Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1484263
78 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2022 technician and ask for help in furthering my testing. If the test vehicles are ready for anal- ysis, I will review the designated points under various microscopes and will typically take my own cross-sections for further review. Next begins the analysis. All data and images will be recorded and analyzed based on my previous test plan. Once these are understood, they will drive changes to the manufacturing capability and processing of parts. 4:30–5:00 p.m. Aer one last quick walk-through in the department, it is time to answer any unread emails and start a to-do list for the next day. Of course, there is no typical day in PCB manufacturing. Although ideal, this timeline is not always accurate. Some days involve hours of hands-on work with machines and digging into root causes. Other days, I am at my desk updating processes and creating temporary process instructions to test a new process. One week may be spent visiting another facility to learn about their processing while the next may include working with suppliers to install new equipment. I've come to love the unpre- dictability of the job. Each day brings its own challenges and excitement. PCB007 Paige Fiet is a process engineer at TTM-Logan and part of the IPC Emerging Engineer Program. To read past columns, click here. neer at another facility discussing best prac- tices and ways to help the other site improve. 11:00 a.m.–Noon Now that things have quieted down (for now), I begin working on a long-term research project to test machine capabilities. I will typi- cally meet with a senior front-end engineer to bring my test vehicle design to life. We discuss the purpose of the test along with what mate- rials might be best to use. Once the panels are created, this time will be used to process them through my department. I will change the nec- essary settings and document as many vari- ables as possible for later data analyzation. Noon–1:00 p.m. Lunch time! Sometimes I will head out for burgers with coworkers but most of the time you can find me at home enjoying lunch with my cat. 1:00–1:30 p.m. Back in the office and I'm heading straight to my department. is time it's a quicker run- through to answer any new questions, make processing decisions, and confirm proper com- pletion on any maintenance. 1:30–2:30 p.m. Time to meet with the solder mask depart- ment leaders. Every other week, we meet to discuss quality trends, improvement plans, and production complaints. 2:30–3:00 p.m. Day shi is now done, and swing shi is starting their workday. I head down to the department and join them for their start-of- shi stretching session. While they stretch, we review the previous day's quality and through- put. Again, if it's a Monday, we will review the prior week's quality concerns. 3:00–4:30 p.m. Back to my research project. If need be, I will review my progress with the department's