Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1522641
JUNE 2024 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 13 houses is key, though it gets a bit more fun with the exotic materials. Anaya, in your work with different materials and suppliers, are your panel sizes standardized? We are fairly standardized with three core panel sizes: 12x18, 18x24, and 21x24. You may end up running 10x10 on some RF materials, which may make more sense based on how the customer needs their boards. On some of the costlier materials, the scrap cost of a 10x10 is significantly lower than a 10x20, depending on your defect density. In Asia, they will customize a panel size for a single job to get the low- est material cost, which they can do because they run such high volumes and their labor rates are lower. For high mix, lower volume, that's not fea- sible. But, in general, we try to standardize panel sizes, with 18x24 still one of the most standardized sizes in North America. Panel sizes affect your equipment as well, which makes me think of automation. How much automation does ASC have? We have some automation, but we have room for improvement. We are not as automated as many other shops. One reason is that we are space-constrained, but we do have plans to increase the level of automation on the floor. When you talk about some of the advanced technologies—for example, today, we're actu- ally handling half-mil dielectric flex material to build some of our ultra HDI parts—clearly, that presents a huge challenge from a handling standpoint. We have made some investments in what I would call no-touch etchers and developers, so the operator only has to touch the material at the edge. We anticipate that the equipment will be up and operational within the next couple of months. But that, in general, is how we've managed material and created relationships between our suppliers and our customers, and it is a good system. From a systems standpoint, what else is par- ticularly helpful when managing material? We've spent a lot of time perfecting our materi- als management system, working with suppli- ers, and having a system for expe- diting material. It has proven beneficial that several of our suppliers have portals where we can see their stock lev- els. In many cases, we also know where that stock is and whether it's sitting in Minneapolis or Califor- nia, for example. at lets us plan for freight costs. We would rather manage this our- selves than contact the vendor and possibly wait for an answer. It is a big value-add that stream- lines our quoting process and time- line significantly. Today, particularly with specialty RF materials in the high-speed space, there is more choice of materials and even hybrid stackup solu- tions. You do not always have to use a spe- cialty laminate. Is ASC involved in this space? Absolutely, 100%. We tell customers to use RF materials only on the layers they abso- lutely need to, and in many cases, they do not have to use RF materials throughout the whole stackup. A good portion of our multi- layer RF boards tend to have hybridized con- struction. Because of how you manage your material, is material shelf life still a concern? Material shelf life plays a role with prepregs, which have limited shelf life. We try to man- age it as much as we can on a just-in-time basis. Again, having suppliers nearby with local ware- We've spent a lot of time perfecting our materials management system...