Ep. 85: Inevitable Failures
After a long break (and a few listener wellness checks!), Chris and Melissa return to catch up on what’s kept them busy and share some updates from around the industry. Then, they dive into this episode’s big topic: who’s responsible for the inevitable fallout when it comes to quick-turn PCB assembly?
Topics include:
Catching up after six months of growth, hiring, and training
Andrew Seddon’s appearance on The Amp Hour — and how it ties back to the origins of this podcast
IPC’s rebrand to the Global Electronics Association
The ongoing saga of stuck parts in tubes (a.k.a. “Stick It Up Your Tube”)
Quick-turn fallout:
Why some customers expect and accept a small percentage of failures
Why others demand 100% working boards
How assembly shops handle each scenario (good, bad, and ugly approaches)
Practical tips for managing fallout: thermal cycling, batch troubleshooting, and respectful customer–assembler relationships
Pet Peeve of the Week: LinkedIn (and why it feels so weird)
Links & Resources