Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1392944
JULY 2021 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 47 you look at raw numbers, they have more errors, but if you look at from percentages, the perspective changes. Regard- ing the data packages and com- municating that information, is there change underway that you see? Or is it status quo right now? Link: I would say that it's prob- ably still at the status quo, but I could definitely see it changing. Johnson: What needs to change in your opin- ion? Link: To get a more accurate reflection of the digital twin. Because, unfortunately, every shop has different ways they run things so I guess it would take a good grasp of the process- es that the shop has created to build said boards and then integrate that into the board itself. Johnson: Even within WUS, each of your four facilities has a unique intake process. at cer- tainly does make it difficult to standardize the process. So, to be able to move toward some- thing like Industry 4.0 in fabrication, is stan- dardization of the facilities' intake process an important step? Link: Yes, standardization as in what's important, not standardization as Shop A and Shop B have the same process, because Shop B might not need that process. Typically, a shop has creat- ed a process because of their customer's boards which demand that process. Shop B might not have that situation and so they're dealing with boards that would never use that process so why integrate it. Even if they use it, it's so rare that they're not going to buy a machine or set up a process to do a one-off situation. Johnson: What kind of data packages do you guys use most oen? Link: ODB++. ere's still some Gerber out there. Johnson: Greg, do you think the whole DFM tool set is broken? Or is it running as best as it can? Link: It's definitely not running as best as it can. As I said, call it DFM, but in reality, it's not. I think that I would like to see it actually be de- signed for manufacturability. And that should mean something like we took an old design, and we found that it had four-mil spaces and six-mil spaces. We ran it through our tool, we could utilize exactly the same space and get a product that was acceptable to engineering, SI engineering, and make it all four-and-a-half mil spacing. at would be how it should work. We looked at it and said, "I got a 20:1 aspect ratio." My DFM said, "I could actually make this 15:1 aspect ratio, you don't lose anything." en that's done. at's the way it should work, and clearly, it's not working that way. Johnson: anks for your time, Greg. Link: My pleasure. PCB007 Greg Link is FAE account manager at WUS Printed Circuit Co. Ltd. WUS Printed Circuit Co., Kaohsiung, Taiwan.