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July 2026 ElEctronic Mfg SErvicES
TM Soldering Solutions: Selective Soldering Reborn in Spokane Valley
By Mike Cable, Senior Engineer, TM Soldering Solutions
a respected selective soldering legacy in Spokane Valley, Washington. The company traces its roots to ACE
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Production Technologies, the U.S.-based pio- neer of advanced selective soldering systems best known for its durable K.I.S.S. product line. ACE, founded in 2005 by Alan Cable, built a strong rep- utation for reliable, practical machines that remained in service long after in- stallation. After ACE was acquired by Nordson Corporation and later closed, many of those systems were still run- ning in production environments — and customers still needed parts, service and process support. That need created the opening for
TM Soldering Solutions, LLC, a compa- ny owned and operated by industry vet- erans Matt Knodel and Trevor Green, both former ACE employees. Initially formed to support legacy ACE equip- ment, TM quickly grew into something more: a designer and builder of a new generation of selective soldering sys- tems under the PHOENIX name.
hen one door closes, another opens. For TM Soldering Solutions, that fa- miliar saying describes the rebirth of
Legacy Selective soldering has been used for
decades, often as a post-soldering process for attaching large or high-mass through-hole components and connectors after the rest of a PCB has been soldered. The technology is al- so used in component tinning and modifica-
tion applications, such as removing gold or lead-bearing solder from legacy component leads and re-tinning them with lead-free sol- der for use in commercial products. Unlike traditional solder pots or wave sol-
dering systems, selective soldering is an auto- mated, high-precision process that solders spe- cific components on a PCB without dis- turbing surrounding areas. A targeted,
TM Soldering Solutions may
be a new company, but its story is built on familiar people, proven technology and a
clear understanding of what production floors need.
Founding partners Matt Knodel (left) and Trevor Green (right) with their PHOENIX selective soldering system.
small-diameter solder fountain or cus- tom nozzle applies solder only to desig- nated joints. This makes the process es- pecially useful for dense, mixed-technol- ogy boards where conventional wave soldering could create bridging, thermal damage or other defects. The installed base of ACE machines
helped define the opportunity for TM. Many K.I.S.S. systems remained fully capable and productive, but support and spare parts were becoming harder to find. Knodel and Green recog- nized that customers still had valuable equipment on their floors and needed a knowledgeable part- ner to keep it running. TM now supports legacy
ACE equipment with replace- ment parts and assemblies, pot and pump assemblies, custom nozzles, and partial or full ma- chine refurbishments. The com- pany’s team brings decades of hands-on experience with the se- lective soldering process and the ACE platform.
Familiar Faces, New Direction
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Knodel and Green brought complementary experience to the new company. Knodel had served as procurement manager at ACE, where he saw firsthand the chal- lenges customers face when man- ufacturers discontinue support for equipment that can still deliv- er years of value. Green managed the production floor and quality management at ACE, helping build the K.I.S.S. selective sol- dering platform from the factory Continued on next page
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