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SMTA Announces 2026 STAR Forum Technical Program
April 16, 2026 | SMTAEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The SMTA announced the finalized program for the High Reliability: Strategic Technology Advancement Research Forum which takes place on May 6-7, 2026 in Olathe, Kansas, USA. The event, now in its fourth year, addresses challenges for electronics manufacturers in the high reliability sector.
The forum opens on Wednesday, May 6, with a comprehensive series of professional development courses designed to build foundational knowledge in contamination control and process reliability. A two-part course, Fundamentals of Measuring Cleanliness, led by Dr. Adam Klett, KYZEN Corporation, and Elliott Fowler, Sandia National Labs, anchors the program, alongside Conformal Coating 101 for Process Engineers presented by Doug Pauls, ItDepends Consulting. Technical sessions focus on Inspection, Cleaning, Mechanical Reliability, Residue Control, and SIR Reliability.
The program continues on Thursday, May 7, with the second installment of the cleanliness measurement course and a featured roundtable discussion led by Chrys Shea, examining how today’s reliability challenges mirror those of the past, offering valuable perspective for navigating current industry demands. The final technical session highlights SMT process optimization, with presentations covering industry standards for component storage, stencil design best practices, process variables impacting printing yield, and advancements in soldering technologies.
The SMTA High Reliability Forum is designed for engineers, technologists, and decision-makers working in high-reliability sectors including aerospace, defense, automotive, and high-performance computing.
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Cleaning Is Critical
04/28/2026 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineMike Bixenman, president of Magnalytix, and his colleagues Vladimir Sitko, founder of PBT Works, and Adam Klett, PhD, director of science at KYZEN, discussed how cleaning can affect reliability, in a Professional Development Course at APEX EXPO 2026. We spoke to Mike after the session to better understand the context for the current activity in cleaning technology.