Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1536435
44 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2025 Taking that approach seems to suggest that you would not realize many of the benefits of this type of technology. at is true, but this is the case in industries with a lot of IP. Some concerns are absolutely reasonable, and some are purely fear, indus- try, or company culture-based. ere's a mix of all of them in the PCB industry. ere are understandable con- cerns, but there is also a cultural/historical fear of the competition. We are at the begin- ning of the supply chain. ere is a lot of extremely valuable data and information on the table to enable the supply chain and ulti- mately the consumers. Also, there could be a huge advantage to competitors if that data were captured, anonymized and then shared with unauthorized parties. Some PCB manufacturers have hundreds of the same type of equipment on the shop floor; some others have just a few. Clearly, the bigger data sets generally allow faster and more reliable models, which might be an advantage for the first, and a disadvan- tage for the second. Are there systemic hurdles or barriers for companies not adopting this technology? For adoption of this in-line inspection tech- nology, the primary hurdle is the proper cal- culation of the cost and benefit. With tradi- tional AOI, the value is known and clear. In- line is more challenging as there are many other variables you now need to weigh into the value equation, from the calculated value of not needing a technician there while the line is running, to catching defects and poten- tial scrap earlier where not as much value is built into the panels, to predicting defects, to potentially self adjusting process dris with- out manual interventions. If we focus on the bigger picture, the IIoT plat- forms and its ROI, would MKS' Atotech help its customers calculate that ROI? Yes, and this brings up the value of IIoT solu- tions, beyond just the optical inspection ele- ment. Let's say we compare the cost of the technology to connect a tool and equipment with the outside world—collecting, storing, and analyzing the data, and then getting the actionable insights. Each step has its chal- lenges and costs to achieve. Yes, you could work with a big soware player like Micro- so, AWS, or Siemens that knows exactly how to bring data from industrial equipment into a data lake and can figure out how to create an interface for you. ey have thou-