-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Essential Guide to Surface Finishes
We go back to basics this month with a recount of a little history, and look forward to addressing the many challenges that high density, high frequency, adhesion, SI, and corrosion concerns for harsh environments bring to the fore. We compare and contrast surface finishes by type and application, take a hard look at the many iterations of gold plating, and address palladium as a surface finish.
It's Show Time!
In this month’s issue of PCB007 Magazine we reimagine the possibilities featuring stories all about IPC APEX EXPO 2025—covering what to look forward to, and what you don’t want to miss.
Fueling the Workforce Pipeline
We take a hard look at fueling the workforce pipeline, specifically at the early introduction of manufacturing concepts and business to young people in this issue of PCB007 Magazine.
- Articles
Article Highlights
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Happy’s Essential Skills: Computer-Aided-Manufacturing, Part 1—Automation Protocols
September 14, 2016 | Happy HoldenEstimated reading time: 19 minutes

I have addressed automation planning previously in this series, so I hope by now you realize the difference between ‘automation’ and ‘mechanization.’ In printed circuit fabrication and assembly, most of what is advertised is mechanization. But when you get to assembly test, then you begin to see true automated solutions. The difference between the two is the networking and protocols that supply the information and data. An industry for us to look to as an example: our brothers in semiconductor fabrication. This industry has had fully automated factories since the mid-1980s.
INTRODUCTION
This column is dedicated to the automation protocols that currently exist and some new ones just coming on the market. In Part 2, I will present some examples from my own projects.
The ‘messages and recipe data’ needed for production scheduling-to-machine connections has evolved over the years. The selections to be covered here are:
- Serial RS-232C/RS-485
- Parallel IEEE-488/HP-IB
- MAPS™ protocol
- SECS I & SECII/GEM protocols
- OML
- IPC-2541
- LAN (IEEE-802.3 and TCP/IP)
- Wireless and IoT
Recipe-to-Machine and Machine-to-Machine
When I started working with automation control in 1970, we had ASCII characters in parallel cabling. So we started by using these printer and teletype protocols to control machines. Sometimes, we had only BCD to work with! Today you have the ‘lights-out-factory’ and Industry 4.0 initiatives. A lot of progress is the result of the automotive industry’s application of PLCs and robots to manufacturing. Figure 1 shows what the Germans foresee for Industry 4.0[1]. Figure 2 shows the 4-level hierarchy of CAM, while Figure 3 shows typical networked factory control units.
Figure 1: The scope of Industry 4.0 enables an intelligent plant (planet). (Source: Advantech)
Figure 2: Enterprise and plant control topology showing the 4-level hierarchy. (Source: Renesas Edge—Big Data in Manufacturing)
I was fortunate to be employed by Hewlett-Packard. Their 2116-model computers (and later, the 2110) were real-time-interrupt driven computers and ideal for machine control. HP had even developed a CNC machine control system but decided not to sell it since it did not fit their instrument or computer sales force’s experience. They sold all the CNC systems to Allen Bradley in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Thus, I ended up working frequently with AB to buy back the software that HP had developed. This was serendipitous as AB introduced me to their programmable logic controller (PLC) technology. PLCs became a major tool in machine control.
Figure 3: Typical industrial automation controllers and PLCs. (Source: Wenatchee Valley College, Nevada)
Page 1 of 5
Suggested Items
'Let’s Talk Production Test' with Bert Horner of The Test Connection, Inc. at SMTA Long Island Meeting
04/02/2025 | The Test Connection Inc.The Test Connection Inc. (TTCI), a leading provider of electronic test and manufacturing solutions, is pleased to announce that its President, Bert Horner, will present at the SMTA Long Island Chapter Technical Meeting & Dinner on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. The event will take place at the Radisson Hotel Hauppauge in Hauppauge, NY.
IPC APEX EXPO 2025 Review: Shifting My Focus to the Show Floor
04/02/2025 | John Watson, CIDIPC APEX EXPO 2025 marked a significant milestone as it celebrated its 25th anniversary. (Personally, I don’t think it looked a day over 20.) If you didn’t attend this great event, why not? This was my 10th anniversary of attending, and it had a distinctly different feel. There was a celebratory atmosphere as both veterans, like myself, and first-time attendees, were drawn into a celebratory occasion marking the significant milestone of the 25th anniversary.
PGZ, Safran to Pursue Further Cooperation
04/01/2025 | SafranPolska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. and Safran, a French high-technology group and major player in aerospace and defense, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly pursue further business opportunities as part of European defense industry cooperation efforts.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Revitalizing the U.S. Microelectronics Industry with PCBAA
04/01/2025 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOPCBAA president David Schild discusses his experience in the PCB and aerospace sectors, focusing on the mission of the PCBAA and its collaboration with IPC. He highlights the decline in PCB manufacturing in the U.S. and the importance of public policy in restoring capacity.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Highlighting Global PCB Trends and Technologies with all4-PCB
04/01/2025 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOAndy Shaughnessy and all4-PCB's Ralph Jacobo discuss global distribution trends in the PCB industry, focusing on new technologies in plasma etching and final inspection. Ralph highlights the importance of IC substrate buildup technology and partnerships in the market.