Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1508761
OCTOBER 2023 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 31 Vora: e MES soware will wrap all this together and put out some nice big dashboards for extreme real-time feedback. at's where we gather up every piece of the process. Johnson: Is your expectation that the MES software will flag the line to stop, rather than relying on operators to do it? Vora: at's right. If you suddenly go below 99.9% defective parts per million, there are lit- tle units you can buy that control the conveyors, letting us lock a conveyor in real time. We're not sure how much we want to have automatic control of things, because then you're inviting a whole list of problems. I think it will be a slow approach, so we'll see how it goes. Matties: What requirements do your customers have for testing? Vora: AOI inspection is a must for some cus- tomers. Some customers require finished arti- cle electrical tests. Some want to be here when we do the first article of the board. Typically, our big production customers have some requirements, but they're very much hands off. Whenever there are problems, we call them, and they respond very quickly. Matties: Are you doing any flex or rigid-flex? Vora: We're doing a lot of prototypes. We've done a few production boards; most of the production stuff has been rigid-flex, meaning we're placing parts mostly on rigid surfaces, yet there is flexible going around. Matties: How does the test and inspection process vary with that application? Vora: It still goes through AOI. If there are any through-holes on it, it still goes to final. We leave it panelized as long as possible. at's usually our approach. at way, we can rework and inspect it much easier; we can hold it. Carlson: We'll have pallets made if we need to, or we'll use other ways to make it more stable during the placement process. Matties: Now, with all the talk of ultra HDI and finer features, what impact does that have on your test and inspection processes? Carlson: ey're starting to push our boundar- ies a little bit. Vora: One of our customers really pushes our boundaries, but it's good because it forces us to evolve faster. Early on, they were the ones who started using 01005s and because of that, we ended up buying new equipment and it's worked out so far. Matties: Ultra HDI looks to become a more common job. How will what you've learned help carry you into the future? Carlson: e biggest thing is getting equip- ment able to handle that stuff. I'd imagine some people who can't afford the newer gen- eration equipment probably won't be able to do that work. Matties: You're in a good spot as you upgrade your equipment. Vora: We're in an interesting place in our com- pany's life. About three years ago, we started concentrating on digitization and really under- standing our processes. Once we digitized Darren Carlson