SMTA Dallas Expo & Tech Forum: A National-level Local Event

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Gary Tanel is the long-time chapter president of SMTA Dallas. He has been active in the industry for many years, retiring from Texas Instruments and Raytheon and then starting his own contract manufacturing company. He has been on the board of directors of SMTA and has held every office at the national and local level. He has received both the Founder’s and the Excellence in Leadership Awards from SMTA. Gary has been the SMTA Dallas Expo chair for many years, including for the 23rd annual show.

Gary, you’ve been involved in SMTA Dallas for quite some time. What are the current dynamics in the industry that we’re facing?

Gary Tanel: The three ongoing developing dynamics have always been: higher densities, lower cost, and faster cycle times. Some of the past techniques have included through-hole, surface mount, BGA, lead-free, additive manufacturing, and now AI. The only constant is change to improve these three dynamics.

How would you describe SMTA Dallas’ mission statement?

In the North Texas area, the primary focus is in military and medical devices. Two aspects of SMTA that I talk about before every Dallas chapter meeting are our mission and our vision. The mission is to provide a network of professionals dedicated to skill building, sharing practical experiences, and developing solutions across the electronics manufacturing industry. The local vision is to enable electronics engineering and manufacturing professionals seeking to improve processes through best practices and real-world solutions in the DFW area.

Tell me about the technical program. Who’s presenting and what are their topics?

Every year, the Dallas Expo & Tech Forum offers four great technical presentations at no extra charge. This year, I will be leading a presentation titled “Introduction to electronics manufacturing,” geared to the students and new professionals. The second is our keynote presentation, “Inside the reflow oven: Insights into SMT soldering standards and emerging technologies,” by Stephen Kummerl of Texas Instruments. The third technical presentation is “State-Of-The-Art Test Techniques” by Vaughan Carlson of Value Engrafting.  The fourth presentation is “Shaping the future of PCBs: The Rise of Additive Manufacturing” by Peter Johnsamson of Nano Dimensions.

What are some of the highlights of the expo?

We started the Dallas Expo 23 years ago in a hotel ballroom with 10 exhibitors and seven technical presentations over two days. We have continuously grown this event, moving to two other venues over the years to accommodate all the exhibitors. For the past 10 years, this Expo has been in the Plano Event Center, where there is a large ballroom and a separate technical presentation hall. We are sold out again this year with 105 pipe and drape booths in the exhibitor space. The exhibits cover every area in electronics manufacturing:  

• PCB fab
• Circuit Board Assembly
• Test
• Tooling
• Equipment
• Solder
• Cleaning
• Repair
• Inspection
• Metal Fabrication
• Software

Gary, can you give me any final details about the show?

The event takes place on Tuesday, April 7, at Plano Event Center, 2000 E. Spring Creek Pkwy, Plano, Texas, hosted by the SMTA Dallas Chapter. There is no cost to attend any part of the event, which includes the technical conference, exhibit show floor, and lunch. But please register in advance here. The show opens at 8 a.m., with the technical conference starting at 8:30 a.m. and concluding at 4 p.m.