Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1367446
70 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2021 volume factories, that there is a need and it's not going to go away. ey need this informa- tion to do the high-volume production. When you look at wave vs. selective, wave is a much more value-added process on the high volume, or there are a lot more parts on the board that need to be through-hole. We saw that this is the type of data they need on this process, so it seemed like a good fit and a good opportu- nity; not just a short-term solution but some- thing that will continue. Johnson: KIC has done a lot of work with Industry 4.0 and protocols like the CFX proto- col, bringing process monitoring, process con- trol, and inter-process communication into the whole flow. How much work is going on in the industry to include wave solder in Industry 4.0? Are you unique in doing this? Moreau: With regard to the type of data we col- lect and the type of solution we have, as far as I know, this is the first solution that accom- plishes that. We have had a solution, and even that has been unique on the preheat side. We could monitor the preheat profile of the wave process. We're taking WPI to the next level, and it's the only solution available where you get complete process information: "Here's the temperature profile of that board even going through the wave, and here's some key process indicators, dwell time, and parallelism on the wave itself in real time." It fits into that flow: "If I have this type of data on the wave machine, how can I relate that to my factory as a whole, and all the processes leading up to that?" It's a unique solution that fits the market well and is something our customers are saying they need. Johnson: is is something that could be ret- rofitted to existing wave soldering machinery? Moreau: Correct. It's definitely retrofittable, though there are some limitations depending on the type of machine. With our reflow solu- Johnson: As customer tolerances get tighter, and speeds get higher, then managing all of the design constraints—crosstalk, RF issues, shielding, environmental resilience, wider temperature ranges and humidity issues—at some point this boils down to specifications that the soldering process needs to accom- plish. How does the WPI receive its incoming setup data for a particular job? Moreau: Most of that drives around the materi- als used, the assembly design, and the type of equipment you have. If the customers do have particular materials to run, the chemistries and components are going to drive what their selec- tions are in relation to the product itself. And if they want to get better control and results, they need something to go on. Repeatability of the process will influence those types of things especially when you get to dwell time; that's going to impact how well that solder joint is completed going through the wave. Johnson: ere are people in the industry who are of the opinion that slowly, steadily, the wave soldering machines are on their way out. But this addition seems like it might breathe new life, new usefulness, to wave soldering. Is that how KIC sees it? Moreau: I believe it was Mark Twain who said, "Rumors of my death have been greatly exag- gerated." I think that's true for wave. It's been rumored year aer year, "is will be com- pletely replaced by surface mount or some other insertion method or something," and nothing has been provided that has reached that goal. We see that the machines have improvements on them now so they can have much tighter control. It's not as much a "voo- doo art" of setting up the wave solder machine; it's a little more scientific, and the machines have more control parameters that they can accomplish. We saw this as an opportunity; this is actually the path of wave solder, especially in the high-