Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1419905
38 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2021 When it comes to high-end capital equip- ment, customers get a little bit of "business vertigo," where the price of the equipment is so high that the customer needs to confirm that the product can and will adapt to future needs. ey need a little bit more understanding of their own costs. What are the cost drivers in their own facility? So, when we do our own modeling, we try to include everything. We show the customer what they should be think- ing about in terms of real savings, the costs of imaging. DART extends our reach into some of the other processes that they already have and makes those processes better, more valuable, and extends their useful life. We've been able to demonstrate that it makes the existing devel- opment equipment operate better. at's a big game changer in terms of how either capital equipment or ROI should be considered. Johnson: Can you give me an example of that? Hogan: DART as delivered today comes with a series of optimization tools which allow you to adjust your develop/etch/plating to be more uniform, more repeatable. In one par- ticular installation, we used a very large for- mat machine with a 42-inch-by-60-inch image- able area—the size of a conference table. e challenge was to get all the features within 1-2 micron everywhere on that imaging area. e DART Process Control module was used to optimize the develop and etch pro- cess. Using the machine vision technology integrated in the Miva system, we can present feature deviations in size on a topographical map to determine the sources of variation in develop/etch/plating. e testing and adjust- ment can occur at the operator level so it can be done periodically as a normal operation. Once dialed in, the process window is widen- ing for these processes. DART First Article serves as a precheck to confirm each process effortlessly and at the operator level. e tool uses the Miva machine Johnson: Based on the experience you had with MivaCon, is it something you will continue? Hogan: Yes, I think so. It wasn't to replace IPC APEX EXPO, but to educate our existing cus- tomers and begin building more content that allows us to get deeper into explaining our technology. We are in the process of evolving our website to include more regular webinars. A big element of our products is to reduce our technical support cost to the customer. If you're going to be the cornerstone of the shop, which direct imaging usually is, many of our customers don't have two or three direct imag- ers as a backup if one goes down. We place a lot of emphasis on training the customer to conduct maintenance and cali- brations to reduce support costs. Most direct imaging equipment has a reputation for very high cost of support, upward of 8% of original machine cost—every year. Miva systems are averaging a quarter of that. Johnson: As you talk to your customers, what are the burning issues in imaging that are moti- vating them to be looking at new equipment? What are they trying to achieve? Hogan: e biggest challenge the customer faces is about capital. Budgets are limited; where do they spend their capital? Do they spend to change or update processes? Do they spend it on yield enhancers? New tech- nology? New capabilities? Customers need to prioritize their investment time horizon on what products or companies are lead- ing technology and building systems that can adapt as requirements change. When we develop a product, we focus on how flexible it is and how long it can stay in the field. How long will it meet the future technologies? Miva still supports its original film plotters that are in the field over 20 years; we don't look at a seven-year horizon. If there is a way to adapt a machine for a new application, we seek it out.