Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1278896
16 PCB007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2020 robust and repeatable manufacturing methods. The good news is with each failure and suc- cess, the next challenging design characteristic is not as big of a leap, and our capability grows with each build. Matties: What makes a board like that so chal- lenging to manufacture? LaBeau: It's gaining new engineering and man- ufacturing competencies and stacking of toler- ances when bringing many different technol- ogies together in a single design. It requires necessary handholding from process engineer- ing. That will be the future for us in the higher technology. One aerospace and defense com- pany we are engaged with expects that its very complex designs will require process engineer- ing handholding during standard manufactur- ing. Brassard: With the phased array design, we no longer think it's especially difficult to manu- facture. When we first saw the design, we said, "We can't build this, we don't have all of the necessary processes, and it's too big of a leap from our current capabilities," not to mention concern about the current lack of market. Then we took on a similar and more dif- ficult design. We gained the nec- essary core competencies and had our first build in nine months. Matties: From a technology point of view, what sort of investment in equipment are you making? LaBeau: We are focused on capa- bility and capacity, which typically come hand in hand with any capi- tal investment. Our recent invest- ments include LED imaging for sol- der mask, an electric fusion press, a couple of Wise pre-clean lines, high capacity plating line with ad- vanced micro-via plating capability, ENIG/ENEPIG line, score/rout/drill machines with optical capabilities, and finally, automation equipment, including a number of robotic arms for materi- als handling. Matties: We see a lot of talk about the smart factory on the EMS and assembly side. We don't hear much about that on the PCB bare fab side. How important is the digital factory to Calumet? Brassard: That's a tough one. I have an edu- cation in electrical engineering and a career in software engineering and systems integra- tion. I have taught courses on relational data- base design, am fascinated with robots, and am an avid fan of science fiction. I have a big imagination when it comes to the possibilities and practical issues with lights-out operations. With data bundles unpacking into universal hierarchical manufacturing frameworks, com- munication protocols, transmission methods, and the supply chain-wide feedback loops that would be necessary to support iterative design-to-realization processes—not to men- tion the wide array of security vulnerabilities that would persist in a complex smart factory environment—it will take decades before we have the manufacturing processes that begin to resemble those on display in movies like COVID-compliant safety at Calumet.