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28 SMT Magazine • June 2017 SPI measurement, it's rather easy because you have just height differences of a very few micro meters. If you go for post reflow, measurement becomes more challenging, because we have from small components up to very tall compo- nents. You have to cover a whole range. Speed, of course, is the second factor. You have to make sure that your measurement speed is in-line capable and covering your whole board, and not only certain components. Las Marias: You mentioned earlier that it makes sense to have a setup wherein you got 2D or 2.5D, and 3D, in an inspection line. Bornemann: Yes. Basically, we would start from the 3D, but there are a few limitations. We have a lot of limitations on the 2D, you still have a few limitations on the 3D. So, we still believe that implementing a couple of 2D factors into our 3D system is helping you on speed, on in- spection, and quality. OCR is an example. For OCR, you don't necessarily need 3D, but 2D in- spection of OCR can help you a lot in increas- ing the speed. So, a combination of 3D, 2D, and 2.5D is really the best solution for speed, inspec- tion depth and inspection quality. Las Marias: How do you convince customers who are still very much focused on the cost issue? Bornemann: Cost, of course, is a very impor- tant issue. Here, we're coming back to the speed again. Because the more throughput we can of- fer, the easier you can utilize the machine and the sooner you get your ROI. Looking into Asia, we are also offering price-performance machines, which include the full range of our high-end machines at certain limitations. Cost, of course, is a very important factor in Asia, and we're able to handle this with our so-called Asia machines as well. Las Marias: I think the cost of failure when sys- tems break down is higher than installing sys- tems earlier on in the process, right? Bornemann: Correct. That's why, you know, we are made in Germany, so sturdiness, repeatabili- ty is really an important factor. Especially when you go into high-end manufacturing, of course, where you want to make sure that if you test the board today and your customer brings back the board in two years, the results are still the same. So that's why we spend a lot of effort into repeatability, sturdiness, and I would say that is one of the really big advantages our machines have. Las Marias: What can you say about the China market right now? Bornemann: We still see huge opportunities here. You know, we are coming from the auto- motive, and our long experience can really help us. We see a lot of local automotive manufactur- ers now, which is a big opportunity for us. We managed to get into the smartphone business here, and China is still driving the business. For us, the China market is still a great challenge, but also a really, really great opportunity. Las Marias: What about competition? Bornemann: Yes. Everybody wants to go into China. The demands of Chinese customers are growing, and so we are seeing that they are coming closer to the demands of European au- tomotive customers. Las Marias: Is there anything else you would like to talk about? Bornemann: I think we covered most of it. 3D is the trend to go with. Local customers in high- end industries are getting more and more im- portant for us. China is still the SMT driving market, and I believe we have to be here. We are celebrating our 10-year anniversary of being in China this year, which also shows we are a glob- al company with a local focus, with long-term partnerships. I believe this is also a very impor- tant key factor when you want to go into China as a foreign company. Las Marias: Guido, thank you very much for your time. Bornemann: You're welcome. SMT 3D INSPECTION IS THE WAY TO GO