Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1546933
OCTOBER 2026 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 29 too many interacting variables to make that adjust- ment safely without engineering judgment. We have enough data to provide good guidance on how to address the issue, and then they can re-optimize. That human step helps make sure you don't start covering up issues. That brings us back to the start of our conversation about automotive electronics programs and pro- duction capacity shifting or expanding across the Americas. When multiple locations are expected to build the same automotive component, how do you achieve comparable results at different facili- ties, potentially with different equipment? This ties right into Heat to Data, where we've devel- oped a metric in our software for that. Customers might have the same recipe in multiple factories, yet the profiles are different. Their first reaction is often to talk to the oven manufacturer. But what's the goal? They want the same quality result. To achieve a comparable quality result, it does not matter if the recipe is different. Oven condition, airflow, mainte- nance history, and production loading can all affect heat transfer, so identical settings do not guarantee identical profiles. We created this process window index that's similar to a CPK, where you have your process window, low and high, and your data. You run your profile with your thermocouple attached, say it's peak temperature, and your data ends up at some point in that process window. This index helps tell our customers how this process compares to the line right next to it or the line across the world. Now, instead of saying, "I'm running this recipe versus that recipe," it's based on the quality result of the profile itself. That drives our optimization model. We try to build that kind of engineering knowl- edge into the software. Customers have historical profiles already in their data set. The software can look at all their historical data and recommend a recipe. Then we can further optimize it to get them using that optimal PWI value, which is the end goal. When customers have transparency and good visibility into the process, they can more easily demonstrate that they're in control. They also gain that last critical element: traceability. In automotive, process data often must be retained for extended periods based on customer-specific and regulatory requirements. The reflow profile can become part of that production record, providing a more complete manufacturing history. That's super, and a great place to finish. Excellent. I appreciate it. SMT007 Adjusting parameters can be complex. In this example changing conveyor speed has a dramatic effect on tem- peratures at the end of the process.