The Marketing Minute: If Your Marketing Budget Gets Cut in Half, Then What?
Punching Out: How Are the Big Boys in Electronics Doing?
It’s Only Common Sense: Complexity Is the Enemy of Profit
Designing for Reliability: Why Understanding Materials, Cleanliness, and Lifecycle Matters More Than Ever
January 28, 2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Before a product enters manufacturing—long before the first panel hits the assembly line—its reliability is determined by a series of fundamental design decisions. Designing a PCB is not simply a matter of placing components on a board and sending the files to manufacturing. Designing for reliability requires a holistic approach.
Every material, from solder mask and laminate to flux and solder alloy, interacts with processing chemistry, environmental contaminants, and thermal cycling throughout the product’s lifetime. The environment in which the product is expected to work, and its intended lifecycle demands, must be understood at the outset. Failing to consider the design from every aspect can turn a promising design into a very expensive cautionary case study.
Flex Ltd. (formerly Solectron/Flextronics International) is one of the largest EMS providers in electronics manufacturing today. At productronica, Tiberiu (Tibi) Baranyi of Flex presented a comprehensive presentation on design for reliability, providing real-world case examples that illustrated the unfortunate outcomes of decisions that caused failures, and which should have been made differently. I spoke with him about why this topic is so important for designers to understand from the outset.
Marcy LaRont: Tibi, if there is one word on everyone’s lips, other than AI, it’s reliability. With today’s technology demands, the challenges around guaranteeing reliability are significant.
Tiberiu Baranyi: Yes, this is a key point. Before a design rolls into manufacturing, before it even progresses from concept to the initial phases of the design process, there are questions that must be answered. Product application, operating environment, and its expected lifecycle are three primary pieces of information you must have to create a successful design. Many factors need to come together in the design. It's not just throwing components on a printed writing board. Understanding your product’s end operating environment also dictates the best processes to use in manufacturing. These are things that must be considered and communicated when creating the design.
To continue reading this interview, which originally appeared in the January 2026 I-Connect007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Subscribe
Stay ahead of the technologies shaping the future of electronics with our latest newsletter, Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest. Get expert insights on advanced packaging, materials, and system-level innovation, delivered straight to your inbox.
Subscribe now to stay informed, competitive, and connected.
Suggested Items
New Book Explores How UV Technology Is Transforming Electronics Protection, Efficiency, and Sustainability
05/14/2026 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 proudly announces the recent release of The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to…™ UV Curable Conformal Coatings. Authored by respected industry technologists Brian Chislea and Cody Schoener, PhD, of Dow, Inc., this new volume offers a comprehensive exploration of UV-curable conformal coatings and their expanding role in improving the protection, performance, and sustainability of electronic assemblies.
Siemens Expands EDA Software Access Through EuroCDP Project
05/14/2026 | SiemensSiemens has become the first software provider to sign a strategic framework agreement with the European Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) which aims to bolster Europe's semiconductor industry by fostering collaboration between the EU, member states and the private sector, through the European Chips Design Platform (EuroCDP) project.
Rethinking Stackup, Materials, and Tolerances in Modern Designs
05/14/2026 | Kristin Moyer, Global Electronics AssociationThe simple rectangular rigid PCB is becoming increasingly infrequent. This reality necessitates designing with concepts well outside traditional rigid PCB methodologies. For example, the designer of wearable electronics may need to implement conductive fibers integrated into the textile material. Heads-up displays, like those in VR/AR headsets and glasses, require transparent circuitry etched into the display glass. The process of designing without a rule book usually starts with something other than the traditional board design process.
New Courses: Advance Your Electronics Expertise in June and July
05/14/2026 | Global Electronics AssociationStay current with design, manufacturing, and quality standards by enrolling in one of these online instructor-led courses starting in June and July from ElectronicsU at the Global Electronics Association, designed to help professionals at every level sharpen their skills and advance their careers. These live, expert-led sessions combine flexibility with real-time interaction, allowing participants to learn directly from seasoned industry professionals while collaborating with peers worldwide. Access to all applicable IPC standards is included in the courses.
Road to Reliability: Engineering High Uptime EV Charging Infrastructure
05/13/2026 | Stanton Rak, SF Rak CompanyThe transition to EVs is no longer constrained solely by vehicle capability. Instead, it is increasingly defined by a simpler, but more unforgiving question: Will the charger work when I arrive? This high uptime does not happen by accident. As EV technology has matured, limitations in battery range, power electronics, and thermal management are no longer the primary barriers to adoption.