This episode of Reliability Matters features three interviews including: • Kimberly Fagan from PVA • Taylor Wagan from CETEC ERP • Neil Hubble from Akrometrix Recorded live in Anaheim, CA, during IPC Apex Expo ..read more

Wally Rhines returns to give the latest data and analysis on the printed circuit board and MCM design software market, and the broader electronic design automation market. Rhines comments on the quarterly data released by the ESD Alliance, shifts in demand from India and China, seasonal buying trends, employment and more. This episode is sponsored by PCB Way, celebrating its 10th anniversary as a leading supplier in electronics manufacturing, known for high-quality PCB prototypes and assembly services ..read more

The CHIPS Act has hogged much of the oxygen in the tech industry for the past few years, but the industry trade group known as the Printed Circuit Board Association of America is trying to build on that momentum by relentlessly pointing out that the board industry needs love too, or as they put it, chips don't float. With us today is David Schild, the executive director of the PCBAA. Schild and Mike Buetow discuss the prospects of pending Congressional legislation to support the US PCB industry, the need for domestic substrate and bare board production to complete the triad of the semiconducto ..read more

Recorded live during IPC Apex Expo this spring, this is the first of three podcasts from the show floor. This episode features three interviews including: • Gus Mavrou from Seho • Mark Stansfield from Solderstar • Jesper Lykke from Viscom ..read more

The challenging world of electronics becomes even more challenging when the end product is destined for harsh environments. For high-reliability products operating in a harsh environment, the quest for reliability is not just a goal—it's an imperative. These are not your everyday gadgets; often they're critical components of systems designed to operate under extreme conditions, where failure is not an option. From the scorching heat of desert landscapes to the unyielding cold of arctic tundra, from the high-pressure depths of our oceans to the radiation-filled expanse of space, the demands on ..read more

"Humans just aren't the greatest at designing circuit boards." That's according to Sergiy Nesterenko. Nesterenko is founder and CEO of a new software company called Quilter, whose goal is to accelerate hardware development by fully automating circuit board design. His eureka moment came when an early design at a previous employer couldn't be autorouted, then after it was hand-routed and built, it caught on fire. Listen to why the former Space X engineer thinks the margins designers build in are excessive and how AI-driven, physics-based platform can resolve and even violate some "human" rules ..read more

We’ve discussed the silver tsunami on the show numerous times, the unprecedented rate of which employees are retiring. When engineers and other employees retire from companies, they take with them more than a set of gold cufflinks or an engraved plaque. In many cases, they also take with them wisdom and knowledge. Perhaps this is never truer than in the case of Mike Konrad's guest today. And who is that? Doug Pauls. Pauls holds a B.A. in chemistry and physics from Carthage College, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He worked nine years for the Na ..read more

Businesses are not immune to the many complex social situations present on many prominent college campuses today. Executives and managers must grasp with how best to understand the changing environment as part of their talent acquisition and talent building processes, and implement those methods in practical ways to accommodate today's employees' life cycle.  Audrey McGuckin is a global HR executive who for more than 25 years has lived and worked across the globe in Asia, Europe and the US. She spent more than 20 years at Jabil, rising to vice president and chief talent officer. Today, as ..read more

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 Podcast 00:01:35 - Introduction: Dr. Chuck Bower and Keith Bryant 00:03:23 - The Motivation Behind Starting IMAPS and SMTA 00:05:16 ..read more

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 ..read more