Saki Discusses Industry 4.0 and True 3D Technology

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Armstrong: Absolutely. One thing that's made that easier is we already had the quality data available to us and inherent in our systems to begin with. That has allowed us to now focus on this connectivity aspect and being able to exchange that data with other types of equipment. We also have a software group at our headquarters in Japan and in Europe. So there's a lot of activity going on with this, as well as, of course, in other projects like the focus on the miniaturization of components and then the need to be able to fully read and measure aspects for 0201 metric components. A lot of work going out in that area and it's all really tied together.

Las Marias: Manufacturers considered inspection as an added cost before, but nowadays they're finding it more and more relevant to have an inspection line in their manufacturing process.

Armstrong: There was a time in the early days of AOI where basically a lot companies just wanted to say that they had AOI, that they had an inspection process. But it wasn't necessarily utilized in a way that would be all that meaningful to actually improving the process and the end-product quality. This is again, another aspect for Saki that's really been an advantage, because since day one all the machines have been inspection and measurement machines. So, Saki has always had that capability for that kind of meaningful measurement and data that could be used and designed exactly with the idea of improving the process to improve the end-product quality.

As we move into the onset of 3D technology, maybe some of those that first had AOI just as a way of saying that they had inspection in the process, it now becomes something more meaningful and there's more that can be done with it. It can now be utilized in a more powerful manner. We've seen a big realization of that over the last couple years. I think there was a lot of reluctance with 3D in the beginning, but now everybody's realizing the benefits that that can bring versus the way AOI was viewed some years ago. So it really is being seen now how this can be used to improve the process and the end-product quality in a more meaningful manner.

Las Marias: How do you help those companies who have invested first in 2D AOI, and now need to transition to 3D as boards get more complex?

Armstrong: As new technology becomes available, and people see the benefits of it, they want to incorporate that technology into their process and into their factory. That really is a driving factor. The 3D technology, especially true 3D like Saki has, can be utilized in a manner that just wasn't there with the 2D technology. People are doing it because they're realizing the benefits that the 3D technology can provide. Saki, having the long legacy equipment in 2D, was able to carry all of that over into the 3D systems. So it makes Saki's 3D solutions even more powerful by bringing a lot of those features from 2D forward. Because the fact of the matter is some things are best inspected using 2D algorithms and other things are best inspected by 3D systems. Having a system that can handle both of those technologies equally as well is important to having a total inspection solution and inspection measurement. That certainly is a strength for Saki.

Las Marias: Does that mean that they have to take out their 2D AOI and replace it with 3D AOI, or can that equipment work together?

Armstrong: In some cases, it may be where they would be utilized together or for different products or different parts of the process, because the need for 3D can also be determined by the complexity of the board and the criticality of the product that you're making. All those factors come into play. But basically it's all going toward 3D. The benefits are becoming clearer and clearer, and especially when you got a system like Saki's that incorporates the 2D and 3D so well, really it doesn't make sense to invest in old technology and limit yourself that way.

Las Marias: What do you think will be the next stage in the development for the AOI equipment space?

Armstrong: That's a good question. As we know, of course, the interconnectivity and Industry 4.0 aspects are going to continue to be of great interest, and then the miniaturization and being able to accomplish the miniaturization with speed improvements and the flow of the factory. Those are certainly important factors in being able to inspect a greater range of components and greater situations on a board, densities and so on. These are ongoing endeavors, but certainly continue in that direction, and we'll see where else.

Las Marias: Quintin, is there anything that we haven't talked about that you think we should be talking about?

Armstrong: You're asking a tough question. I think that pretty well covers it for this realm. It's certainly a fast-moving industry. Technology is fast moving.  We see that with the Industry 4.0 endeavors, but there are a lot of good things going on.

Las Marias: How do you see this year developing?

Armstrong: This looks like a very promising year. We just went through an election year last year, that seems to have had some impact on things at times, but 2016 was good and there’s optimism in the market for 2017. With a lot of things going on, like autonomous vehicles and things like that, there's a lot of activity and things evolve so quickly. We see some important things happening that I think will continue to drive the market. Of course, inspection and measurement is a critical part of that as these things get to be more and more complex.

Las Marias: Thank you very much, Quintin.

Armstrong: Thank you.

This article was originally published in the June 2017 issue of SMT Magazine.

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