Episodes
Monday Mar 25, 2019
Monday Mar 25, 2019
Mike Bixenman is one of the founders of Kyzen and serves as its chief technology officer. He is well-known within the electronics assembly industry and is a featured speaker at industry conferences and symposiums around the world. He is chair of the IPC Cleaning and Coating Conference held every other year in Chicago and is the technical chair for SMTA Europe’s Electronics in Harsh Environments Conference held annually in Amsterdam. He also received the IPC President’s Award and has chaired the IPC Cleaning Handbook Task Group.
"Bix" talks with host Mike Konrad about cleaning for reliability, challenging components and fluxes, methods to determine how clean is clean enough, and how and why he cofounded Kyzen Corp.
Friday Mar 22, 2019
The Week Today - Mar. 18 - 22, 2019
Friday Mar 22, 2019
Friday Mar 22, 2019
PCB Chat host Mike Buetow catches up on the weekly news in electronics manufacturing. This week: New electronic material discoveries, expansions in Southeast Asia, company earnings reports.
Tuesday Mar 19, 2019
Reliability Matters: Episode 8 - Cleaning Roundtable
Tuesday Mar 19, 2019
Tuesday Mar 19, 2019
On this episode, Mike Konrad hosts a roundtable discussion on the subject of cleaning circuit assemblies after reflow. After all, contamination removal is exclusively performed to increase the reliability of circuit assemblies and the products they are installed in.
With the rapid expansion of electronics due partly to automotive and IOT, cleaning of circuit assemblies has increased dramatically and with that, challenges to cleaning have also increased. Because cleaning is commonly an “end of the line” procedure, it frequently falls victim to assembly procedures earlier in the assembly process. As a result, cleaning technology (equipment, chemical, processes), must be reactive to overcome the challenges presented by the assembly process.
Today, we’re going to discuss some of the challenges to cleaning and to do so, I’ve recruited a panel of experts. Today’s cleaning roundtable features a number of experts from Zestron, a company known for manufacturing innovative chemical solutions for the electronic assembly and semiconductor markets.
Tuesday Mar 19, 2019
PCB Chat: The Screw-Ups, Episode 2
Tuesday Mar 19, 2019
Tuesday Mar 19, 2019
In The Screw-Ups, we talk to experts in electronics manufacturing about specific problems they’ve encountered and offer up potential solutions. Tim O’Neill has nearly 25 years experience with solder materials, primarily with AIM Solder, where he is currently technical marketing manager. He explains the nature of soldering residue at the rework station, and steps that can be taken to mitigate it.
Wednesday Mar 13, 2019
Wednesday Mar 13, 2019
Mike Konrad has known Phil Zarrow and Jim Hall for many years. Phil, Jim, and what they describe as their brothers, operate ITM Consulting, a consulting and advisory firm for the electronics assembly. Phil and Jim also produce a question-and-answer program, answering technical assembly-related questions in an equally valuable and humorous manner. As you will hear, Phil and Jim, while taking their customer’s problems seriously, don’t take themselves too seriously, which is one of the things Mike loves about them.
Thursday Mar 07, 2019
PCB Chat Episode 33: Josh Ewing of Bright Machines
Thursday Mar 07, 2019
Thursday Mar 07, 2019
Bright Machines is a developer of hardware and software smart automation tools for electronics manufacturing. It was founded a year ago by former executives from Autodesk and Flex, and currently employs about 350 workers around the world. Josh Ewing, head of strategy & corporate development, speaks with PCB Chat host Mike Buetow.
Wednesday Mar 06, 2019
Reliability Matters: Doug Pauls on IPC J-STD-001G Amendment 1
Wednesday Mar 06, 2019
Wednesday Mar 06, 2019
Collins Aerospace's Doug Pauls chaired the IPC committee to implement a new cleanliness testing specification. IPC J-STD-001G Amendment 1 which is now active. Doug explains the new requirements of this standard and provides suggestions on how to comply with Reliability Matters host Mike Konrad.
Friday Mar 01, 2019
The Week Today - Feb. 25 - Mar. 1, 2019
Friday Mar 01, 2019
Friday Mar 01, 2019
PCB Chat host Mike Buetow catches up on the weekly news in electronics manufacturing. This week: Changes at the top at Nordson and Benchmark, heterogeneous packaging solutions, startup Patchr's new PCB placement and layout software, and EMS earnings reports.
Thursday Feb 28, 2019
PCB Chat Episode 32: Eric Schneider
Thursday Feb 28, 2019
Thursday Feb 28, 2019
Patchr is a startup that recently launched a PCB design software for hobbyists and educators. The new place-and-route tool integrates with PCB manufacturers such as OSH Park and MacroFab, and milling machines like Bantam Tools. CEO and founder Eric Schneider speaks with PCB Chat host Mike Buetow about the company's launch, the inspiration for the new E-CAD system, and whether he thinks Patchr offers a possible solution for enterprise customers.