Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1525368
16 PCB007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2024 implement wet process control, how do you help them create a strategy? What does a good strategy look like? I first ask them what they know about their budget in terms of capital expenditure. Next, I ask about their plan to get down to 10-micron lines and spaces with their existing equipment. Is it possible? I follow up with questions about conductivity and how well they are rinsing. I may see that no product is running at all, yet the overflow rinses continue to run, wasting all that water. I look at how they can streamline the process and tighten the operating window. at is how I would help them create a com- plete strategy for better process control. Matties: Your first step is to take inventory of what they're currently doing. Do you also tune it more toward sustainability, or are you just looking at a tighter parameter for capa- bility? Is it a one-size-fits-all approach? No, it's not. I will fine-tune it, but to me, sus- tainability is more than just environmental sus- tainability; it's about your business. Matties: Maybe it's about process change more than just process control. But you must balance the investment and know how far you want to take it. As you said, budget plays a big part in the strategy you create. ere are alternate technologies out there as well if you can make the investment. Direct metallization can reduce your water consump- tion by 70–80%. Most direct metallization processes will produce 100 panels per line in an hour using only four to six gallons of water rinse per minute. Your electroless copper line will use 28 to 40 gallons a minute. at's a big difference in cost savings and environmental sustainability. Yet, you hear fabricators say, "Let's just auto- mate with this fancy $3 million horizontal elec- troless copper plating line, and then we'll mini- mize the amount that people handle the board. We'll put robots on the line and get rid of peo- ple." at may be a part of your strategy that makes sense, but you still have to come to grips with what you're trying to do and why. at's what your strategy must be built around. You