Reliability Matters
Mike Konrad
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, reflow, printing, failure analysis, board fabrication, and much more.Your Host:Mike Konrad began his career in the electronic assembly equipment industry in 1985. Mike founded Aqueous Technologies in 1992 in response to the Montreal Protocol and the resulting international treaty banning most popular cleaning/defluxing solvents. Mike is an internationally known speaker on the subject of increasing reliability through contamination removal and cleanliness quantification techniques and procedures. Mike was awarded “Distinguish Speaker Status” with SMTA in 2018 and received the “Rich Freiberger Best of Conference Award” in 2019.Mike is a member of the SMTA Global Board of Directors where he is Vice President of Communications. Mike is also Vice President of Technical Programs for the Los Angeles / Orange County SMTA Chapter.Visit the Reliability Matters Podcast Website:https://www.reliabilitymatterspodcast.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 25, 2019 • 55min
Episode 27: Part 1 - A Conversation with IPC's Brook Sandy about the IPC APEX EXPO
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
Oct 22, 2019 • 1h 3min
Episode 26- An Interview with Ventec's Technology Ambassador Alun Morgan
Episode 26: 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 to heat, 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/
Oct 8, 2019 • 42min
Episode 25 - An interview with Indium's Kay Parker about SMT Printing and Being New in the Electronics Assembly Industry
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 kparker@indium.com.
Sep 24, 2019 • 1h 3min
Episode 24 - A Conversation with Teradyne's Reliability Experts Mark Levin and Jon Rodin
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
Sep 10, 2019 • 59min
Episode 23 - A Conversation About Testing Circuit Assemblies with Datest Founder Robert Boguski Jr.
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.
Aug 25, 2019 • 59min
Episode 22 - A Conversation About Adhesion Testing with BTG Lab's Materials Scientist Elizabeth Kidd
Episode 22 - A Conversation About Adhesion Testing with BTG Lab's Elizabeth KiddOn 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.
Aug 10, 2019 • 1h
Episode 21- A Conversation with Manuel Schöllig - There's More to Clean than just Assemblies
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.
Jul 23, 2019 • 38min
Episode 20- A Conversation with Conformal Coating Expert Phil Kinner
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.
Jul 9, 2019 • 57min
Episode 19- A Conversation about Display Technologies and Reliability-Improving Production Methods
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
Jun 25, 2019 • 1h 2min
Episode 18 - A Conversation with Saturn Electronics' Yash Sutariya about PCB Fabrication
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.
