Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1500520
34 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2023 nies develop a product or process here in the U.S., maybe with the correct equipment auto- mation, then feed it off to another site, such as Asia or Europe, to fit those market require- ments or needs. Multilevel factory automation gives you a simple way to replicate the product here in the U.S., and then send it to a factory of choice overseas. You can build in those regions where the products are to be used. Streamlining the manufacturing process keeps it simple. You can send the product you develop (programs, processes, materials, etc.) here in the U.S. and replicate it to anywhere in the world; there you go, you have an instant factory. e next level is the factory, for instance, one in the U.S. that has a manufacturing exe- cution-type system (MES) where the soware is communicating and directing the equipment to assemble a particular product or products within an individual factory; this could include single or multiple SMT lines within the fac- tory. Additionally, the factory level of soware will optimize to minimize changeover times between product builds, including moving products within the factory for the best possi- ble product output. At the line level, you have the full line going from the solder paste screen printer process, solder paste inspection, component place- ment, solder reflow oven process, to auto- mated optical inspection. at's acting at what I call the line level. Within this line level pro- cess, the machines can communicate with each other to best optimize the board quality. For example, the automated optical inspection machine communicating with the upstream equipment to optimize the process "on the fly" for a better-quality board assembly outcome. e last or more detailed one is the equip- ment level where each equipment process has its own means of automation. For instance, a screen printer might have a person manu- ally scanning barcodes on the input side of the printer. Now, it can be automated with the vision systems and cameras that are in the sys- tem itself. It keeps the process simple by auto- mating multiple processes within the printer. e program is first downloaded, and the sol- der paste is printed onto the board. In the next step of the solder paste inspection unit, the board is first barcode scanned and a program is downloaded automatically. e solder paste inspection process begins there. e point is that automation is multi-faceted, whether it's a worldwide multi-factory or something at the local factory equipment level. Matties: That's a nice, high-level view all the way down onto the factory floor. Ultimately, from an automation standpoint, these equipment sets are extremely adapt- able. On the equipment level, these machines can do both small and large boards—very fine- pitch, accurate requirements. Even more, the machines can optimize products within a line itself. For instance, you can input up to 500 dif- ferent products for a run into the automation soware, and it will automatically optimize the factory production schedule. It was more likely in the past than now, but a factory will have someone using a spreadsheet to figure out their production schedule based upon a Jeff Forster