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110 PCB007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2021 Each of these variables can be mea- sured and maintained. Indu str y 4.0, al s o k now n a s the Fourth Industrial Revolution, takes advantage of the interconnected ma- chine to computers (M2M) concept. Industry 4.0 is the ongoing automa- tion of traditional manufacturing and in- dustrial practices, using modern smart technolog y. Large -scale machine - to-machine communication (M2M) and the internet of things (IoT) are integrated for increased automation, improved communication, and self- monitoring, as well as production of smart machines that can analyze and diagnose issues without the need for human intervention [3] . A ll Bürkle machine s ystems and many others today utilize modern program- mable controllers and menu-driven comput- ers. Connection to manufacturing computers requires interconnections and dedicated real- time soware such as Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) that provide a host of tools for management, including the ability to monitor machine variables (Figure 1). It also includes other important tools such as shop floor load- ing, resource planning, etc. All of these benefits are beyond the scope of this article, but suffice it to say that Factory 4.0 does a great deal more than just process monitoring. Beyond the new things benefiting industry is the "health" of the tool being used. Stan- dardized process and maintenance procedures are critical tools enabling predictable process- es. Bürkle provides measurement tools as part of its service program that calibrates machine variables. Consumable machine parts, such as the rubber rollers used in roller coating sys- tems, are exchanged and reconditioned on a defined periodic basis before wear impacts quality. Applied machine pressure and tem- perature are re-calibrated using instruments traceable to the National Institute of Stan- dards of Technology (NIST). Parallelism and flatness of platens are checked using solder bar testing. During process development, internal tem- peratures of a "book" are measured and used as part of the lamination recipe. Layup proce- dures and material uniformity are important in the lamination of precision circuit boards. is is all considered a definable process for the entire manufacturing process from order entry, work orders, and all other facets of the operation. SPC impacts office proce- dures and internal company tracking. Again, the SPC process needs to be embraced by senior management and continue through- out the organization, otherwise the program will fail. PCB007 References 1. Statistical process control, Wikipedia. 2. moresteam.com/toolbox/statistical-process- control-spc.cfm 3. Fourth Industrial Revolution, Wikipedia. Kurt Palmer is president and CEO of Burkle North America. Figure 1: Schmoll interface for network integration.