Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1207026
FEBRUARY 2020 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 47 Matties: Has LPKF looked at an ROI for a typ- ical North American EMS facility to have in- house laser cutting? If so, what are your find- ings, generally speaking? Schmidt: We do that a lot. Let me draw a lit- tle bit wider circle around this whole thing. There's a couple of things that are interesting, and we deal with a little similar situation as we have with stencils. For the direct ROI, compar- ing a method that separates the circuit board of the panel is one piece of the cost, which is everyone's focus. You have a pair of pliers or a laser cutter, and the laser may not appear cost- effective there. However, when you look at yield, it goes a long way, and when you consider environmen- tal management, then it goes even further. For example, when you use router systems or saws, the amount of the work and money that has to be spent for the mitigation of the airborne dust in the plant is quite significant, not only for the protection of the workers but also for the pro- tection of the sensitive components—especially optical sensors or other sensors on boards that are easily affected by airborne dust. The other element is vibration. Using a violent method to pry a highly sensitive circuit board out of a panel creates significant yield issues by vibrating the board, especially if you have a lot of sensors on a board, which can easily be affected by it. These things should be con- sidered for ROI, as well. Speed is another one that we addressed with ROI. Modern depan- eling laser systems are on par with mechani- cal routers when it comes to speed. That is a big step forward from the past 10 years when lasers were only used in boutique applications for thin circuit boards that couldn't be manu- factured any other way. Nowadays, it's becoming a lot more attrac- tive for mainstream applications because the throughput is on par with mechanical depan- eling methods. At the same time, you can get a much higher yield. And you can forego all the dust mitigation issues in the plant, which are often substantial. Matties: And cutting tools. H o l d e n : One expert mentioned the growth of cavities. Are your l a s e rs u s e d t o d o micro-machining of circuit boards? Orlowski: We encoun- ter more and more of those applications now. The beauty of a laser as a tool in gen- eral, especially lasers and wavelengths used for the depanel- ing, is that they work well for high-mix envi- ronments, both on the material and application side. Not only are you able to use the same tool to easily process different types of materials by changing the parameters on the machine, but you can also use the same tool easily for a dif- ferent application. You can use the same tool to cut, drill, create pockets, etc. This is one of the positive aspects of a laser, especially in the North American market, which is high mix in terms of application and materials. This is one of the big advantages of a laser as opposed to a mechanical method. Johnson: How does your equipment fit into the infrastructure for CFX Hermes digital factory? Schmidt: Our equipment directly integrates with manufacturing execution systems, especially on the paneling side. We can read data codes or barcodes with the laser machines, and even write barcodes on boards. We can also depanel certain boards inside a panel. For example, if specific boards are being already identified as not functioning before they even come to the depaneling process, then those can be auto- matically skipped to save production time. Our process is fully integrated with a modern man- ufacturing execution system environment. Johnson: That's an application I wouldn't have considered. You can leave the failed boards right there in the panel and not even bother with them. Mirela Orlowski