Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1511625
22 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2023 ing thicknesses, impedance/ loss, modeled copper rough- ness, scale factors, thickness, non-linear modeling, etc. Overall, as an industr y most of the models in use are too immature for self-learning Industry 4.0 facilities, and we are just developing the tools now to achieve low-super- v i s i o n a n d u n s u p e r v i s e d machine-learning loops for these attributes. It is also ver y interest- ing that PCB fab companies spend millions of dollars on registration equipment to gain a few microns, yet oen have pads and clearances (i.e., the actual targets being aimed at) that are tens of microns off because they set the AOI scanners at ±20% and do not have an effective feedback loop. ey typi- cally are focusing on line width only, instead of pad and clearance diameter with their AOI settings. is is compounded by the fact that circular clearances and pads typically finish smaller (i.e.,. harder to register) than planned. is is because pads etch faster and clearances etch slower vs straight lines (i.e., due to diffu- sion layer thickness differences from the fluid dynamics of positive and negative circles). Hack: 3D Scanning to Gerber One recent development in the market (in October) has been the application of the latest 3D scanning technol- ogy. By scanning post-etch product in full 3D, we can now rip the file to Gerber and pull it back into the CAM sys- tem to do a comparison with the master pattern, thereby optimizing our compensa- tion factors in an automated way. Multiple machines are being released to the mar- ket for this function both this quarter, and early next year. I hope this short article has been useful in demonstrat- ing some of the latest design approaches to registration system architecture. Even if you only picked up one hack, based on our experience, we expect that the article will be a good return on investment. PCB007 Alex Stepinski is principal and president of Stepinski Inc., and principal of Smart Process Design.