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16 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2022 Exploring High Density With Axiom Feature Interview by the I-Connect007 Editorial Team Nolan Johnson and Barry Matties talk with Axiom's Rob Rowland and Kevin Bennett about the current high-density challenges fac- ing EMS manufacturing. In this interview, Ben- nett and Rowland zero in on component pack- aging and feeder technology as critical areas in need of improvement. Nolan Johnson: Rob, please introduce us to Axiom. Rob Rowland: Axiom has been an EMS provider for about 30 years. We primarily focus on mili- tary, aerospace, space products, and any other high-reliability application type of customers, building the more complex, high-density type of boards. Kevin has been doing placement for over 20 years, both as a machine programmer and a process engineer. We probably handle a wider diversity of unique components than many companies doing board build. Our board sizes range from what you would call a mem- ory module size, up to boards in the 18-by- 20-inch size range, so we handle a large variety of different sizes. Johnson: Is it fair to assume that it's a mostly high-mix, low-volume setup? Rowland: Yes. Our expertise is the higher mix, lower volume, with a typical run in the 30- to 50-board range. We have a couple of runs where we're building in the hundreds, and occasion- ally into the thousands, but it's usually jobs fewer than 100 boards. One interesting aspect when talking about placement machines is that most companies in the U.S. are dealing with higher mix, lower volume.