The D-Code Podcast

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...

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 pla...

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 li...

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...

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...

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 a...

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...

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.

Daniel put it best - "I told you he'd remember us." We have known we are great friends with Dr. John W Mitchell for some time now, but we now have definitive proof in case we ever sit by say, Henry Winkler, on a flight. We have loved working with ‪@GlobalElectronicsAssociation‬ at every opportunity we've had, and #apexexpo 2026 was no exception. We hate clickbait titles, so we've buried them in th...

One of our favorite people, Chrys Shea, joins us again for more laughs, more process engineering, and more nerding out. From designing tougher and tougher SMTA test boards to teaching concepts with grilled cheese sandwich and silly putty, Chrys keeps us entertained the whole conversation, and she'll get you chuckling, too.

Welcome back Mike Konrad! Aside from being a great person, Mike has mentored us through podcasting, media production on site at trade shows, loaned us equipment and in general, been a great mentor in business and life as well for all of us, including Producer Paul. Thanks for joining us again, ESPECIALLY spending some of your time in Hawaii at PanPac to hang out with us.

You've waited for it, you've begged for it, and the wait is finally over. Rev 3! The D-Code thanks you coming back to us for another season. The first time we "talked" about having the iconic Dr. John W. Mitchell on the podcast, it was a joking matter and we thought "as if that will ever happen". Now, without further preamble, enjoy. Dr. John on The D-Code Podcast.

The D-Code Crew is back for a third season! Catch this quick intro into season 3, including a look back at 2025.   WE'RE BACK!!!!!!

Join us as we speak with Timon Ruban on starting and scaling a tech startup where humans are the highest cost by far. Err, make that investment, because Timon recognizes that true leadership requires training your employees not just on the job, but training them to speak up and be confident in representing ideas and values.  Now that Luminovo has enjoyed success in Europe, they are expanding to No...

Rev 2.32 - Sean Vouches For KOKI with Shantanu Joshi & Greg Starrett Not all endorsements are created equal. Some come from sources like Sean Kincaid, who will proudly explain he's not a customer before going on to describe excellent service he received without pursuing next steps (cough cough Metal Etch Services cough). You don't have to take Sean's word for it! Watch yourself to hear Shantan...

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, l...

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 M...

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 mo...