Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1518339
66 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2024 "When we get a bad reading," says Barrett, "not only do we understand exactly where, but we can then correlate it back to why it might be bad, the root cause. It gives us reaction time with which to stop the line, correct it, and pro- ceed with only good boards." User Experience and Support Barrett says the equipment has proven to be easy to set up and program, and the oper- ators learn very quickly and enjoy it. ADCO Senior Programmer John Westfall says, "e machines integrate with the EPM soware, and then they install their own C editor on top of that. at C editor translates the output from EPM, turning it into a machine program. It's simple, quick, and reliable." A Lasting Partnership ADCO Circuits and Koh Young have had much more than a customer-supplier relation- ship over the years. ey've forged a working partnership driving value in both directions. Most recently, they collaborated on develop- ing an AOI solution for through-hole tech- nology. "We've looked at the conformal coat- ing measurement equipment as well," Bar- rett says. "We put down different lev- els of epoxy. To improve our pro- c e s s c o n t r o l , w e need to measure that. Now that we're using their equip- ment, we've found benefits beyond just the measurement of solder paste, and knowing if some- thing is there. We want to move those benef its to other areas and processes as well." He appreciates the partnership. "As a CM, we have very little design control," Barrett says. "Instead, we build to the instructions the customer supplies. is can be challenging, for example, when some components need a 4-mil deposit, and some want 6-mil. "With the SPI, we are able to determine what we want and develop a stencil to give us that," he says. "en we use the SPI to make sure it is correct. We can do this in a short time and make sure that, even on fast turns or short runs, the first and the last assembly are the same and have been measured to ver- ify they are the same. Supplying our custom- ers the best assembly we can produce in the shortest amount of time is what is best for our business. ey've been a big part in support- ing that." SMT007 Brent Fischthal is head of global marketing for Koh Young America, Inc.