SURPRISE, AZ – Les Hymes, known industry-wide for his knowledge of cleaning and electronics assembly, has died.

Hymes spent much of his career as an SMT specialist with GE Medical Systems and later Plexus. He was one of the first to transition into consulting, and spent nearly two decades working with such companies as Boeing.

In 1991, he authored Cleaning Printed Wiring Assemblies in Today's Environment, and contributed chapters to several other books, including Electronic Materials Handbook.

He was a Circuits Assembly columnist for several years.

Hymes was a dedicated workshop presenter and speaker, and received many industry honors through the years, including the IPC Presidents Award in 1988.