About
About Ed Hare and the experience behind SEM Lab
SEM Lab’s consulting model is built on long-range experience across manufacturing, engineering, failure analysis, materials, and field-return problem solving.
Ed Hare has spent the last 30 years working side-by-side with engineering and product teams from a truly diverse set of organizations. Here's how the numbers look:
| Industry | Client companies |
|---|---|
| Aerospace & Defense | 62 |
| Automotive & Transportation | 36 |
| Medical Devices / Healthcare | 79 |
| Electronics / Semiconductor & Hardware | 147 |
| Energy & Utilities | 18 |
| Manufacturing & Industrial Equipment | 135 |
| Software / IT Services | 68 |
These client companies span the entire product-development lifecycle, from early concept, through prototyping and testing, to scale-up and commercial launch.
These industry counts represent 545 client companies served by SEM Lab.
If you're an engineer or manager looking for a practical, hands-on consultant who truly speaks your language, let's connect.
Coverage
Full-lifecycle hardware perspective
Ed Hare brings unusually broad consulting coverage across the full lifecycle of electronic hardware, from materials selection through manufacturing, reliability, and field-failure resolution.
His experience spans major component classes including passives, semiconductors, magnetics, interconnects, and protection devices, along with the materials systems that govern their behavior, such as solders, platings, ceramics, polymers, and specialty alloys.
Education
- AS in Chemistry, McHenry County College, 1978
- BS in Metallurgical Engineering, University of Washington, 1983
- MS in Metallurgical Engineering, University of Washington, 1986
- PhD in Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, 1994
Core strengths
Applied engineering support across recurring technical problems
- Manufacturing process challenges including soldering, assembly defects, and contamination control
- Reliability risks tied to thermal, mechanical, and environmental stress
- Failure analysis involving corrosion, fatigue, fracture, delamination, electrical overstress, and latent defects
- Interpretation of physical evidence using SEM/EDS, cross-sectioning, and spectroscopy
Use This Experience
Bring in SEM Lab when the evidence is complex and the decision matters.
The consulting format is intentionally focused, but the underlying experience is broad. That combination is what allows SEM Lab to stay selective while still being valuable in difficult cases.