Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1202019
68 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2020 companies don't want to buy new equipment for multiple reasons, so we always have the option of an upgrade. Matties: If someone wants to bring the verifica- tion system in, but they have another brand of AOI, is it compatible with somebody who's not using your AOI system? Kaplan: Right now, we don't do that. It only works with our AOI. From a business stan point, we don't see a lot of benefits to us doing it. Matties: Because your verification system seems like it has a lot of benefits. Kaplan: Yes, but the truth is that our main source of revenue is AOI. After all, we are in the business of selling AOI, not verification stations. Some companies offer verification stations that are usually quite cheap and can be connected to different types of AOIs. I can see why some customers could be interested in this kind of setup. However, with such so- lutions, customers would not be able to take advantage of all the advanced capabilities that can only come with deep integration be- tween inspection and verification cycles. You don't have those kinds of capabilities, such as grabbing grey-level pictures, colorizing them, showing them all at once to the operator, com- bining virtual and physical verification, updat- ing database in real-time, automatically gener- ating e-map of scrapped units, etc. The bottom line is if a customer needs a solid performance on the verification side, combined with all the advanced capabilities, there is no substitute for our solution. Matties: Earlier, you also mentioned AI. Is that an area that you are working on? Kaplan: Definitely. We are working on multi- ple, ongoing projects right now with compa- nies that specialize in AI development, and dif- ferent customers are at various stages. It's too early to tell how it is going to play out, but we decided to work with a partner that specializes in this field rather than developing it in-house. Matties: In China, eliminating operator expens- es is a priority, so that makes perfect sense. Kaplan: The priority eventually is going to be avoiding missing any real defects and overall quality. It would be great if AI could reach that level, but that's an ideal world. Even with au- tonomous driving today, no vehicles are com- pletely autonomous. If you drive a Tesla, you have to put your hands on the steering wheel. There still must be some kind of human ele- ment. Matties: I understand what you're saying, but the goal is to minimize the operator level, and if AI can augment that and you can eliminate 80–90%, that's perfect. Kaplan: That is a good goal because 100% isn't realistic. Human involvement is still needed. Matties: Human judgment is still valuable. Kaplan: I agree. Matties: You're doing great, innovative things. It's nice to see this new verification station. The Galaxy VIA series is CIMS' latest solution for inspecting through-laser vias.