The Pick, Place, Podcast is a show where we talk about electronics manufacturing and everything related to getting a circuit board into the world. Join hosts Chris Denney from Worthington and Melissa Hough from CircuitHub as they discuss the pcb assembly process, design tips that will make your manufacturer love you, and talk to industry guests.
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Pick, Place, Podcast is a technology podcast hosted by CircuitHub and Worthington, with 91 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.
About the host
CircuitHub and Worthington hosts Pick, Place, Podcast, a technology show with 91 episodes published.
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Pick, Place, Podcast
Building the factory of the future with CircuitHub CEO, Andrew Seddon
Aug 10, 20261h 16m
In this episode we are joined by CircuitHub co-founder Andrew Seddon for a conversation about the origins of CircuitHub and the future of high-mix electronics manufacturing. Andrew shares how his experience as a design engineer—and his frustrations getting increasingly complex hardware projects manufactured—eventually led to the idea behind CircuitHub. They revisit the company’s early days, including its original shared parts library, the first CircuitHub manufacturing order, and how Andrew and Chris first connected. The conversation then turns to the challenges of high-mix manufacturing and why seemingly simple ideas, like standardizing component libraries, become much more complicated in the real world. Andrew explains how those lessons ultimately led CircuitHub to rethink the manufacturing process from first principles and develop The Grid, which he describes as a “factory-scale robot” for electronics assembly. We also discuss the role of automation, the limitations of traditional manufacturing equipment and software, and why keeping manufacturing capabilities close to hardware designers matters for innovation. In this episode: A quick recap of the Boston Hardware Meetup and live DFM reviews The current surge in manufacturing demand Andrew’s background and the origins of CircuitHub CircuitHub’s first manufacturing order The complexity of high-mix, low-volume manufacturing Why standardized component libraries only get you so far The evolution and philosophy behind The Grid Building a “factory-scale robot” from first principles Automation and the future of local manufacturing Andrew’s pet peeve: slow walkers pickplacepodcast.com
Flexible PCBs can solve some incredible mechanical design challenges—but they also introduce a whole new set of manufacturing considerations. In this episode, we answer a listener's question about flex and rigid-flex circuit assembly, covering what actually changes on the manufacturing floor when a board bends instead of staying rigid. Chris shares lessons learned from developing Worthington and CircuitHub's flex PCB assembly process, including the custom fixtures, dummy boards, baking requirements, and reflow considerations that make these jobs very different from traditional FR-4 assemblies. If you're designing a flex or rigid-flex PCB—or thinking about it—this episode offers practical advice that can save both time and money before your design reaches manufacturing. f you're designing flex or rigid-flex PCBs, Chris recommends these Global Electronics Association resources: IPC-2223: Sectional Design Standard for Flexible/Rigid-Flexible Printed Boards – The primary design standard for flex and rigid-flex PCBs. Covers bend regions, stackups, conductor routing, fabrication drawings, ZIF connectors, dielectric thicknesses, and many other design considerations. Used alongside IPC-2221. https://shop.electronics.org/ipc-2223/ipc-2223-standard-only IPC PCB Design for Flex & Rigid-Flex Boards Course – An in-depth instructor-led training course covering flex PCB design, manufacturing, assembly, documentation, and industry best practices. https://www.electronicsu.org/product/pcb-design-flex-rigid-flex-boards pickplacepodcast.com
<p>In this episode Chris and Melissa dig into one of Chris’s favorite PCB design topics: <b>pocket masking vs. gang masking</b> on fine-pitch components.</p><p>Chris explains why solder mask slivers matter, how PCB design tools can accidentally create manufacturability problems, and what designers can do to help prevent solder bridging during assembly. The discussion covers solder mask expansion, registration tolerances, stencil printing, pick-and-place placement pressure, and why “gloves, not mittens” is the mental model to remember.</p><p>The episode also opens with a few updates, including Chris becoming a <b>Certified Electronics Program Manager</b> and...
<p>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.</p><p>pickplacepodcast.com</p>
Smarter Test Plans for Inevitable Failures w/ Blue Clover CEO & Co-founder, Pete Staples
Oct 6, 20251h 21mS0
<p>Chris and Melissa welcome <b>Pete Staples</b>, CEO & co-founder of <b>Blue Clover Devices</b>, for a deep dive into how to plan tests, capture evidence, and debug those mysterious boards that look perfect but don’t work. </p><p>Topics include:</p>Who is Blue Clover Devices & what’s the PLT? Bed-of-nails, ICT, flying probe, and PLTWhat assemblers really need when a board failsProduction test vs. validationUpdates on the Stick It Up Your Tube movementBen the Beaver<p>Links & resources</p>Blue Clover Devices — <b>Production Line Tool (PLT)</b>. <br/>Blue Clover Devices<b>PLT Reference Docs</b>...
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