SMTA International Names Keynote Speakers

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SMTA announced the line-up of keynote speakers for the 2015 SMTA International technical conference this September 27-October 1, 2015 in Rosemont, Illinois.

The Opening Session at SMTA International on September 29, 2015, will feature Rozalia Beica, CTO at Yole Développement, as the keynote speaker.  She will present “3D Technology Trends and Manufacturing Challenges.” This is a free event at SMTA International and includes breakfast treats and coffee for all attendees. The presentation will provide an overview of the packaging technologies, highlighting the miniaturization trends and future roadmaps. Impact of new packaging technologies on assembly needs and rework, highlighting new advancements in materials and equipment as well as assembly and manufacturing processes needed to address these challenges will be presented.

Murad Kurwa, Vice President of Engineering at Flextronics International, will present “Wearables Technology - The Next Manufacturing Wave” to the attendees of the Evolving Technologies Summit on Monday, September 28 during SMTA International. A new wave of wearables brings with it plenty of manufacturing and process development concerns. Kurwa will discuss substrate advances like stretchable conductive fabrics, interconnects, new sensor technology including printed sensors (ECG) and OLED, assembly concerns for flexible conductive adhesive and nano-sintering, and encapsulation techniques such as low pressure molding and water proof coating. New equipment like R2R printing and assembly, fabric laser cutting, and ultrasonic welding on fabric will be discussed. The presentation will also address how reliability testing has adapted with flexibility testing, washability, salt spray, and sweat testing. Reza Ghaffarian Ph.D., Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will chair the session.

For the concurrent Harsh Environment Symposium Keynote Lunch, Jim Springer, Vice President of Quality at John Deere Electronic Solutions, will present “Extreme Environment Electronics - Where We’ve Been, Where We Are Going and What Could Be Next.” Jim will provide a genesis and the evolution of electronics designed for use in harsh physical and electrical environments, particularly those used in farming and automotive industries. Examples of ruggedization protocols will be discussed. Pradeep Lall, Ph.D., Auburn University, will chair the session. Conference registration is required to attend the Evolving Technologies Summit and the Harsh Environment Symposium.

For more information on SMTA International please contact SMTA administrator JoAnn Stromberg: joann@smta.org or 952-920-7682 or click here.

About SMTA

The SMTA membership is an international network of professionals who build skills, share practical experience and develop solutions in electronic assembly technologies, including microsystems, emerging technologies, and related business operations.