PCB Chat

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 m...

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 ...

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 hea...

"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 f...

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 hol...

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 l...

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 - Introduct...

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 indust...

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, t...

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 t...

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, w...

Today we're diving deep into the world of precision and craftsmanship—two crucial elements in the realm of hand soldering and rework of circuit assemblies. Whether you're a seasoned electronics enthusiast, a hobbyist, or just someone with a curious mind, this episode promises to demystify the art and science behind hand soldering and rework. We'll be exploring the latest tools, techniques, and trends that define this intricate p...

Today, we delve into the crucial aspects of maintaining well-being on this journey — how to sidestep the notorious burnout, and perhaps more importantly, how to fuel and maintain your motivation. Because, let's face it, the road to creating a meaningful impact can be demanding, and it's essential to navigate it with resilience and purpose. Join Mike Konrad for a conversation with Rick Coulson. Rick recently retired from a 34-yea...

We welcome back one of our favorite guests, David Schild, the executive director of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America. PCBAA was founded about three years ago to advance US domestic production of PCBs and base materials. The organization is made up of corporate members of all sizes, and includes fabricators, assemblers and suppliers.

Schild brings us up to date on the US Department of Defense's National Defense Indus...

Artificial intelligence is perhaps the most discussed – and least understood – topic in technology today.

We in electronics design and manufacturing know, of course, that automation is part and parcel of what we do. But while the landscape has changed, be it the transition from mechanical drawings to CAD tools with their autorouters, or from manual and semi-automatic printers and placement machines to lights-out factories where cob...

Reliability Matters covered the topic of ultrathin conformal coatings back in November. We covered various conformal coating materials from traditional acrylics and silicones to ultrathin parylene coatings. What other coating materials are available? Where do these types of coatings fit within specific applications? Where do health and safety, environmental concerns, and sustainability programs fit in with a coating process?

To ans...

EMA Design Automation has for years been the exclusive distributor of OrCAD Cadence in North America. Through acquisitions and internal development, EMA now has a series of its own software products for library management, component supply chain data. And this year EMA announced it would spin off those CAD-agnostic products into a new subsidiary called Accelerated Designs.

EMA president and founder Manny Marcano joins Mike Buetow t...