Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1207026
FEBRUARY 2020 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 43 Matties: Is this more of a regional strategy in North America versus Asia? Schmidt: This is a worldwide situation. In some segments, we see EMS companies bring the stencil technology in-house, but the majority of them continue to purchase stencils on the open market. Again, with the higher level of min- iaturization, it's more important than ever to have full control over every detail of the toler- ances that can be controlled in such a process. Matties: And time as well. Schmidt: Yes, When the SMT line is down because the stencil is not there or because something needs to be recut for one reason or the other, that is at a significant cost, which can be avoided altogether by having access to those tools. Matties: As you sell the tool, do you make rec- ommendations for potential stencil utilization to the fabricators, or do buyers look to the sten- cil provider? Schmidt: In many cases, we sell the tools mostly to stencil providers and stencil shops. Usually, the EMS companies are interested, and when they bring this in-house, they want to learn about the technology as well. They lean on us to learn about what parts can be controlled, and that they have the proper working envi- ronment with those machines. Happy Holden: And what's the turnaround time for laser cut stencil by these provid- ers? Schmidt: Stencil providers are often a local business, and a lot of stencils are being cut at the last minute. They get the information from the EMS companies and drive these stencils out the same day to customers/ users. Why would such an important part not be planned any more ahead of time? Why should this be a last-minute job? This leaves a lot of possibilities for quality being subpar. Matties: I'm still surprised that this is not in- house. Schmidt: It seems like it's an afterthought. Sometimes, people think, "Everything else is on the line. We need the stencil, too, so let's get that ordered because we can get it the same day and not worry about it as much." Matties: How expensive is your equipment? Schmidt: The equipment is designed for pro- ducing stencils very fast, so the stencil laser system typically costs between $130,000 to a little over $200,000. Matties: They may wind up making more sten- cils every month if they had their own equip- ment. Schmidt: Exactly. There are a lot of details in the electronics manufacturing process on how to design the stencils and maintain quality con- trol. However, it's amazing how some OEMs or EMS companies do not pay all that much attention to those details. Some focus on it, and those are the successful companies. They understand the quality impact that a stencil has and demand certain quality standards being required in their supply chain. Matties: In terms of cutting the stencil, are there different approaches to the geometry of the cut, or is it a single cut that's always the same?