Global Citizenship: Together for a Perfect PCB Solution
Smart Automation: Odd-form Assembly—Dedicated Insertion Equipment Matters
Nolan’s Notes: Everyone Has Their Eye on India
Smart Design Data Is Essential for Industry 4.0 Manufacturing
May 10, 2019 | Patrick McGoff and David Wiens, Mentor, a Siemens businessEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Almost all of the conversation regarding Industry 4.0 is centered on the manufacturing floor, which is where the effect of the initiative is most felt initially. Little attention is given to the starting data for manufacturing—the data that comes from design. However, you can’t have smart manufacturing if your process begins with dumb data. As Pink Floyd said, “You can’t have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat!”
Industry 4.0 starts with smart data. Smart data means a complete dataset with intelligence embedded within it. Wikipedia defines Industry 4.0 as “a name given to the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies.” Data exchange is a pillar of Industry 4.0.
If the data can’t be computed, exchanged, and interpreted automatically, inputs must be interpreted by humans to determine how to process the job. Smart data allows automated processing from design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for test (DFT) to stencil generation, surface-mount technology (SMT), and test programming. It’s as simple as an if/then statement: if this condition exists, then take that action. If the system doesn’t know what this data represents, then it can’t do anything with it automatically.
Digitalization of the PCB manufacturing product model is smart data. It defines the PCB to be manufactured; and in so doing, it also defines the manufacturing processes required. The PCB design process evolves the digital product model from concept to manufacturing hand-off with a lot of multidiscipline collaboration required along the way (such as schematic/layout, ECAD/MCAD, harness/board, system/boards). Each step requires smart data to collaborate, and many checks along the way to ensure that nothing is corrupted during the collaboration process.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the April 2019 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
U.S. CHIPS Act Funding Detailed on SIA Website
09/12/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007The U.S. CHIPS Act has moved well into the implementation stage in 2025. But where has that money gone? The Semiconductor Industry Association has been tracking these projects and provides details on its website. It was updated May. Among the five key programs being managed under CHIPS, two stand out as influencing advanced electronic packaging: the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP), and the CHIPS Manufacturing USA Institute (MFG USA).
Zhen Ding Drives AI-Powered Digital Transformation
09/12/2025 | Zhen DingDriven by the surging demand for computing power fueled by AI, the semiconductor and PCB industries are forging closer integration, expanding their ecosystems, and pursuing shared growth. PCB has already become another NT$ trillion-dollar industry in Taiwan, growing in tandem with the semiconductor sector.
Flex Named to TIME's World's Best Companies List for Third Consecutive Year
09/12/2025 | FlexFlex announced its inclusion on the TIME World's Best Companies 2025 list. This marks the third consecutive year the company was included in this prestigious ranking, which recognizes top-performing companies across the globe.
Secure Semiconductor Manufacturing Acquires Full SMT Line from Manncorp
09/11/2025 | ManncorpSecure Semiconductor Manufacturing, LLC (SSM), an American-owned company dedicated to producing secure printed wiring boards and advanced assembly solutions in the MidWest USA, today announced the acquisition of a complete surface mount technology (SMT) line from Manncorp.
GlobalLogic, Ericsson Deploy Private 5G Network at Hitachi Rail’s State-of-the-Art Digital Factory
09/11/2025 | BUSINESS WIREGlobalLogic Inc., a Hitachi Group company and leader in digital engineering, has designed and deployed a state-of-the-art 5G private network at Hitachi Rail’s most digitally advanced facility in Hagerstown, Maryland, USA.