How many people active in the SMT world can say they produced products for solder paste deposition when the best available technology was screen printing, with an actual woven mesh screen! Elias Sr. joins the younger model along with the rest of the cast to discuss the evolution of the SMT Stencil industry over his nearly 40 year career. 

Megan, The Queen of Networking 👑 

Megan Wendling Associates leverages deep roots in electronics assembly to connect leading contract manufacturers with vendors and major clients.

Key takeaways from her interview included:

➡️ NEPCON's Beginnings: Her father co-founded NEPCON over 50 years ago, highlighting its evolution into APEX and its significant impact on the industry.

Beyond Public Relations: Her firm facilitates contracts and partnerships, contributing to a robust industry ecosystem.

Larry Welk (Professor Splice) was kind enough to stop by our recording booth and describe how his products help people in my shoes every day.

🧠 What if your consumables supplier axed the middleman and rebooted an industry chapter? That’s Justin Worden’s game plan. Sat down with my buddy live at IPC APEX 2025 D-Code Podcast to unpack how ROCKA Solutions and his SMTA Austin Chapter hustle are shaking things up. 💡 What’s Rocka Solutions? Kicked off as a global distributor for Zestron, Weller, and Indium, they flipped the script during COVID. Now they’re manufacturing SMT stencil rolls and more inhouse with no distribution bloat. ⚙️ Justin’s Highlights: COVID Pivot Power: Raw material shortages? Rocka took control, owning their supply chain for price, quality, and availability that hits. No Markup Nonsense: Skipping 5 layers of distribution means premium consumables at what you should pay no 30% gouging from local rep to local rep to local rep to your floor. SMTA Austin Comeback: As the new (voluntold) president, Justin turned a dormant chapter into a powerhouse catering to exhibitors and attendees. Disruptive’s the word. Justin’s rewriting the rules on sourcing, marketing and community one stencil roll and expo at a time

🧠 Imagine if BOM management was as easy as clicking ‘Buy Now’ on Amazon.

This one is for you AI buffs out there! Andrew Schuermann talks why we should use AI to eliminate the dull, dirty, dangerous, and disappearing functions within our work days. The conversation sways heavily towards the ability to define down time and it's causes, efficiently utilizing technology to shorten mean time to repair.

Domestic PCB manufacturing has taken a beating, but it is not dead! John Vaughan joins us on set at Apex to discuss all things PCBs and how they play a critical role in US National Defense. John discusses the foundation of the PCBAA and the work this group is doing on "The Hill"

Tune in and enjoy!

The Printed Circuit Board Association of America (PCBAA)

🦊 “We're the foxes in the henhouse.” That’s how Michael Civigny from C-TAC described their role in the electronics manufacturing world—and honestly, it’s perfect. On this episode of The D Code: IPC APEX 2025 Edition, we dug into how C-TAC is redefining machine performance validation across the board. No bias. No fluff. Just data that tells the truth. 📏 Here’s what we covered: How C-TAC performs vendor-agnostic measurement and validation—from stencil lasers to printers to pick-and-place machines Why 90% of printers they test fail spec, and how stroke-dependent offsets are quietly wrecking your yield What to do if you don’t have SPI—and how to validate your process anyway How they empower OEMs and manufacturers to baseline, adjust, and validate equipment before it causes problems Why “If you don’t measure, you don’t know” isn’t just a catchphrase—it’s a survival strategy Michael also shared a killer tip: you can bring C-TAC before you buy used equipment—think of it like taking a mechanic with you to inspect the car before signing the check. This conversation was packed with insights—and one that our producer Paul (data nerd #1) definitely wishes he was on camera for.

Welcome to The D Code: IPC APEX 2025 Edition! We kicked things off live from the show floor with none other than Chrys Shea and it was everything we hoped for. From miniaturization trends to workforce development, and from solder paste testing to balancing fun and technical mastery in the shop, Chrys brought insight and laughs. Here's a taste of what we covered: Why she believes we're bringing the fun back to circuit board manufacturing The talent gap in process engineering and what she's doing to fix it. Her framework for guiding new engineers based on mindset and personality (hands-on vs. keyboard, rule-follower vs. rule-breaker). A sneak peek at the Ultra HDI test board for the SMTA designed to challenge even the most seasoned process engineers Oh, and if you're into quizzes that match your personality to your perfect PCB process role... she's got that too. Thanks again to Chrys for not just showing up but providing the sweet shades at our booth. You're one of a kind!