The D-Code Podcast

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 suppo...

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 o...

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 ro...

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...

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 per...

Gary Bales, President and CEO of Aurora Boardworks, stops by the set to discuss Daniel's employee personnel file! We kid, but we did have a great conversation about ABW's storied history, and their recent investments in new automation and production capabilities. Thank you to Gary and ABW for their continued support of The D-Code Podcast!

What does naturally adaptive mean to you? To @Essemtec it means the ability to dispense solder paste, pick and place components, easy programming, intuitive software, reworking on demand, and more! The first time we talked to the good people at Essemtec they were already boasting dispensing speeds of 720,000 dots per hour. Now, they are up to 1.1 million dots per hour! As Sean Kincaid said- Mind b...

We at The D-Code love ‪@KYZEN-Corporation‬ . From connecting at events to becoming great friends, we keep trying to find someone from KYZEN we don't like and so far, no dice. This holds true for Chelsea Jewell as well, who was already a great friend of Daniel and Elias , and now Sean has finally met her now by attending SMTAI 2025*. As Application Lab Manager, Chelsea gets to work on just about an...

Jarred Ragard discusses customer-driven development and how Hanwha Semitech prioritizes customer needs. It can be difficult to navigate the competing demands of ever smaller components needing quick and accurate placement while at the same time there are larger and more complex components need to be placed in the same line.

One wrong label can ruin thousands of boards. SMTAI 2025 show highlight Inovaxe Our podcast is centered around problems and solutions and David Ly from Inovaxe had one for every problem! We talked about how easily a simple labeling error can snowball a customer supplied reel with multiple stickers, a misprinted internal label, or just one manual transcription mistake. It only takes one mix-up to c...

Thermal profiling from the experts- Generous to say experts as there was really only one expert on the panel, Miles Moreau. Daniel shared his typical methodology for profiling a board and Miles was kind enough to say that was the way most people do it, albeit not the most accurate.  Sean brought up different thermal profiling methods and devices he's used in the past and then highlighted that KIC...

Thank you to the  ⁨@SMTAorg⁩  for the wonderful SMTA International 2025! Today we bring you a taste from each of the interviews we recorded while in the D-Code booth. It was incredibly tough to whittle down such excellent conversations to just 2-3 minute clips from each interview, because there is technical and personal conversation in just about each one. If you are here to learn more about the h...

Alex Norman can't stop BMS-ing... err, he is always willing to share knowledge about battery management systems. As a content creator with a presence on LinkedIn, Youtube, Patreon, and more, Alex shares his hobbies and his professional work with equal ease. Ever designed a prototype first and trusted that the battery needs would just work out? Yes you have. Don't lie, Alex has the receipts. The ea...

In this episode of the D-Code Podcast, hosts Elias Malfavon Jr., Daniel Stanphill and Sean Kincaid welcome special guests Karlie Severinson and Madison Soliday to discuss the upcoming SMTAI 2025 event.  They share insights on new programs, the importance of networking, and the excitement surrounding the sold-out expo floor. The conversation also touches on the challenges of event planning, the rol...

In this conversation, Chris Hunrath, Vice President of Technology at Inselectro, shares his extensive experience in the PCB industry, discussing the importance of knowledge transfer to the next generation, the challenges and innovations in PCB manufacturing, and the significance of thermal properties in design. He also delves into issues like electrochemical migration, dendritic growth, and the ev...

Courtesy of the @EMAC Bright Manufacturing Challenge, the University of Minnesota's "Rise and Grind Crew" has already won $1000 and proceed to the next round for their Creative Design for their Line-following Robot. Next stage: actually build the robot and test it out at SMTAI 2025 in Chicago for a chance at $2500! Ethan Chung and Alexander Wan represent the team of 5 from @universityofminnesota w...

Rev 2.12 - Matthew "Argy" Argyris of Europlacer Loves Talking Screenprinting ...and as you'll see, so do we! Welcome to the 4th uh that is FIRST try at getting Matt Argyris, famous inventor of the "Closed Loop Pressure Feedback System for Squeegee Pressure Microadjustment" (we are testing something, watch to find out), onto the podcast. For what it is worth, that is almost entirely Elias' fault. (...

YouTube is highly recommended for this episode, as it is all visual! Join Trevor Yancey from TechSearch International as we take a look at a few non-destructive imaging techniques with the Comet Yxlon guys, David Kruidhof and Vineeth Bastin. Join as we learn about CT scanning and laminography alongside Trevor who describes the modules we see and demonstrates a number of technologies present in the...

In this episode of The D Code Podcast, hosts Sean Kincaid, Daniel Stanphill, and Elias Malfavon Jr. interview John Burke, a veteran of the electronics manufacturing industry with decades of hands-on experience in SMT, reliability, and high-stakes applications like Formula 1 and surgical robotics. John shares insight into how manufacturing has changed over the years, why low-volume high-mix product...

New Episode Alert! The latest installment of The D Code Podcast featuring electronics industry veteran Adrian Leal. Whether you’re just starting out in PCB manufacturing or you’ve been around the block, Adrian’s insights on mentorship, networking, and ESD are pure gold. What You’ll Learn: How a mentor can accelerate your career growth Why face-to-face networking still matters and how social media...

Rev 2.8 - Sean Patterson on AI - an excellent high level overview When Sean Patterson "finally" decided to try out AI for a personal project, he was blown away by the time he saved. You'll hear this story and many more in this excellent brief of the power of AI for small to medium businesses. Heck, he's so passionate about this topic, he founded his own company in between the time we scheduled his...

Special Edition of The D Code – Live from the SMTA Star Event We had the rare opportunity to sit down with Dr. Adam Klett of Kaizen and Mike Konrad at the SMTA Star event in Kansas for a jam-packed roundtable episode of The D Code Podcast — and this one went deep! Here are a few highlights you don’t want to miss: EIS > SIR? Dr. Klett introduced us to Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS)...

The Reality of PCB Manufacturing with Yash Sutariya In this episode, we dive into the real challenges facing domestic PCB manufacturing with Yash from Saturn Electronics. We talk about cost-saving design strategies, common mistakes, chemical innovations, automotive applications, and why passion and adaptability are critical for success. From etching processes to the future of automation, this one’...

We sat down with Zach to explore everything from AI in PCB design to the reality of design reviews, miniaturization, and the impact of tariffs on manufacturing. 👨‍🏫 Zach shared how he transitioned from hobbyist to professional, why investing in quality tools matters, and how AI won’t replace designers—but will definitely transform the workflow. 🔥 Highlights:   Why design reviews are a goldmine...

From waste to wealth behind the scenes of metal reclaiming. Ever wondered how discarded solder dross transforms into high-purity metal? Tune in for the secrets! Stan's known as the "solder guru" for good reason he's been deep in the trenches of solder recycling and reclaiming for over two decades. We talked about how his family business was doing sustainable recycling long before it was trendy, tu...