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Current IssueSales: From Pitch to PO
From the first cold call to finally receiving that first purchase order, the July PCB007 Magazine breaks down some critical parts of the sales stack. To up your sales game, read on!
The Hole Truth: Via Integrity in an HDI World
From the drilled hole to registration across multiple sequential lamination cycles, to the quality of your copper plating, via reliability in an HDI world is becoming an ever-greater challenge. This month we look at “The Hole Truth,” from creating the “perfect” via to how you can assure via quality and reliability, the first time, every time.
In Pursuit of Perfection: Defect Reduction
For bare PCB board fabrication, defect reduction is a critical aspect of a company's bottom line profitability. In this issue, we examine how imaging, etching, and plating processes can provide information and insight into reducing defects and increasing yields.
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Happy’s Essential Skills: Computer-Aided Manufacturing, Part 2 - Automation Examples
September 21, 2016 | Happy HoldenEstimated reading time: 4 minutes
- WIP tracking
- CNC for drilling
- Low-volume robot lamination
- Wastewater treatment process control
- AOI and Electrical Test
- Production scheduling
- Computerized plating and chemical control
- Laboratory automation of chemical analysis
- Inkjet individual board serialization for traceability
Figure 14 shows the overall CIM System Information Flow. This was the first implementation of HP’s automation strategy, “The Manufacturers Productivity Network.”
Figure 14: CIM information flow for the Sunnyvale PCB fabrication facility.
Figure 15 shows four of the automated systems controlled by the CIM network: a) Electroless copper and multilayer desmear line; b) Dual copper-nickel-gold/tin plating lines; c) Automatics chemical analysis, control and dosing; d) Robotic material handling in multilayer lamination.
Figure 15: CIM information network: a) Electroless copper and multilayer desmear line; b) Dual copper-nickel-gold/tin plating lines; c) Automatic chemical analysis, control and dosing; d) Robotic material handling in multilayer lamination.
References
- Industrie 4.0 Smart Manufacturing for the Future
- Introduction to Serial Communications, TalTech Instrumental Software Solutions.
- IEEE Standard Codes
- IEEE-488
- Message Automation & Protocol Simulation (MAPS™), GL Communications, Inc.
- “Semiconductor Productivity at HP,” HP Journal, July 1985.
- SEMI Standard E30, General Equipment Model.
- IPC Status of Standardization; IPC Committee Home Pages.
- Smart IoT Technology for Machine Condition Monitoring, Advantech B&B SMARTWORX
- Hermann, M., Pentek, T., Design Principles for Industrie 4.0 Scenarios, Working Paper No. 01/2015, technische universitat-Dortmund, 2015.
- Industry_4.0, Wikipedia.
- “Computerization comes to Plating,” Metal Finishing Magazine, May, 1978.
- MPN: Alive in Sunnyvale PCB; CIM brochure.
Happy Holden has worked in printed circuit technology since 1970 with Hewlett-Packard, NanYa/Westwood, Merix, Foxconn and Gentex. He is the co-editor, with Clyde Coombs, of the recently published Printed Circuit Handbook, 7th Ed. To contact Holden, click here.
Page 3 of 3Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
07/18/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007It may be the middle of the summer, but the news doesn’t quit, and there’s plenty to talk about this week, whether you’re talking technical or on a global scale. When I have to choose six items instead of my regular five, you know it’s good. I start by highlighting my interview with Martyn Gaudion on his latest book, share some concerning tariff news, follow that up with some promising (and not-so-promising) investments, and feature a paper from last January’s inaugural Pan-European Design Conference.
Elephantech Launches World’s Smallest-Class Copper Nanofiller
07/17/2025 | ElephantechJapanese deep-tech startup Elephantech has launched its cutting-edge 15 nm class copper nanofiller – the smallest class available globally. This breakthrough makes Elephantech one of the first companies in the world to provide such advanced material for commercial use.
Copper Price Surge Raises Alarms for Electronics
07/15/2025 | Global Electronics Association Advocacy and Government Relations TeamThe copper market is experiencing major turbulence in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 50% tariff on imported copper effective Aug. 1. Recent news reports, including from the New York Times, sent U.S. copper futures soaring to record highs, climbing nearly 13% in a single day as manufacturers braced for supply shocks and surging costs.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
07/11/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineThis week, we have quite a variety of news items and articles for you. News continues to stream out of Washington, D.C., with tariffs rearing their controversial head again. Because these tariffs are targeted at overseas copper manufacturers, this news has a direct effect on our industry.I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
Digital Twin Concept in Copper Electroplating Process Performance
07/11/2025 | Aga Franczak, Robrecht Belis, Elsyca N.V.PCB manufacturing involves transforming a design into a physical board while meeting specific requirements. Understanding these design specifications is crucial, as they directly impact the PCB's fabrication process, performance, and yield rate. One key design specification is copper thieving—the addition of “dummy” pads across the surface that are plated along with the features designed on the outer layers. The purpose of the process is to provide a uniform distribution of copper across the outer layers to make the plating current density and plating in the holes more uniform.