Your Reliability Engineering Professional Development Site
Reliability Matters is a podcast on the subject of reliability of circuit assemblies. Reliability "best practices" and success stories are discussed. This podcast features interviews with experts in the electronic assembly industry.
All electronic production segments which effect product reliability are on the table. This includes contamination, coating, cleanliness assessment, inspection, building for harsh environments and more.
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.
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 questions and provide answers in a style only they can deliver.
We’ll discuss how they go about “fixing” their customer’s problems and their new upcoming book, Trouble Shooting Electronic Assemblies, Conversations from the Board–Talk Crypt.
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 obtained his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin in 1992.
He is the author of over two dozen research articles and book chapters covering a broad range of topics, such as cleaning process changes to reduce environmental impacts, contact angle methods for cleanliness verification, prediction of the spectroscopy of aged explosives, and chemical education improvements in Physical Chemistry.
Dr. Williams leads the Cleaning Research Group at Sam Houston State University that studies all aspects of finishing and cleaning of high-value and mission-critical parts in the aerospace, medical, electronics, and manufacturing sectors. His lab has dry vapor spray, ultrasonic, vapor degreasing, and vacuum cycle cavitation cleaning equipment. The CRG formulates and tests azeotropic solvent blends, and measures flashpoint, viscosity, surface tension, and specific gravity. Much of the research is performed and published openly, but the CRG also performs contracted work under non-disclosure for external clients.
Dr. Williams created the Product Quality Cleaning Workshop in 2018 to address the growing need for education on cleaning processes in industry. The next workshop is May 13-14th, 2020 at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. Registration is now open at https://tinyurl.com/wcnjjw5
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/chemistry/cleanresearch/cleaningworkshop.html
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
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 Lentz can be reached here: tlentz@fctassembly.com
Episode 31: A Conversation with Scoop’s Phil Stoten recorded at SMTAI in Chicago. Phil discusses Industry 4.0 and other industry-related topics.
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.
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.
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
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
My guest today is Alun Morgan, he is a Technology Ambassador at Ventec International Group.
Our conversation today is all about cars, and the increased reliability expectations associated with their electrical systems. The electronics in modern vehicles provide an unpresented level of safety, not just for the driver, but for those people and objects around the vehicle. Because our cars go in and out of harsh environments, the circuit assemblies within the car are subjected toheat, humidity (and other sources of moisture), which contribute to reliability and therefore safety.
We’ll discuss one of the primary failure mechanisms of circuit assemblies, an issue that can affect the operation of the safety systems within the automobile, it’s a real issue that for many is not well known.
I spoke with Alun from his office in Scotland.
Alun can be reached at alun.morgan@ventec-europe.com or through LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alun-morgan-04050a14/
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 kparker@indium.com.
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
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.