Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/582861
October 2015 • The PCB Magazine 15 FeATure WHELEN ENGINEERING REDUCES CyCLE TIME By BUILDING A NEW AUTOMATED PCB FACTORy features an impressive line-up of equipment and technology supplied by 39 different com- panies, almost all of which was purchased from U.S. suppliers. Not only did IPS build much of the equipment, they also played a key role its integration, engineering the software that con- nects and controls the manufacturing process and helping design and implement all the over- head utilities. And they are gorgeous overhead utilities, all clearly labeled, color-coded and snugly attached with U brackets. Our PCB007 team gets to vis- it factories all over the world and let's just say it's not commonplace to leave a shop saying, "Yeah, but those utilities, though!" In a factory like this, with so much to take in, something like the choice for overhead utilities almost gets forgotten among other notable takeaways, like the waste treatment system that allows the fac- tory to have no permits, or the Whelen-made alarms that sound when a certain part of the line has an issue, featuring a custom alarm for each process that enables the operators to easily pinpoint the problem. Things are done differently there, and with this kind of new technology and integration comes trial and error, as we saw firsthand with the soldermask portion of the line. But from the top down, Whelen seems like a company will- ing to take certain risks in order to bring manu- facturing back to America and no longer be re- liant on China. By taking a chance and giving Alex the go-ahead, they took that $7 million a year going to China and invested it back into American manufacturing and American jobs. The Whelen model gives fabricators plenty to consider for cycle time reduction through automation, and it might even persuade some OEMs to contemplate the possibility of a cap- tive shop. But what makes the Whelen facto- ry a true triumph in American manufacturing is their willingness to share innovative solu- tions with other North American PCB fabs for the good of the industry and our country as a whole. Being a captive facility, Whelen isn't worried about competition stealing business or certain processes, and this makes it an extreme- ly valuable resource for other fabricators want- ing to see new equipment like the Lunaris in a working manufacturing environment before considering it themselves. There's so much to be learned from a factory like this as manage- ment continues to prove these solutions are vi- able. Alex Stepinski and Whelen have set the standard for automated PCB manufacturing in North America; perhaps others will be inspired to innovate similarly through automation and further strengthen the reshoring movement. Following is the full interview with Alex, who gives a rundown of the Whelen factory, including which processes he thinks every fab shop should automate first. Barry Matties: Alex, we're sitting here, in a building that was empty not too long ago, with a completely automated circuit board fabrica- tion line. Please walk us through how this came about. Alex Stepinski: Well, I was hired a little over two years ago to de- velop a plan to see if it made sense for Whelen to make their own cir- cuit boards in-house. After about six weeks of investigation, I drafted a business plan as well as a drawing and met with the management iPS fully automated plating line.