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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Today’s episode turns the table on our usual format. Normally, I interview an industry expert. Today, I’m the subject of the interview. My friend and colleague Phil Stoten from Scoop TV interviewed me a few months ago where we discussed cleaning and cleanliness testing as method to improve reliability. This interview took place on a crowded and relatively noisy trade show floor, so pardon the background noise. Here’s that interview.
Fred Schenkelberg is an international authority on reliability engineering. He is the reliability expert at FMS Reliability, a reliability engineering and management consulting firm he founded in 2004. Fred left Hewlett Packard’s Reliability Team where he helped create a culture of reliability across HP to assist other organizations. His passion is working with teams to improve product reliability, customer satisfaction, and efficiencies in product development; and to reduce product risk and warranty costs. Fred has a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the United States Military Academy and a Master of Science in Statistics from Stanford University.
Most of our episodes feature guests representing specific segments of the electronic assembly industry. Today’s episode is no exception. My guest on this episode is MB Allen from KIC. KIC provides thermal profiling hardware and profiler software tools that help define, measure, monitor, and improve thermal processes for electronics manufacturing services. Today, more than ever, thermal management is vital to ensuring a proper reflow or soldering process. There is a direct link between proper reflow profiles and reliability, which makes this topic relevant for any conversation about reliability.
MB Allen is the Manager of Applications and Sales for the Americas and Europe.
Formerly a Product Manager MB coordinated the advancement of new products and features to accommodate customer needs. Her technical expertise, relationships with valued partners and customers, and many years of experience aid in the future development and improvements of her company’s product offerings.
MB has worked in the electronics industry for 31 years and been associated with KIC for 30 years with both national and international positions.
We discuss thermal management and assembly thermal profiling as a means to better reliability.
