Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1419905
12 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2021 you looking at bottlenecks or market oppor- tunities or a combination? What's the motiva- tion? Patel: It was a combination. We're always try- ing to simplify our process. at's the main vision for our board shop—not necessarily through automation, but also in simplifying the whole process. For example, most peo- ple who were investing have a silkscreen ink- jet machine nowadays. We were a little bit behind the curve there, but the whole idea is that you're eliminating the need to screen or print an image and whatnot. at was a prior- ity. We can see that with the press side, we are limited then by the amount of presses we can do daily and the whole energy savings going into induction is also a bonus. At the same time, solder mask inkjet is something that's at the cusp of being ready, and we felt going into it now is a good step in the right direction. So, it's a combo. Matties: When you say to simplify the pro- cess, I'm hearing you say to reduce the num- ber of steps required. Is handling a consider- ation between human and machine to elimi- nate human contact as much as possible? Patel: Oh, for sure. at's where the bonding machine comes into play for the inner layer bonding. We used to be a semiautomatic pro- cess, and now we're letting the machine take care of everything. As things get smaller and smaller, and the more you have humans han- dling that, the more chance of a failure. Of course, it's a key part of the expenditures. Johnson: Sunny, would you have been able to accept all that work had you not had that equipment on the way? Patel: No, definitely not. Matties: So, being market-driven is part of it as well. work; it was a lot more automation and fewer steps to process. Nolan Johnson: Were the equipment purchases in response to the sales or was Candor antici- pating the sales? Patel: In front of the sales. We noticed at the beginning of the pandemic that a lot of cus- tomers were looking at a local source more than they were beforehand. Our old customers would contact us and say, "Hey, we're back. We need some help." We helped them out as the pandemic went along. en our regular sales came back, and these customers didn't leave. At that point, we realized that we needed to do something to get ahead of any additional sales that will come back aer the pandemic. It was just a strategic move. Matties: When you're looking at your capi- tal expenditures, how do you prioritize? You mentioned a good list of nice equipment, but what's the rationale behind your thinking? Are Sunny Patel