SMT007 Magazine

SMT007-July2020

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JULY 2020 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 69 of these process steps (and many other things, such as DFM and incoming material quality, that we are not even talking about, to keep this example simple). It is possible that an AOI machine can detect misplacement and give instructions to a placement machine to take corrective action without human intervention. Some AOI and some placement machine com- panies work together to provide an auto solu- tion without human intervention. Some com- panies are working on these features, and I am sure we will all hear when and if they work. It is possible to take corrective action in the pick-and-place machine, but most of the SMT defects don't come from a pick-and-place machine. Most defects are related to paste vol- ume, which is controlled by the stencil. It is very difficult to take corrective action on the spot for the paste printer from the feedback it may get from paste inspection systems. And it would be even more challenging to take cor- rective action in a reflow machine. But we don't need to set the bar so high either, considering where most companies are today. For example, many companies collect lots of data, plot charts and graphs, and hang them on the wall, and leave them hanging there for the visitors to see but not necessarily diagnose the problem or take corrective action. Conclusion Let me conclude on a positive note. Manu- facturers often collect descriptive data ("What happened?") and diagnostic data ("Why did it happen?") about their machines and devices, but with Industry 4.0's end-to-end digitization, they can also gain predictive ("What will hap- pen?") and prescriptive ("What action should I take?") insights into the status of their opera- tions. We all know it is not a reality today, but I don't think it is total hype either. My sense is that it is a genuine hope based on some insights into what is possible. This is why IPC is doing its best to pave the way for the transition to Industry 4.0. I also want to mention one other organization—the Man- ufacturing Technology Center (MTC) in the U.K.—where member companies have put in considerable resources and brainpower to work on Industry 4.0. You can learn more about what they're doing here. Also, if you are interested and want to learn more about Industry 4.0 or actively participate, contact Chris Jorgensen at IPC. SMT007 Ray Prasad is the president of Ray Prasad Consultancy Group and author of the textbook Surface Mount Technology: Principles and Practice. Prasad is also an inductee to the IPC Hall of Fame—the highest honor in the electronics industry—and has decades of experience in all areas of SMT, including his leadership roles implementing SMT at Boeing and Intel; helping OEM and EMS clients across the globe set up strong, internal, self-sustaining SMT infrastructure; and teaching on-site, in-depth SMT classes. He can be reached at smtsolver@ rayprasasd.com and has an upcoming SMT class in July (remotely by Zoom). More details at www.rayprasad.com. To read past columns or contact Prasad, click here.

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