Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1543032
FEBRUARY 2026 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 39 and these emerging technologies are already at a stage where they need standardization to continue growing. You need to have a process and product base- line to enable an emerging technology to take off. In many cases, this is done in collaboration with technologists, research centers from across the globe, and bringing together academia and industry to best address the gaps in standardiza- tion. Many of them are industry stakeholders who bring new technological advancements to market or invest to test these technologies to ensure they are reliable and manufacturable. We are dedicating more time and effort to establishing standards that can serve and catalyze the technologies, empow- ering their adoption among manufacturers. Chris, you do a lot of work with standards, but you also work with the technical conference program. Those might be considered distinctly different ini- tiatives. Where do you see the convergence? Jorgensen: The convergence between the techni- cal conference and standards activities is primar- ily driven by shared technology areas and prob- lem-solving. The technical conference brings the industry together to explore new technologies, chemistries, and design approaches that address real manufacturing challenges. Much of this work represents the leading edge of what's happening in the industry, whether that's new materials, new processes, or entirely new product concepts. Where the crossover occurs, presenters and attendees from the technical conference often tran- sition into our standards meetings. These innova- tors bring their data, technologies and perspectives into the standards development committees, where the broader community evaluates whether—and how—those ideas should be addressed through standardization. In that sense, it's a continuous feed- back loop: the conference informs the committees and the committees, in turn, help shape future tech- nical conference content. Many emerging technologies haven't yet accumu- lated enough scientific data to support a full techni- cal paper or some sort of standardization effort, but they are still important for the industry to see and discuss. This is especially true for newer compa- nies and leading-edge work tied to next-generation standards, particularly in digital manufacturing. The Technology Pavilion is new this year and provides an avenue for this idea and technology exchange. It will be a dedicated venue for these technologists to share early-stage innovations, spark discussion and build momentum toward future conference papers and standards activities. Teresa, how does standards work help the indi- vidual volunteer build their skill set? The technical knowledge, I think, is obvious, but are there soft skills that come out of standards work that can be of benefit to somebody's career. Rowe: It's true that every person who attends a task group meeting walks away being the better for it. They've learned something about how to deal with people and perhaps answered a linger- ing question. Perhaps the length of the answer, or the data they provide, is knowledge they can apply to their work. I enjoy seeing people get involved and attend meetings. Please consider attending a standards development meeting, saying hello, and listening in on what's happening. We understand if you decide later that it's not for you, however we are always eager to hear your thoughts and ideas on standards content. Perry: For anyone who's a user of the standards, what they see is the outcome of a consensus process. They see what was ultimately agreed upon and published, whether it's a test procedure, guideline, white paper or a specification. I'll add to what Teresa mentioned regarding other steps that can occur in the standards meetings that may not be included in the released document. I'm referring to the discussions where we're tackling a particular technical issue or process and some- body will say, "This is how we address this in my organization," and another person will realize, "Oh, you just answered the very same problem we have been struggling with." That information might not make its way into the standard, but it was discussed during the meetings. That person will leave the meeting, not only having contributed to developing a standard, but having learned a lot more about manufacturing processes than they knew coming in. There's a definite knowledge value for them in attending these meetings that transcends the published document. SMT007