Reliability Matters
Mike Konrad
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About This Podcast
All electronic production segments which effect product reliability are on the table. This includes contamination, coating, cleanliness assessment, inspection, building for harsh environments, reflow, printing, failure analysis, board fabrication, and much more.
Your Host:
Mike Konrad began his career in the electronic assembly equipment industry in 1985. Mike founded Aqueous Technologies in 1992 in response to the Montreal Protocol and the resulting international treaty banning most popular cleaning/defluxing solvents.
Mike is an internationally known speaker on the subject of increasing reliability through contamination removal and cleanliness quantification techniques and procedures. Mike was awarded “Distinguish Speaker Status” with SMTA in 2018 and received the “Rich Freiberger Best of Conference Award” in 2019.
Mike is a member of the SMTA Global Board of Directors where he is Vice President of Communications. Mike is also Vice President of Technical Programs for the Los Angeles / Orange County SMTA Chapter.
Visit the Reliability Matters Podcast Website:
https://www.reliabilitymatterspodcast.com
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Recent Episodes
The Return of Cleaning: Why Post-Reflow Cleaning Is Becoming Mainstream Again (Part 2) - Episode 194
This is part two of a two-part series.In Part One, we explored how the electronics industry transitioned from a clean-everything approach to one where cleaning became optional. But what happens when…
The Return of Cleaning: Why Post-Reflow Cleaning Is Becoming Mainstream Again - Episode 193
This is the first of a two part series.For decades, cleaning circuit assemblies after soldering was not optional. It was standard practice across the electronics manufacturing industry. Then, almost…
Why PCB Revision Errors Are a Hidden Reliability Risk With Mehdi Nahali - Episode 192
Today, we’re going to explore a topic that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves, but has a direct impact on product quality and long-term reliability.I’m joined by Mehdi Nahali, founder of…
Why Maintenance Is Finally Getting a Seat at the Table With Limble's Paul Ross - Episode 191
Today’s episode is going to resonate with anyone responsible for uptime, efficiency, and ultimately, product reliability. Because whether we’re talking about circuit assemblies, manufacturing lines,…
Predict, Prevent, Produce: RoviSys' Bryan DeBois on Manufacturing's Al Future Episode 190
What if your factory could predict failures before they happen, capture decades of human expertise, and make better decisions than ever before—without replacing the people who run it?Today’s guest…
From the Factory Floor to System Design: Why Women in STEM Matter with Kristen Eckart - Episode 189
When we talk about reliability, we usually focus on materials, processes, test methods, and standards. But what if one of the most overlooked reliability risks is who is not at the table when…
An Academic Look at Al in Electronics Manufacturing: Where It Works, Fails, & Why It Matters - # 187
Artificial intelligence is being promoted as the next revolution in electronics manufacturing, but what happens when the people evaluating it aren’t traditional AI experts, aren’t software vendors,…
Readiness Through Repair: How the U.S Military is Strengthening Capabilities with Right to Repair - Episode 186
If a $26,000 drone repair can be done in the field—but policy says it has to be shipped back to the manufacturer, do you really have a reliability problem… or a repair access problem?Today on the…
Electronics Manufacturing Today: Pressures, Priorities, and the Path Forward With Trevor Galbraith - Episode 186
When you talk to one manufacturer, you hear a story. When you talk to hundreds, patterns emerge. Today, we step back and examine what those patterns tell us about the real state of electronics…
How Accuracy & Force Compliance Contribute to Better Quality & Reliability with Michael Sivigny
In electronics manufacturing, defects don’t usually announce themselves. They happen in milliseconds, far faster than human perception, and often long before anyone realizes a process has drifted out…
Advances in Dispensing Automation and Thermal Management with PVA’s Jon Urquhart - Episode 184
Today, I’m joined by someone who has spent more than three decades at the intersection of materials science, automation, and high-reliability manufacturing. Jon Urquhart is the Director of Global…
Preserving Knowledge,Advancing Reliability: A Reliability Matters Podcast Year-End Reflection - #183
Since 2018, Reliability Matters has been building a knowledge vault, capturing the wisdom of industry experts for engineers everywhere. In this special year-end episode, we celebrate the journey, the…
Getting it Right: How to Work Effectively with your CM - With Daniel Stanphill & Sean Kincaid
Today, we’re continuing our dive into the world of contract manufacturing—a vital piece of the electronics ecosystem.Joining me are two industry leaders who know this space inside and out. First, we…
What Every OEM Should Know About Working with Contract Manufacturers - With Raymond Novara
The next two episodes will be all about contract manufacturing, an area that can make or break the reliability and success of a product. My guest on this episode is Raymond Novara, founder and owner…
Cooler Connections: Low Temp Soldering for a High-Reliability World With Indium’s Dr. Hongwen Zhang
This is the fourth of four episodes on the subject of soldering materials.Today, we're diving into a topic that's reshaping how we think about thermal management, energy efficiency, and long-term…
Building Reliability from the Inside Out: Indium's CEO’s on Innovation & Reliability with Ross Berntson
This is the third of four episodes on the subject of soldering materials.Today, we’re continuing our deep dive into the world of soldering materials, from advanced alloys and flux chemistries to…
Behind the Alloy: Soldering Materials, Process Control, & Reliability Shantanu Joshi & Greg Starrett
This is the second of four episodes on the subject of soldering materials.In today’s episode, continuing the subject of soldering materials, diving deep into the science, strategy, and subtleties…
SMTAI 2025 Conference & Event Preview - Special Episode
This episode is all about SMTAI, surface mount Technology International, taking place OCTOBER 19 - 23, 2025 at the DONALD E. STEPHENS CONVENTION CENTER in ROSEMONT, ILLINOIS. SMTA International is…
The Chemistry of Reliability: Choosing the Right Solder and Flux: A Conversation with Chris Ward
This is the first of four episodes on the subject of soldering materials.In this episode, I’m joined by Chris Ward, founder and Managing Director of Solderking Assembly Materials Limited, a UK-based…
Humidity: Small Cause, Huge Reliability Risk with Viktoria Rawinski - Episode 177
On this episode of Reliability Matters, we’re diving into a deceptively simple but incredibly important topic, humidity, and the massive impact it can have on electronic assembly reliability.Joining…
Frequently Asked Questions
Reliability Matters has published 200 episodes since November 2018, covering topics in Education, News.
Reliability Matters is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 56m.
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