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June 2014 • SMT Magazine 95 It is 2014, After All The information technology of today is a world away from the homegrown and com- mercial point solutions of the past. Hardware, software and operating systems have developed to become reliable for professional applications, even critical ones such as live manufacturing. Looking at how integrated solutions today work, spanning the entire process from design through to the final product shipment, it can seem that there is a very big step to take, espe- cially for those who have stuck with only the kaizen style continuous incremental improve- ment philosophies for a significant time. The compelling event to drive the change has come in two parts. Firstly, the understanding that the current operational process will not be able to meet future business needs, and secondly that alternative solutions are now available, can practically be adopted, and the benefits ob- tained are very significant. Back to Basics: eliminate the variation The legacy automotive practices were formed on sound principles. Uncontrolled vari- ation, as nicely defined by Six Sigma has always been the enemy of volume manufacturing. The new solution for manufacturing is one where variations have been removed while retaining or even promoting flexibility. This starts with design, where the "perfect" design will have been qualified against the practical operational requirements of manu- facturing, so as to ensure that manufacturing processes will run within their optimum capa- bility, providing the best possible performance and yield. Manufacturing-driven design for manufacturing (DFM) systems can eliminate is- sues that would otherwise force manufacturing process compromise. A fully qualified product model can be delivered to manufacturing as a single complete object, for example, using the ODB++ file. Today, the setup of manufacturing can be done within a single process preparation tool, taking the fully qualified product model and creating all the necessary engineering data for all of the different processes, all the way from initial surface mount to the final test, including all documentation for manual assembly, inspec- tion, and repair. With software simulation of the machines operation and central library man- agement, virtually all potential human error is avoided. Process setups, machine programs, and documentation can be specifically assigned to steps within work-orders to ensure that pro- cesses can only execute the intended operation, eliminating variation from data management. The supply of materials can also be con- trolled, using the qualified process preparation setup data, ensuring that only the correct spe- cific materials are used. The verification process provides confirmation and management for live material conditions such as moisture con- tamination. This ensures that no variation in the product will come from the use of any non- qualified materials. The source of flexibility comes from the planning tool, which can work effectively only where changes can be made without significant cost or risk. Having confidence that any prod- uct can be prepared for any capable line con- figuration within its optimum operational pa- rameters, without the need for line down-time, where only the correct version of the programs will be used, and only the correct selection of materials can be made, makes this possible. The manufacturing operation can now change as often as required without the creation of varia- tion that would trigger potential quality issues. Integrated intelligent software systems can today provide this level of control and assurance, while recording every event as process and material traceability, creating automatically an electronic build record for each individual product. Of course, it is not only automotive that can benefit from this operational paradigm. In most sectors of electronics, flexibility while retaining performance and quality is an essential element for business success. The time has come for ev- eryone to embrace what technology can really bring to manufacturing. SMT Michael ford is senior market- ing development manager with valor division of Mentor Graphics Corporation. To read past columns, or to contact the author, click here. The eSSenTial pioneer'S SurViVal guide IS IT OK TO Be HuMAn? continues