The D-Code Podcast

Recurring guests and good friends, Chrys Shea and Mike Buetow, join us to discuss PCB West! This year, The D-Code Hosts with knowledge worth sharing - Daniel and Elias - will be attending PCB West and presenting during the first Assembly Track! The D-Code Podcast formed in part due to the desire to bridge our knowledge gaps, and use informal conversation and our natural inquisitiveness to draw out fun, educational conversations. The fact that those conversations have led to opportunities to present our knowledge at events is a serious honor. Thank you for all of your support. We cover a lot in just 20 minutes, so just jump in and get to it!

When we started rolling at Apex to talk to Phil, we didn't want to stop. Before the cameras were even turned off, we were already asking him on to a full episode. This one is full of good stories, and we were having such a great time we went way beyond our planned topics. Here, Phil shares his personal participation in a wide range of companies, technology advances, strategic conversations, with plenty of humor along the way. Particularly insightful is the breakdown of prescriptive vs generative AI and the mental shifts that will need to accompany streamlined work processes and AI activity.

We are a great experience for guests here on The D-Code Podcast. One example is this fascinating and fun interview with Mike Buetow of the Printed Circuit Engineering Association. From learning the PCB industry via osmosis to casting doubt on his wife's career, this open and informative conversation goes well, despite Sean starting out with a question he claims "usually doesn't go well"...

Michael Sivigny brings 25 years of experience to the table, and he shares a wealth of knowledge with us in this one. Michael leads CeTaQ Americas, and does an excellent job here of describing just some of the reasons that calibration of equipment isn't a simple checkbox, but requires a rigorous methodology. From the first time we talked to Michael, we've been wanting to have him on and this conversation is an excellent starting point for understanding how variability at each stage of the SMT process impacts the next stage. Thanks Michael for a fun conversation!

What a fun conversation! Usually sitting in the backseat for conversations about reflow, Elias had the opportunity to sit down in person with Miles at KIC after seeing some live demos. Fresh and bubbling with his knowledge, he gets to sit in the driver's seat a bit and guide the conversation, bringing in Daniel and Sean's expertise with the actual products in use along the way. There is a lot of quality discussion along the way. We pruned the chapters down to the following

Many thanks to our latest guest, Juan C Frias, for sharing his time and expertise with us. With 20 years of experience, Juan is an excellent source of all sorts of design knowledge. From "What is a component engineer?" to "Why would you put a via THERE?" we get a great overview of basic to more advanced and recurring questions Sean and Daniel find themselves asking regularly in assembly.

Hayden Lee of [REDACTED] has extensive knowledge of AI tech for his ripe old age of 17. Starting at 12 with Python, Hayden hit the perfect timing for growing up with modern AI and LLM architecture as an extension of his natural inquisitiveness and tech interest.

When we interviewed Gayle our first time at a tradeshow, the second the mics went cold, the first thing to be said was "We need to get you on for a full episode!" At long last, the Gayle Towell episode. When you spend your life thinking about physics, the SMT industry is highly welcoming and a logical place to land. Gayle demonstrates here that it isn't the number of years under your belt in your current position - it's about the knowledge you bring with you. From meta-analysis to quantifying the area ratio relationship to ALL forces acting on solder, she shares a lot of wisdom in this one.

he folks at Essemtec are always a blast to talk with, and they usually bear gifts! One of those gifts was a Swiss Army knife, which is probably the best way to describe their Fox platform with its ability to jet paste and place components, all within a space-saving footprint. We are all equipment nerds here at The D-Code Podcast, so being able to get hands-on with some of Essemtec's innovative platforms was a real treat!

Author, business owner, multi-podcaster, and one of the most recognizable faces in the SMTA... Mike Konrad is all over the place, and killing it. Unfortunately or fortunately for him, depending on the day, he has become a huge part of The D-Code Podcast origin story and gets a front row seat to how the sausage is made. He still joins us on set anyway! Thanks for the mentorship Mike!

How clean is clean enough? If you answered 1.56 µg/cm2 of NaCl equivalent, it's time to update your version of IPC J-STD-001! Class 2 and Class 3 assemblies now require "Objective Evidence" of cleanliness. Bobby Glidwell from Magnalytix stops by the set to explain how obtaining Objective Evidence doesn't have to be a pain, in fact they've put everything you need into a box!

We get it—if you hear the word "AI" one more time, you might lose it. But a couple of us recently headed up to Massachusetts to check out Parmi’s new SPI and AOI tech, and it actually lived up to the hype. It’s more than just the cool laser visuals and heat maps (though those are pretty slick). The real kicker? Seeing these machines practically program themselves. We threw a board with over 100 line items at it—something the machine had never seen before—and it handled it right out of the box. No gimmicks, just results. In this episode, we’re sharing our conversation with Juan Arango at APEX and geeking out over what this means for your line. We also take a second to poke some fun at Mike Butler’s unique way of moving "R's" around in words. Stick around as we track the improvements SPI brings to the floor over the next few months. Huge thanks to Parmi for sponsoring the show and keeping these deep dives coming!

What to say about Gene that hasn't already been said? Some of the best stuff you won't hear because it happened the night before the interview, but we still saved some great conversation for the cameras! We all look up to Gene for his passion, his longevity, and we were thrilled to see him get the award for 70 (yes, that's seventy) years in EMS at the MWA dinner! Don't forget to take out the trash when you get home. :)

Our good friend Bill stops by the set to discuss the nuances of equipment selection and validation. An absolute must listen for anyone in the process of making PCBA related equipment decisions! We also discuss the SMTA STAR Event in Kansas, a truly unique and valuable annual conference that Bill Champions. Enjoy!

Finally an equipment manufacturer Elias can get excited about! Declan from Watt Laser makes the trip across the big pond to join The D-Code for a laser focused discussion on all things SMT Stencil manufacturing. We discuss the latest advancements in stencil laser technology as well as stencil AOI. Enjoy!

The reflow oven can be one of the most enigmatic tools on the SMT Line. In this interview we sit with our friend Miles Moreau as he helps to KIC the mystery out of the reflow soldering process. Tapping decades of experience making ovens smarter, Miles drops some gems on set that you won't want to miss! Grab a cool drink and enjoy this hot topic! Special Thanks to KIC for the continued support of The D-Code Podcast, we couldn't keep pumping out content without you!

We had a great chat with Dan Ashley from PVA . The more we learned about the offerings from PVA the 3 letters it made us think about most was ROI. They have dispensing capabilities for any SMT application you might run into- conformal coatings, 2 part epoxies, underfill, glue, masking, etc. They even have a UV curing system available within the same form factor. Would be easy to keep rambling on about everything they offer but really you should just check the interview out for yourself! Thank you so much Dan and the people at PVA for their support and being gracious with your time!

What do you know about reflow soldering? Likely not as much as Robert Bouchard from BTU International ! Bob showed us their Aurora oven (great name) and described how it overcomes the thermal challenges associated with today's boards. Most of the boards I run have 1-2oz copper pours. I can't even imagine the difficulty in getting good reflow on boards that weigh upwards of 20 lbs! We really cover a lot of ground in this interview. Bob breaks down the science behind the reflow oven and you don't want to miss it!

Our APEX 2026 series continues on with David Ly from Inovaxe Corporation . We had fun checking out the new InoHD Storage system in the Inovaxe booth, and chatting about some of the smart storage systems offerings.

Not all testing is created equal, and gaps in your testing can hurt more than you realize. This is why it is important to design for testing and to especially be intentional in how you prioritize testing and inspection methods along the way. Oren Manor of ‪@SiemensSoftware‬ EDA joins The D-Code to discuss a recent acquisition of a premier testing planning and execution system.