Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1471044
54 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2022 and multiple process sequence recipes (Cu, Sn/Ni, Sn, and Au) that HP used for all its dif- ferent 23,000 separate products. CIM Environment Used for the Sunnyvale PCB Factory e PCB facility in Sunnyvale that was built in 1981 had even more factory automation than the facility in Palo Alto, Figure 2 dem- onstrates the hardware system diagram. is was the first implementation of HP's automa- tion strategy, "e Manufacturers Productiv- ity Network." Automation ROI e classical trade-off is between the pur- chase of an automated system and its advan- tages, and the continued increase in direct labor. However, quality, process yields, and wastewater treatment costs also enter into the calculation. Return on investment (ROI) is the calculation of the equivalent interest rate of the money invested based on the cash flows over the useful life of the equipment. Example A copper/tin pattern plating line with rack strip purchased at a cost of $400,000 plus $15,000 installation with an eight-year oper- ating life and a five-year depreciation would result in the following: • Capacity: 500 18" x 24" (450 x 600 mm) panels per shi • Load: two rows of four panels • Individual process steps: Load, microetch, water rinse twice, sulfuric acid, copper plate, dragout rinse, water rinse, fluoro- boric acid, tin, dragout rinse, water rinse, dry, unload, rack strip, dragout rinse, water rinse, and load. e equivalent interest rate that could be earned on the investment of $400,000 + $15,000 installation and startup is 35% interest, which is the ROI (Figure 3). ese tradeoffs can be seen in Figure 4 with a calculated cost comparison between man- ual production for electroless copper and elec- troplating copper/tin versus four automation strategies. PCB007 This book is available for download in the I-007eBooks library and may be printed on demand here. Figure 3: Cash flows for plating investment. Figure 4: Curves of manual versus automatic cost per square foot: Electroless copper (left) and electroplating copper/tin (right).