Pick, Place, Podcast

In this episode, Chris and Melissa return after a long break with a recap of Chris’s trip to APEX. They discuss customer visits, EMS management meetings, the value of trade shows, and why x-ray inspection is becoming such a big topic in PCB assembly. Chris also talks about AI, reusable checklists, his new Feeder Pugs project, and the time a hotel accidentally drilled into his room. Melissa closes things out with a pet peeve about signs that block traffic visibility.
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Chris and Melissa welcome Pete Staples, CEO & co-founder of Blue Clover Devices, for a deep dive into how to plan tests, capture evidence, and debug those mysterious boards that look perfect but don’t work. 
Topics include:
Who is Blue Clover Devices & what’s the PLT? 
Bed-of-nails, ICT, flying probe, and PLT
What assemblers really need when a board fails
Production test vs. validation
Updates on the Stick It Up Your Tube movement
Ben the Beaver
Links & resources
Blue Clover Devices — Production Line Tool (PLT).
Blue Clover Devices
PLT Reference Docs (test plans, reports, hardware reference).
docs.pltcloud.com+1
Blue Clover — Design-for-Test (DFT) Guide (request the PDF).
Blue Clover Devices
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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
Andrew Seddon on The Amp Hour: CircuitHub 12 Years Later

IPC rebrand: Global Electronics Association announcement

LinkedIn post – stuck part in a tube

LinkedIn post – sustainability rant

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Chris will be in California and would love to meet up with anyone interested.
He will be in the San Francisco Bay Area March 11 - March 14 and the Los Angeles/Anaheim area March 16 - March 20. 
Email us at [email protected] and we'll try to make something happen! 
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In this insightful episode, we delve deep into the pressing issues of sustainability within the electronics manufacturing industry with IPC President and CEO, Dr. John W. Mitchell, and Dr. Kelly Scanlon, IPC's lead sustainability strategist. 
They offer expert insights into how IPC is leading the charge toward more sustainable practices, the importance of data and harmonization in policy-making, and the challenges facing the industry today. Our discussion also highlights practical steps manufacturers can take to contribute to a greener future and how IPC's resources can guide these efforts.
If you're interested in learning more about sustainability or getting involved with IPC's initiatives can visit IPC.org for further information and support.
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