Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1361971
APRIL 2021 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 31 panel out, for first article inspection, and then we do random sampling for CMI data for panel thickness, at least with surface thickness. Happy Holden: What kind of experience from Whelen do you think you can bring forward to ICM? Mack: I can bring double-sided work, bare board work, and speed wins. For double-sided and bare board, we need to optimize speed and panels out. I know we want to ramp up produc- tion; instead of adding another shi, how do we get more throughput with what we have? roughput comes with automation, process control, speed, and driving those numbers up as high as humanly possible with the current technology. Matties: What is your thought on continuous flow manufacturing? Are you moving in that direction? Mack: I don't know if our shop with its current setup would benefit. It's a thought, though. Matties: You lose a lot of speed in work that sits idle, don't you? Mack: It might be idle, but with our schedul- er, we're about three to four months out of current demand. It's not the greatest to have queues, but with automation will come fewer queues. When we start thinking about automa- tion, starting with the imaging process, there won't be a queue there anymore. We have a pre-clean line. I've thought about putting a U conveyor there: it comes out of the laminator, goes around, then imaging automation takes over, flips it, and it goes down the DES line. at's a thought. We typically have two queue areas, but we'll have zero. Matties: When work queues up, my under- standing is that you have to add additional cleaning processes, which means more bath maintenance, storage, and purchasing. If you can get rid of those additional steps, you're presumably lowering cost and increasing qual- ity. I think that continuous flow manufacturing makes a lot of sense, but, of course, your shop has to be tuned to that. Mack: Yes. We can make it that way. It takes some radical thinking and time. Unfortunate- ly, we don't have the luxury of a ton of time, but I know it's thought processes as we contin- ue to grow. Matties: One of the things that was critical in the continuous flow and smart factory is the front end. You have to have all that data right from your CAD or CAM department as it's coming in. Mack: Correct. Matt Mack (back center) looks on with Molly Reed and Bruce Graverly of Aries Chemical as ICM's Bill Phillips draws a wastewater sample for testing.