Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1424540
60 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2021 have applications for it. We are doing demos in our office in Atlanta, and of course, at Viscom in Hanover, Germany, our corporate headquar- ters. We are very confident this new addition to our product line will be well received in the marketplace. Johnson: Let's start with conformal coatings. Oen, inspection is simply looking for cover- age of the board. But automotive applications have more detailed expectations. Are those ex- pectations changing the data-gathering for au- tomotive? Moll: Basically, it's the same as when you're do- ing any optical inspection. e conformal coat- ing inspection machine will clearly show that the conformal coating is in areas that it should be while making sure that it's not in the keep- out areas. We use angular cameras to look at the sides of the components. Rather than just looking at it from the top-down view, we're looking at it from the side and that's the kind of information that customers want. If you just have an operator looking at it and he says it's good, fills out the tracking paperwork, and off it goes, there's no traceability. Johnson: Does this play into inter-machine op- erability? M o l l : A l l our in-line machines are Industry 4.0, CFX, and Hermes compatible. Johnson: For Industry 4.0, taking that data and turning it into analysis or operational knowledge seems to be the next step. How is Viscom making that data more available? Moll: For example, we have soware for artifi- cial intelligence where we're collecting images to build up a history that will also help the op- erator with his classification. In other words, it's based on the classified data that we've al- ready collected. e soware will assist the operator when classifying a flagged image. Johnson: Let's talk about X-ray replacements. I was fascinated by the new X-ray technology. What makes the new equipment better for cur- rent Agilent users? Moll: One of the main items would be the flat panel detectors. e image quality that's com- ing from the flat panel detectors accomplishes two things. It makes it easier for the algorithms to work because the images are much clearer, and the images that transfer to the classifica- tion station are very crisp and sharp. e op- erators who are performing the classification can clearly make good choices. e other ad- vantage over these older machines is the cycle time; the cycle times are going to be much fast- er. You will get a better image in less time, for better results. Johnson: Better image, faster time, therefore, a better throughput. It helps with the capacity. You're not a bottleneck any more in the manu- facturing line. The Viscom iX7059 offers reliable inspection for heavy, solid, and encased components. Ed Moll