One of the distinguished speakers in this year’s brilliant lineup is Mark Veary, Director of Engineering at Hillsboro-based electronics manufacturing service Fusion EMS. At NEDME 2025, Mark will be sharing his insight on “SMT Mounting of Mechanical Components” with our community, but we’re pleased to bring you a sneak peek at some of the topics on Mark’s mind!
Can you give our readers a quick picture of who you are and what you bring to the NEDME community?
I’ve spent my entire 35 year career in circuit and system assembly at large OEMs and a range of Contract Manufacturers. Over that time, I’ve had the opportunity to learned very valuable DFM, problem solving and optimization skills. My upcoming presentation will be a focused subset of a higher level presentation that I’ve given to many design groups as well as the now defunct PNW IPC Designer’s Council.
What message do you want attendees to take away from your presentation at the show?
The push to reduce reliance on subassemblies in electronic devices has spurred the creation of novel designs, integrating mechanical features into SMT circuit assemblies. In a perfect world, the impacts and limitations of these design choices are taken into consideration at layout. This presentation will identify the risks and requirements associated with both novel and standard SMT mounted mechanical devices. As well, I’ll address techniques for overcoming problems with position, tolerances and joint strength.
What do YOU hope to get from your involvement with NEDME?
The Pacific Northwest is an anomaly in that local manufacturers tend to pool resources and knowledge to further the regions reputation as an electronics manufacturing nexus. As a long time attendee of NEDME events I’ve always appreciated the opportunity to mix with and learn from both vendors and local competitors.
Tell us something fun or surprising about yourself!
When not optimizing manufacturing processes for cost and quality, I can be found pursuing my passions for surfing and kayak fishing. I’ve surfed all over the world and, as a member of the USA Saltwater Kayak Fishing Team, I took a gold metal in the Panamerican Saltwater Kayak Fishing Championship held in Costa Rica in 2024.