PCB Chat

Christine Davies is founder and CEO of Poligage. Poligage is an online marketplace for public policy insights and government affairs services, providing efficient virtual connection with a carefully vetted network of world class experts who are available for flexible pay-as-you-go consultations, content, and projects. Founded in May of 2020, Poligage is still in its infancy. Mike Konrad spoke with Christine about the her journey operating a business startup, why she choose to start a company, her vision, and strategies for growth.   Christine may be contacted here: cdavies@poligage.com https://www.poligage.com

Our guest has been quoted saying his personal mission is to make industry a profitable place; where individuals and manufacturers possess the resources, knowledge, and courage to sustainably lower their operating costs. Mike Konrad speaks with James Kovacevic about his maintenance philosophies and his work teaching maintenance best practices.  

A conversation with media personalities Mike Buetow (Circuits Assembly Magazine), Trevor Galbraith (Global SMT & Packaging), Phil Stoten (Scoop TV), and Eric Miscoll (EMS Now). During our conversation we covered various topics including post pandemic production, innovations within our industry, supply chain and labor shortages, and more.

EMS provider Matric Group's Patrick Stimpert incorporated the Toyota Production System’s Lean principles into his contract manufacturing business. “Results are important. How do I get my results?," he states. "With the use of the Toyota Production System’s Lean principles and my simple rule 'Don’t waste time rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, go fix the problem.' I believe in the "LEAN-IN" processes and gain improvements through RIPs (Rapid Improvement Projects) These projects are based on a standard of identifying problems, brainstorming solutions, attempting those solutions, and adjusting from there. If we are going to fail, we are going to fail fast and cheap.”  

Dr. Harald (Harry) Wack earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Johns Hopkins University in 2002. He began his career at Zestron’s American headquarters, reporting to his father in Germany, Dr. Oskar Wack. This was the beginning of Harry's long journey with Zestron culminating in his ascension to President of Zestron’s parent company, Dr.O.K. Wack Chemie GmbH. Mike Konrad spoke with Harry from his headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany.

No matter how fast product developers move, there is pressure to pick up the pace. Gowtham Ramachandran, founder of Trace, a three-year old startup company based in Toronto, has a vision for just how the industry might speed the product development cycle: a desktop "microfactory" that automates much of the development workflow. He talks with Mike Buetow about how the new concept completely reimagines the entire product development workflow, and hints at how augmented reality might impact the future of electronics manufacturing. Trace's website is trace.so.   This podcast is brought to you by Turnkey PRO from Sierra Circuits. What if you could source your components, upload your specs and receive an instant quote in less than 15 minutes? What if your designs could be fabricated, assembled and delivered to your door in five days with a guarantee of zero defects? Then try Turnkey PRO by Sierra Circuits for your next design, and use promo code PCBCHAT to receive $200 off your next order.

Terry Munson is the founder and president of Foresite, Inc. He founded Foresite in 1992, then known as CSL (Contamination Studies Laboratories, Inc.). Terry has extensive experience with how cleanliness issues are affecting product reliability for electronic hardware. He is the primary developer of ion chromatography analysis for use in the electronics manufacturing industry and is an active member of IPC. Terry’s insights have been seen in various industry trade publications, as well as at technical conferences. It can be said, Terry marches at the front of the band, using his unique experience and cleanliness testing methods, many of which have made their way to internationally recognized standards. Terry has been quoted saying “Everything is fixable, you just have to understand what’s causing problem.” Today, we’ll attempt to understand Terry Munson as he joins Mike Konrad on this episode of the Concept to Creation Podcast.   Terry's Contact Info: Terry Munson Foresite, Inc. 1982 S. Elizabeth Street Kokomo, IN 46902 USA 1-765-457-8095 www.foresiteinc.com terrym@foresiteinc.com  

Worthington Assembly's Chris Denney speaks about the electronic contract manufacturing business. • How to select an appropriate contract manufacturer • Evaluating a contract manufacturer's capabilities • Mistakes made when selecting a contract manufacturer • Advantages and disadvantages of selecting a US-based contract manufacturer Chris may be contacted here: cdenney@worthingtonassembly.com Worthington Assembly's website: https://www.worthingtonassembly.com

Tim Jensen talks about: Solder paste selection best practices Low temperature solder Common mistakes made when using solder paste Solder paste jetting / micro-dispensing And much more   Tim Jensen may be reached here: tjensen@indium.com

Vincent Bedat is a mechanical engineer and recent MBA graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management, and founder of Volthub, one the finalists for the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition. Bedat is from Zurich, Switzerland, where he graduated with a master’s in mechanical engineering from ETH Zurich. He worked at the robotics startup Synapticon in Stuttgart, Germany, as a mechanical engineer and eventually project manager. There, he recognized inefficiencies in the ways data are shared and managed in hardware development, and conceived a platform to accelerate the rate of innovation by streamlining the procurement process. His startup is called Volthub, and upon graduating from MIT in June, he has relocated to San Francisco to further develop the company. He can be reached at vbedat@volthub.io.   This podcast is brought to you by Turnkey PRO from Sierra Circuits. What if you could source your components, upload your specs and receive an instant quote in less than 15 minutes? What if your designs could be fabricated, assembled and delivered to your door in five days with a guarantee of zero defects? Then try Turnkey PRO by Sierra Circuits for your next design, and use promo code PCBCHAT to receive $200 off your next order.