78 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2023
Last month, columnist Aidan Salvi addressed the business case for
implementing Factory 4.0. In this month's column Salvy discusses
Factory 5.0, the next evolutionary stage in the manufacturing industry.
While Factory 4.0 was all about robotics, Factory 5.0 builds on the
principles of Industry 4.0 by emphasizing human-centric collaboration,
flexibility, and adaptability.
Tribal knowledge
is important and
quite common
in the electron-
ics manufacturing
industry—for good
reason. Many
engineers, techni-
cians, and operators have formed their careers
around building PCBs. Some even worked
alongside the founding fathers of electronics.
Newer, young minds stand on the shoulders of
this knowledge base. As a process engineer,
I work with operators who have been coating
panels with solder mask longer than I've been
alive. Some know the exact coating parame-
ters required for the toughest of designs.
Oved Shapira spoke with Barry Matties
and Nolan Johnson about how advanced
packaging will influence the industry.
He said it will shift everything, including
design, fabrication, assembly techniques,
and capital equipment development.
Some of these shifts might be subtle,
and others more seismic. Whatever the
changes, Oved says it's coming.
Facing the Future: Looking Ahead at Factory 5.0
The New Chapter: The Pros and
Cons of Tribal Knowledge
Pivoting on Substrates
TOP TEN
EDITOR'S
PICKS
The practical question around CHIPS Act development and
electronics assembly is, "Will this change how we do busi-
ness?" Indium Corporation's Dr. Andy Mackie sat down with
Nolan Johnson to share what he sees as emerging answers
to that question from his perspective as an expert in elec-
tronics assembly and packaging, and as a participant in
standards development through IPC, JEDEC, and SEMI.
The End of Solder?
Aidan Salvi
