanomaterials for use in alternative energy applications, virtual energy audits for building energy efficiency, and strategies to accelerate technology commercialization at universities and research institutions.

The Reliability Matters podcast is almost exclusively about reliability. Specifically, reliability of circuit assemblies. We discuss production best practices, design for manufacturing and reliability. Failure analysis, and more. We’ve reviewed the latest trends in industry 4.0, the connectivity of machine to machine and machine to management. We discussed big data and how to make all of our newly acquired data relevant and actionable. For all this to occur, our computers must function properly. They must perform the assigned tasks and communicate large sums of data.

What happens to our production line if the computers stop functioning? What would happen if our network ceases to operate? We’ve all witnessed the airline industry grind to a halt recently due to computer failures and connectivity issues. The fact is, very few industries can function properly or even at all if the computer systems fail. I’m not referring to quality issues within the computer or network’s internal circuit assemblies. I’m referring to malware, ransomware, and other nefarious actions brought on hackers with the intent to disrupt companies, industries, and governments, frequently with the goal of returning (or promising to return) your own data in exchange for an exorbitant payment.

Our industry, like many others is completely dependent on computers and connectivity. Without ether, most production lines will simply sit idle. How can we avoid this terrifying scenario? How do hackers gain access to our computers and networks? How can we add reliability to our computer and network policies and procedures?

To answer these and other related questions, we talked with network security expert Adrian Francoz, cofounder and CEO of Zeta Sky, a managed IT support and cybersecurity services company lives in the world of cyber security. He and his company protect their customer’s networks through the implementation of security best practices and constant training, both for his customers, and for his own staff. After all, hackers and other bad actors are hard at work searching for the next scam, vulnerability, and the opportunity to score a huge payday, all at our expense.

In the Southern California area? Consider attending the inland Empire cybersecurity summit on Thursday, October 26 at the Chaffey College InTech Center, 9400 Cherry Ave, Bldg A Fontana, CA 92335. Register here: https://www.zetasky.com/inland-empire-cyber-security-summit-2023

HDP User Group is an industry consortium made up of more than 50 leading companies that collaborate on research in order to reduce cost and time to market.

Madan Jagernauth, marketing director and a project facilitator, discusses recently completed programs on low silver solder paste reliability, copper surface roughness models, the Pb-Free bare board materials project updates, and HDP's upcoming meeting in October with PCB Chat's Mike Buetow.

In recent episodes, we’ve covered high-level issues, such as hiring best practices, novel, training, methods, design for manufacturing, highly accelerated, life, testing, and more. On this episode, we’re going to go back to the basics. What common problems are assemblers experiencing today? What are the basics of assembly best practices? Which problems seem to live in perpetuity?

To answer these and other questions, I’ve invited two of my favorite experts on to the show. If you’ve been in the electronics assembly industry for some amount of time, there’s little doubt you’ve heard of Phil Zarrow and Jim Hall. Phil has been involved with PCB fabrication and assembly for more than 36 years.

He is president and principal consultant of ITM Consulting. Jim Hall has been involved in the electronics assembly industry for the past 27 years. He’s a principal consultant and resident Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with ITM Consulting. He’s also an instructor in the Lean Six Sigma programs offered at Dartmouth College. Together with Dr. Ron Lasky, Phil and Jim designed the SMTA’s SMT Processes Certification Course. A couple of years ago, Phil and Jim published a book titled “Troubleshooting Electronic Assemblies, Tales from the Board-Talk Crypt.”

Mike Konrad talks to them more about that book later in this broadcast. Phil and Jim host the popular audio series “Board Talk,” a question-and-answer show hosted on the Circuit-Insight website. On their show, you’ll hear serious questions, and often comical but real answers.

Moisture. The industrial world has been fighting moisture since the beginning of the industrial world. From a general point of view, moisture leads to issues such as

• Mold and mildew

In the electronics world, moisture creates a host of reliability problems including:

• Popcorning

We wanted to dive into moisture mitigation, so Mike Konrad invited two guests to discuss this very topic. Dan Jenkins is sales manager and partner of the Steel Camel, an industrial solutions company specializing in corrosion and water intrusion control for fuel systems and industrial equipment. Prior to Steel Camel, Dan worked as consultant and instructor in the crane accident prevention industry. He has consulted to large organizations such as Shell Oil, and the United States Department of Interior. Dan earned an MBA from the University of South Florida and earned his BA in Industrial Arts / Technology from Cal St. University Chico and his Post-Secondary Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University.

Bob Lowry has bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry. His experience includes 31 years as sr. scientist and lab manager for three integrated circuit manufacturing companies, where measurement of moisture and moisture control activities were a major part of services he provided. He has 20 years of experience consulting to the microelectronics industry on a wide variety of topics including materials analysis and measurements and methods of moisture control for electronic components. Bob is also coauthor of the book Hermeticity of Electronic Packages.

Dan Jenkins' contact info: [email protected]

https://www.steelcamel.com/

Bob Lowry's contact info: [email protected]