Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1361971
18 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2021 plug in a machine and have somebody press a button, and they don't want them to neces- sarily know A through Z. ey want them to know B to C, or C to D, or D to F, but they don't necessarily want them to know the en- tire process. Oen, it takes somebody that un- derstands the entire process from start to fin- ish to be able to do the job properly. Running an image device where you just press a but- ton, or you run a vacuum and you press a but- ton, that's one thing, but understanding how to use it properly is something else. For instance, let's say you've got a hugely dissimilar dielec- tric material, and you've got a hugely dissimi- lar layout structure, where you've got predom- inant metal on one side and very sparse metal on the opposing side. As we know, that makes for what's called image transfer. And not only image transfer, but it can also end up in misreg- istration in lamination. So now I can take it back to my image de- vice. And if I'm smart enough, I can use that image device and table map where it's moving, and I can actually create a new drill program that's going to hit those things right on the mark. And then with the geometries shrinking daily, being able to stay on things and be able to maintain registration and maintain the drill registration throughout the entire process re- ally is a key to the future. Matties: You're keying in on an area that we don't talk too much about, which is operator training. What sort of training should someone look at if they're really focused on their manu- facturing process? And I mean for the existing team that's doing their daily routines, not just processing the big picture stuff. Thompson: We talked about continuous quality improvement. ere's also continuous training. ere's a constant training syllabus going on, whether it's coming from somebody like myself as a process person or a controlled impedance person coming in and saying, "is is what we need, and this is how we're going to get there. We're going to need your help as operators to be able to facilitate this." It's as simple as that. Matties: When you look at continuous improve- ment, we're talking about X = X c – 1, taking your current process and improving it by a fac- tor of one, whatever that one happens to be— one day, one minute, one hour, one revolution. Thompson: One less panel. Matties: One less panel. Because continuous improvement is an incremental endeavor of small steps throughout. Do you have any exam- ples of where you went in, looked at a process and reduced it, but the results were huge? In many cases, the results can be unexpected or unexpected benefits are found as well. Thompson: I know there were probably hun- dreds of them over my career. Matties: at's the thing, they're small. To draw the baseball analogy, they're just base hits that you do all day long. And that becomes a mat- ter of routine, but the idea is to take that pro- cess engineering X = X c – 1 and train your staff to look at what can we have a "minus one" on. Thompson: To get a better ERA, to use a base- ball term. Matties: Exactly. Mark, we've covered a lot of ground. For some final thoughts, what advice would you give to a PCB manufacturer that really wants to keep focus on their manufacturing? Thompson: Continuous quality improvement, continuous training. Only buy the equipment that makes sense for your customers and your customers' needs and keep at it. Matties: Well, Mark, we certainly appreciate you sharing your thoughts today. Thompson: Of course. Always happy to help. PCB007