PCB Chat PCEA

This episode was recorded at SMTA's Pan Pacific Strategic Electronics Symposium on the Big Island of Hawaii.Mike Konrad's guests on this episode are Dr. Chuck Bauer, founder of PanPac, Keith Bryant, and Dr. Ron Lasky. We discussed the history of PanPac, technologies introduced at PanPac, and what makes PanPac so unique. We also discuss Dartmouth College's unique engineering innovations program.
 
Chapters:00:00:00 - Introduction to the Reliability Matters Podcast00:01:35 - Introduction: Dr. Chuck Bower and Keith Bryant00:03:23 - The Motivation Behind Starting IMAPS and SMTA00:05:16 - Global Participation in the Event00:07:25 - High Level Participants and Learning Experience00:09:23 - The Conference of Interesting Things00:11:01 - Speaking to the Thought Leaders of the Industry00:12:40 - Preconceived Notions about the Event00:14:26 - The Best Event for Networking and Fundamental Research00:16:05 - Networking at Conferences00:17:42 - The Advantage of Combining Innovation and Engineering00:19:17 - Fostering Entrepreneurship among Students00:20:57 - The Future of Young People00:22:34 - Challenging Stereotypes about the New Generation00:24:03 - Advice for Emerging Engineers and Technicians00:27:17 - The Benefits of a Liberal Arts Education in Engineering00:28:48 - Bringing Students to the Conference for Experience00:30:11 - Entrepreneurship and Thinking Outside the Box00:31:46 - The Value of Thinking like an Entrepreneur00:33:22 - The Advantages of Ignorance in Starting a Business00:34:51 - Throw caution to the wind and pursue your passions00:36:25 - Appreciation and Thanks00:37:49 - Stay Safe, Stay Happy, Stay Healthy

Optimization has become an important goal within the electronics assembly industry. While modern electronics assembly techniques utilize a variety of equipment, one specific type of equipment often consumes a disproportionate percentage of the overall equipment budget, that is the place machine. The cost of the machine, associated conveyors and feeders, require that the machine is running as often as possible.The airline industry refers to this as “wheels up” time. Airlines make money when the aircraft is in the air “wheels up.” On the other hand, anytime the wheels are down, the aircraft is not making money for the airline.I listened to an interview a few years ago with the CEO of Southwest Airlines, a US discount carrier. Unlike most other airlines, Southwest does not charge its customers to check bags. The CEO was asked by the reporter why they have not joined the rest of the industry in charging for checked bags. The CEO's answer was genius. If Southwest Airlines began charging for check bags, it would actually slow the boarding process as more and more passengers would drag their bags onto the aircraft, most likely resulting in a number of those bags having to be checked at the gate. Southwest Airlines is famous for having the fastest aircraft gate turns in the industry, frequently under 30 minutes. Yet, if Southwest Airlines charged for checked baggage, it would require more time at the gate before the next flight would be ready to depart. That would result in fewer flight segments per aircraft per day. In other words, allowing customers to check bags for free equates to more “wheels up” time and, subsequently, more profit for the airline.The same principal can apply to pick-and place machines. When pick-and-place machines are running product, they are making presumably making money. When they sit idle, they are arguably costing money. What can assemblers do to improve the optimization or “wheels up” time on their pick-and-place machines?Mike Konrad's guest, Larry Welk, believes he has an answer. Welk, a.k.a. Professor Splice, is coowner of Smart Splice, a manufacturer of tape splicing tools.Welk reviews tape splicing best practices and explain how tape splicing, when performed correctly, can lead to higher pick-and-place machine optimization.So, buckle your seatbelt: this podcast episode is officially wheels up!
Chapters:00:00:00 - The Importance of Optimization in Electronic Assembly00:02:34 - Tape Splicing: Best Practices00:05:12 - Tape Splicing and its Advantages in the Industry00:07:42 - Continuous Tape Splicing00:10:10 - Splicing Techniques in Machine Assembly00:12:31 - Ensuring Quality and Reliability of Tape Splices00:14:57 - The importance of alignment in splicing00:17:21 - Types of Tapes and Their Impact on Splicing00:19:54 - Challenges with Tape Splicing00:22:09 - Adjusting Feeder Tension00:24:25 - Splicing and Reel Management in the Industry00:26:46 - Splicing Parts in the Electronics Industry00:29:02 - Common Mistakes in Tape Splicing00:31:34 - Issues with Tape Splicing00:34:03 - The Crimping Tool and Tape Issues00:36:25 - The Importance of Switching Techniques00:38:53 - Improving Production Efficiency through Component Evaluation00:41:44 - A demonstration of the old tape splicing method00:44:08 - Splicing Tape Procedure Comparison00:46:38 - Faster Splicing Technique00:49:15 - The Negative Experiences with Splicing00:51:55 - The Benefits of Splicing00:54:22 - Transitioning from Technician to Salesman00:56:40 - Conclusion and Farewell
 

Electronic System Design (ESD) industry revenue increased 14% to $4.4 billion in the fourth quarter 2023, with printed circuit board design software leading the way, up 21% for the period. 
Wally Rhines, executive sponsor of the SEMI Electronic Design Market Data report, gives his quarterly update on the state of the electronics design software market.

The High-Density Packaging User Group, the nonprofit consortium of electronics manufacturers and suppliers that collaborate on various technical problems in order to reduce cost and time to market, has nearly 25 projects underway, several of which are due to be completed this year.
We spoke this month with Madan Jagernauth, marketing director and project facilitator of HDP, about their current research on lead-free solder alloys, the recent conference Best Papers, and whether the consortium members are ready to tackle artificial intelligence.

Today, we delve into an increasingly critical aspect of technology and electronics manufacturing - the pursuit of environmentally responsible electronics manufacturing. Our industry has witnessed many environmental revolutions. The elimination of popular cleaning solvents brought on by the Montreal Protocol in 1989, soon followed by strict VOC regulations pertaining to cleaning chemicals.The switch from lead-based solders to lead-free alloys, led by the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive, known as RoHS, implemented within the EU in 2003 and adopted nearly worldwide, regulations regarding the disposal of electronic waste (e-waste) resulting in many countries mandating regulations and programs for the safe recycling and disposal of electronic products, and more.These regulations and others have inspired some companies to seek eco-friendly alternatives to traditional printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication. The combination of numerous environmental regulations has resulted in many companies’ implementation of sustainability programs.As our world becomes more connected, the demand for electronic devices continues to rise, and with it, the importance of mitigating the environmental impact of their production.On this episode of The Reliability Matters Podcast, Mike Konrad speaks with Mark S. Edwards. Mark wrote an article entitled “Environmentally Responsible Alternatives to Traditional PCB Fabrication.” 
He works as a strategic account manager within MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, on the global Business Development team for Circuitry Solutions. Mark has been involved in electronics manufacturing since the late 1980s and brings a passion for process automation, circuit assembly, solders/fluxes, adhesives, coatings and PCB fabrication – all with a focus on repeatability and reliability. Edwards holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering technology from Oklahoma State University and began his career at a defense electronics company in Dallas, Texas, that was later acquired by Raytheon. He has uncovered trends and synthesized customer needs for electronic hardware in the telecommunications, defense, automotive, industrial controls segments in the Americas, and now globally, in his newest role.
 
Chapters:
00:00:00 - The Pursuit of Environmentally Responsible Electronics Manufacturing
00:02:23 - Uncovering Trends in Electronic Hardware
00:04:56 - Circuit Board Fabrication and Environmental Responsibility
00:07:25 - The Changing Priorities of the Manufacturing Industry
00:09:40 - Green Alternatives to Traditional Circuit Boards
00:11:59 - Sustainable Alternatives to PCB Fabrication
00:14:21 - Fabrication Performance and Reliability
00:16:43 - Green PCB Fabrication Challenges and Obstacles
00:18:58 - The Challenges of Adopting Greener Solutions
00:21:22 - Environmental Sustainability in the Supply Chain
00:23:43 - Environmental Impact of PCB Fabrication Methods
00:28:20 - The Disappointment of EV 85 Fuel
00:31:07 - The Cost Implication of Going Green
00:33:31 - Recycling and the Circular Economy
00:35:55 - Recycling Circuit Boards and Extracting Precious Metals
00:38:15 - Simplifying the PCB Fabrication Process
00:40:40 - The Importance of Standards and Regulations in the Electronics Industry
00:42:54 - Demand for Environmental Responsibility in PCB Fabrication
00:45:10 - The Importance of Sustainability in the Supply Chain
00:47:20 - The Importance of Sustainability in Circuit Assembly
00:49:49 - Environmental Impact of Board Fabrication
00:52:02 - The Green Movement in Business
 
 

Matthias Wagner is chief executive and cofounder of Flux, a developer of a browser-based PCB design platform and programmable simulator.
When spoke with Matthias last spring, the company was introducing Flux Copilot, an AI-powered hardware design assistant. Flux Copilot uses a large language model that the company’s engineers trained and integrated into its design tool.
Flux recently added vision capability to its signature tool, whereby users can upload photos of images such as block diagrams to CoPilot and it can recommend parts for their design.
This week, we talk about those advances, some real-use cases Flux is seeing, the Renesas-Altium merger, and more.