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98 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2026 Data From the Factory Floor The first link in planning your smart factory is understanding the fundamentals of "Where is all my work?" and "Who has been working on it?" This is the role of work in process (WIP) tracking or manufacturing execution systems (MES). ERP sys- tems are also suitable. An MES has many features that one can custom- ize for PCB fabrication. The data that needs to be captured depends on the type of manufacturing you perform and the number of different products you support. The data can vary (Figure 3) from manage- ment and financial to technical and environmental, as well as from other sources, like utilities. Data From Sensors Collecting and monitoring process data for SMT assembly is easier than for PCB fabrication if the assembly equipment supports the IPC-CFX fac- tory standard. However, many PCB processes are manual or use machines that have no available networking protocol. In these cases, you need to purchase numerous sensors or build them in your maintenance department. The most common sen- sors are specific gravity, temperature, conductivity, metal content, and ampere-hours for plating 1 . Once you install the sensors, you can wire them for alarms or replenishment or connect them to a data acquisition system to feed a database. For SMT assembly or PCB fabrication machines, you can connect latent equipment to networks through Seica Spa's ShoeBox, which, aside from older SMT and fab machines, can connect to many sensors. Data Collection and Monitoring Equipment data collection is the foundational pillar for analyzing the effectiveness of production lines. Manufacturers capture production data, alarm information, and specific parameters in the man- ufacturing process. For SMT assembly, the IPC- CFX standards can help with data collection. You can then identify areas for improvement and opti- mize production processes. But in PCB fabrication, there are no established standards. Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) use protocols such as PRO- FINET (Process Field Network), Modbus TCP, or OPC-UA, along with the SEMI process standard of SECSII/GEM. Once established, detailed data anal- ysis provides valuable insights into production per- formance, facilitating continuous improvement and enhanced operational efficiency. Condition Monitoring As an important part of the smart factory, condition monitoring involves real-time tracking of the equip- ment's performance through IIoT data, allowing real-time assessment of the equipment's health. By analyzing this data, you can quickly detect perfor- mance deviations and act to minimize failures and yield losses. Condition monitoring enables pre- dictive-proactive maintenance actions, giving you equipment that operates at peak efficiency and reduces unplanned downtime. Figure 2: The pillars of data analytics are stages of information collection and analysis. H A PPY ' S T EC H TA L K #4 6