Reliability Matters

Episode 25 - An interview with Indium's Kay Parker. We discuss SMT solder paste printing and Kay's experience as a new engineer in the electronics assembly industry.

Kay Parker is a Technical Support Engineer based at Indium Corporation’s headquarters in Clinton, N.Y. In this role, she provides guidance and recommendations to customers related to process steps, equipment, techniques, and materials. She is also responsible for servicing the company’s existing accounts and retaining new business.

Kay first joined Indium Corporation as a college intern. During her internship, she worked alongside process engineers in Indium Corporation’s Metals and Compounds division. After graduating from the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute in 2018, Kay joined the company as a Technical Support Engineer.

At SUNY Poly, Kay earned a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics with a minor in engineering science. Her past accomplishments include managing the details of a National Science Foundation grant, forming and leading an award-winning competitive student robotics club, developing industrial manufacturing process technologies, and modeling the flow of blood in the human eye using mathematical equations and computer programs. Kay can be reached at [email protected].

Episode 24 - A conversation with Teradyne's Manager of Reliability Mark Levin and Senior Software Engineering Manager Jon Bodin about reliability, DFM, and their new book "Improving Product Reliability and Software Quality: Strategies, Tools, Process and Implementation", 2nd Edition. The book is available here: https://tinyurl.com/y2f3nhav

Episode 23 - A conversion with Datest Founder Robert Boguski Jr. about testing circuit assemblies. The conversation covers many types of circuit testing, ethics in testing, and how to share results with customers.

Episode 22 - A Conversation About Adhesion Testing with BTG Lab's Elizabeth Kidd
On this episode, we’ll be discussing surface adhesion. What makes a surface more adherable, what makes it less adherable, and most importantly, how can one determine a surface’s
adhere-ability (is that a word?) before applying a coating.

A Conversation with Manuel Schöllig of Emil Otto, a German manufacturer of soldering and cleaning materials about cleaning stencils, pallets, fixtures, ovens, and assemblies. There's more to clean than just circuit assemblies. Manual reviews many non-assembly cleaning requirements. Manuel also describes a new flux type that reportedly does not rely on heat activation to remove harmful flux activators.

Episode 20- A conversation with Electrolube's conformal coating expert Phil Kinner. We discuss the reasons for conformal coating and the variety of conformal coating materials available.

My guests today are two of the people behind Anders, a UK-based company which manufactures displays and embedded control systems. Anders manufactures display and embedded controller products for a variety of industries including medical, marine, industrial, home, and much more. My guests are Ander’s General Manager, Paul Mullen and Display and Input Technology Manager, Mike Logan. Both Paul and Mike spoke with me from their London headquarters. Anders website is https://www.andersdx.com

Yash Sutariya is the President of Saturn Electronics Corporation, Saturn Flex Systems, and Saturn PCB Services, all PCB-centric operating entities. Today, we’ll discuss what every buyer of printed circuit boards should be concerned about and Yash will offer a few auditing tips that would be helpful when auditing or selecting a PCB supplier. Yash is the author of PCB RELIABILITY: AUDITING YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN TO INSURE IT, a paper he presented at SMTAI 2018.

My conversation with Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) and Solder Paste Inspection (SPI) system supplier Brian D'Amico covers AOI and SPI best practices. Modern circuit assemblies are difficult, if not impossible, to inspect without the aid of advanced inspection systems. Brian has been in the electronic assembly equipment industry for thirty six years. His knowledge (and passion) for inspection technology is truly impressive.

SMT-WARS
Lessons Learned from a Contract Manufacturer and Their Customer Who Sued Them

What happens when an electronic contract manufacturer follows their customer’s instructions to the detriment of the product? Product failures, blame, drama, and a really big lawsuit.

Mike Konrad reviews the trials and tribulations of a contract manufacturer and their customer. Assembly residue-related failures (ECM) contributed to product failures, product recalls, and, ultimately, a multi-million-dollar lawsuit.

Misguided “best practice” techniques only made matters worse. This podcast will discuss what factors contributed to the “perfect storm” of product failures. Factors that go as far back to original product designs, printed circuit board fabrication, storage and handling, assembly, testing, and coating. While mistakes were made all along the way, product failures could have been avoided with a few simple process changes, adding mere pennies to the cost of each assembly while saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in litigation.