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52 SMT Magazine • June 2017 Armstrong: As new technology becomes avail- able, and people see the benefits of it, they want to incorporate that technology into their pro- cess and into their factory. That really is a driv- ing factor. The 3D technology, especially true 3D like Saki has, can be utilized in a manner that just wasn't there with the 2D technology. People are doing it because they're realizing the benefits that the 3D technology can provide. Saki, having the long legacy equipment in 2D, was able to carry all of that over into the 3D sys- tems. So it makes Saki's 3D solutions even more powerful by bringing a lot of those features from 2D forward. Because the fact of the mat- ter is some things are best inspected using 2D algorithms and other things are best inspected by 3D systems. Having a system that can han- dle both of those technologies equally as well is important to having a total inspection solution and inspection measurement. That certainly is a strength for Saki. Las Marias: Does that mean they have to take out their 2D AOI and replace it with 3D AOI, or can that equipment work together? Armstrong: In some cases, it may be where they would be utilized together or for different prod- ucts or different parts of the process, because the need for 3D can also be determined by the complexity of the board and the criticality of the product that you're making. All those fac- tors come into play. But basically it's all going toward 3D. The benefits are becoming clearer and clearer, and especially when you got a sys- tem like Saki's that incorporates the 2D and 3D so well, really it doesn't make sense to invest in old technology and limit yourself that way. Las Marias: What do you think will be the next stage in the development for the AOI equip- ment space? Armstrong: That's a good question. As we know, of course, the interconnectivity and Industry 4.0 aspects are going to continue to be of great interest, and then the miniaturization and be- ing able to accomplish the miniaturization with speed improvements and the flow of the facto- ry. Those are certainly important factors in be- ing able to inspect a greater range of compo- nents and greater situations on a board, den- sities and so on. These are ongoing endeavors, but certainly continue in that direction, and we'll see where else. Las Marias: Quintin, is there anything else you would like to discuss today? Armstrong: I think we've pretty well covered it for this realm. It's certainly a fast-moving in- dustry. Technology is fast moving. We see that with the Industry 4.0 endeavors, but there are a lot of good things going on. Las Marias: How do you see this year developing? Armstrong: This looks like a very promising year. We just went through an election year last year, that seems to have had some impact on things at times, but 2016 was good and there's optimism in the market for 2017. With a lot of things going on, like autonomous vehicles and things like that, there's a lot of activity and things evolve so quickly. We see some impor- tant things happening that I think will contin- ue to drive the market. Of course, inspection and measurement is a critical part of that as these things get to be more and more complex. Las Marias: Thank you very much, Quintin. Armstrong: Thank you. SMT SAKI DISCUSSES INDUSTRY 4.0 AND TRUE 3D TECHNOLOGY