Some people are just wired to share knowledge, and if you've ever encountered Bob Willis on LinkedIn, YouTube, or in person, you likely learned something valuable. Bob is someone who recognizes the value of getting in and playing with something to learn it, whether it is in your job description or not. Get over there, manipulate it, and understand it! Aside from picking his brain about training, lead-free solder testing, causes and mitigation of tombstoning... well, watch for yourself! See chapters below for additional details. Chapters 00:00 Producer Paul's Pick 00:41 Introduction to Bob Willis 11:03 Cross Training And Communication 18:11 Lead-Free Solder: Challenges and Insights 24:31 Stencil Design for Mitigating Tombstoning 33:10 Flux Dipping 37:00 The Value of Training 44:11 Challenges in Reflow and Wave Soldering 49:13 Bob's Semi-Retirement and Future Plans 54:08 Assembly Challenges with Smaller Components linkedin.com/in/bob-willis-47514a35/ www.bobwillis.co.uk

THE FINAL BOSS - Mike Konrad, Author, Podcaster, Narrator, Business Owner, SMTA Talking Head... Final as in, last SMTA International 2025 Interview, folks! Thank you for tuning in to each one along the way. 😀 Mike Konrad has been one of our largest supporters and we are not exaggerating when we say that we are only here because of him. We are here because of many reasons, but one will always be Mike. From guiding us through the initial decision to even start a podcast to loaning us the entire recording setup we used for Apex, he's been instrumental. He was @thereluctantentrepreneur once upon a time, but he's excited enough about the topic to have his own podcast on the topic... so... perhaps he's Enthusiastically Reluctant, or something. Best known in our industry for @AqueousTechnologies and his knowledge about cleaning, he is perhaps most recognized online for his @ReliabilityMatters podcast - reliable enough to be at over 180 episodes released!!! We appreciate you, Podfather.

If you've ever heard of Zestron, then you know they are pretty serious about cleaning. But among the more technical discussion you'll find here, John Neiderman also shares that Zestron has as highly decorated Reliability & Solutions (R&S) Team that consults on projects, including root cause and failure analyses. By analyzing the full process, including printing, placement, profiling and more, they often uncover process improvements to benefit you that have nothing to do with changing or investing in your cleaning processes or chemistry choices.

This service isn't just available to OEMs and the large outfits - part of becoming a customer of Zestron is gaining access to education, support, and a partner when you need to up your reliability game or make process changes to level up your capabilities.

When running a PCBA Consulting agency, you run into everything. Or so Brent Johnson imagines. He may have just recently started his agency, but he has years of process engineering experience, and has already worked with a popular guest on the podcast, Jordan Danko! Let the roasting begin...

No, this was a great conversation, and it just felt like the right time to bring back "a lack of board supports on the second side" from one of the hosts you see here... He was asking for it though, because he was really trying to pry all the info he could out of Brent for free.

Viktoria Rawinsky Solves (PCB) Crime For a Living!

How fun does that sound, really? Viktoria gets to spend her time studying, imaging, and finding the root cause of various failure types, often in combination. It takes serious detective chops to not just find one culprit involved in a defective board, but to find and overlay all the "fingerprints" when multiple causes of failure work together to obfuscate the issue.

When COVID hit and many were scrambling or holding on tight with fear, Viktoria went out and bought top-of-the-line imaging equipment at bargain prices and re-invested in her own future. Learn more from "The Dendrite Queen" through the following chapters:

00:00 Producer Paul's Pick 00:35 Viktoria Rawinsky of LinkedIn Fame 02:36 Incomplete Solder Mask Crosslinking 05:56 Sean Stream of Consciousness Monologue 09:44 Anyone Can Measure - Interpretation Is The Key 12:44 NDAs Don't Cover Detective Stories 16:22 Mic Drop Moment

Justin has a lot of media experience, and is used to having the camera and mic with him, asking questions of others and giving them a chance to shine. We were therefore stoked to have a conversation that was equal parts Personal Marketing, SMTA Involvement, but also really interesting technical conversation as he got into discussing ROCKA not just as a company, but as a leader in modern stencil roll development.

Speaking of marketing, we are going to need to get some kind of credit for helping launch the new campaign slogan for the special polyester blend of stencil roll that performs so well, "Where You Spray, It Will Stay".

We knew Sutharshan just got elected to the SMTA Board of Directors (Congratulations!), but we didn't know his full background with the SMTA. It's been 18 Years since the first time Sutharshan expressed interest in learning more about the SMTA! Safe to say he has made the most of his time participating in various ways in that time.

SMT Elite is a newer venture for Sutharshan, but with experience in process engineering, DFM reviews, constant knowledge absorption via regularly scheduled webinars and training opportunities... He's more than up to the task.

This is an excellent blend of technical conversation and personal experiences of the connections formed in this community, especially via SMTA activity. Robert Boguski is entertaining and humorous while discussing his company's background and role, and there are plenty of laughs in the first half while generally keeping to industry topics.

But for those of you who like to learn more about: the personal lives of our hosts and guests... the experiences behind the scenes and outside of primary employment that help shape who we are at work... the support you can receive from participation in organizations such as the SMTA...

this one is a treat. Learn how the real quality connections made initially for networking turn into lifesavers and genuine supports in times of need. Thank you Robert for one of our longest and most dynamic conversations at SMTAI.

From Producer Paul: It was because of my involvement in the podcast and all of those who have encouraged us and supported us along the way that I was there with Daniel at the SMTA STAR High Reliability Conference when we got the news about Dad passing. We were fortunate enough to be together, and to be there with some amazing humans who helped us through. Thanks to the Podfather aka Mike Konrad, the Bosom Buddies, all of our awesome GUESTS, fans, supporters, sponsors, mentors, and especially the friends who go well beyond simple industry connections. -PP