Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1508761
OCTOBER 2023 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 9 is medical example illustrates where imaging technology is overlapping applica- tion spaces; the fundamental image process- ing technology that works for medical works for industrial applications as well. e kind of data analysis built into the retinal scan is the same concept as used in automated inspection systems. Both application spaces benefit from the advances in vision and compute hardware, development database building, and predic- tive algorithms, such as AI engines, to provide fewer false positives, more sophis- ticated capabilities, and per- haps most important of all, data—both raw and ana- lyzed—for process feedback in the automated factory. e test function bene- fits from all this data and AI as well. In this issue, we talk with experts who are on the cutting edge of what the eye can see. Bert Horner at e Test Connection paints a pic- ture of increased test cover- age and efficiencies, due in part to predic- tive soware in setup, as well as having more data (design data, and manufacturing process data) available. e result is that Horner's team can use the data to make critical design decisions which get much closer to 100% test coverage. ASTER Technologies' Will Webb shares how AI and digital twin concepts come together as a modeling technique to improve coverage prior to running the job: humans leveraging multiple what-if scenarios to find the most efficient. Raj Vora and Darren Carlson at VAS Engineering share how pro- cess benchmarking not only helped them increase productivity, but how it gives them an opportunity to continue improving their process optimizations, while Miles Moreau at KIC Solutions details the concept of reflow process inspection. Brent Fischthal Nolan Johnson is managing editor of SMT007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electronics design and manufacturing. To contact Johnson, click here. at Koh Young shares how his company is work- ing with academic AI research teams to con- tinue progress into ever more capable inspec- tion systems. Our cadre of columnists—Mike Konrad, Jennie Hwang, Michael Ford, and Ronald C. Lasky—round out this fascinating and "eye- catching" issue. Konrad dispatches a thor- ough interview with three experts in the AOI space, and Dr. Hwang takes us to a conceptual viewpoint overlooking the potential of AI applications. Ford shares his thoughts on the merging of automation and custom manufacturing, and the lasting impact it will have on manufacturing pro- cesses. And Lasky, in his ongoing tutorial on process optimization based on real world examples, leaves us with a heck of a clianger this month. As I look back over all this innovation, I can't help but reminisce a bit about devel- oping vision systems for semiconductor man- ufacturing 20 years ago. e black-and-white camera systems and image recognition so- ware, limited by compute power to only pro- cessing image contrast, have given way to much more capable hardware and sophisti- cated soware. Oh, what we could have done then with what we have now. Look me in the eye, or rather the "I": Inspec- tion and test. Artificial Intelligence. e human eye. Each brings a necessary component to making this system work. Enjoy! SMT007 The kind of data analysis built into the retinal scan is the same concept as used in automated inspection systems.