Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1528798
NOVEMBER 2024 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 9 disruption underway on the floor. We're quickly moving our development up the data stack. e level 0 and 1 infrastructure had to be built out until it was ubiquitous, and sensors were then integrated to capture raw data. Intermediate communication protocols, such as CFX, could move that data around. Finally, data analysis could be applied to create deci- sion-making aids for human supervisors. At IPC APEX EXPO 2024 in April, I spoke with a number of EMS data analytics providers about the work they've been doing. It's now several months later, and I wanted to see how things have progressed. Data analytics, dash- boards, and AI agents are not here to take over, but to assist. Just as we still need pilots to land the plane when the systems go out, we still need process experts to assess the data on the floor. ere's nothing holding us back, though, from giving our process experts the most pow- erful tools we can. I start with an interview with Tim Burke and Jennifer Davis of Arch Systems, who talk about the rise of artificial intelligence in han- dling straightforward tasks on the manufac- turing floor. Julie Cliche-Dubois of Cogis- can writes about a successful soware plat- form that manufacturers are using that focuses on factory data to improve their operations. Cybord CEO Oshri Cohen continues our dis- cussion on counterfeiting, which interestingly connects real-time counterfeit detection tech- Nolan Johnson is managing editor of SMT007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electronics design and manufacturing. To contact Johnson, click here. nologies that contribute directly to improving process windows in production. Columnist Mike Konrad provides a thorough tutorial of the impact of harsh environments on residue tolerance and the risk of electro- chemical migration on circuit assemblies, and CEE PCB's Tom Yang continues his excellent series on the strength of the American PCB industry. Finally, I share an interview with Matt Kelly and Devan Iyer about a new white paper detailing IPC's groundbreaking effort on advanced packaging—setting the stage for what's to come in the next few months. A note about CFX: While I mentioned CFX as a mid-stack data protocol, CFX is not rep- resented in this issue. e IPC-CFX commit- tee is concentrating on wrapping up the CFX 2.0 standard in time for IPC APEX EXPO 2025 in March, so the latest CFX news is not quite ready for public consumption. is is just another reminder that much is in motion. Ultimately, the goal for all involved, from the bottom of the stack to the top, is to create meaningful and useful factory teleme- try, easily and effectively applied. SMT007