Nolan’s Notes: Finding Your Sweet Spot
Standard of Excellence: Delivering Excellence—A Daily Goal
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Tin Whisker Mitigation in Aerospace Applications, Part 3
Automation War Stories From ICM Controls
April 22, 2020 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Members of the I-Connect007 editorial team met with Andy Kadah, president of ICM Controls, and Kevin Jobsky, senior marketing manager, via teleconference on March 20, 2020. Originally, the purpose of our conversation was to discuss factory automation implementation details. Yet, we conducted the interview in the midst of a rapid-fire and wide-ranging onslaught of executive orders from the federal level on down to the local level meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
As we navigated the setup and capture of this interview, New York State-level mandates were being announced, shifting the target for the ICM Controls management team on an hour-by-hour basis. One can sense the can-do attitude and urgency to respond to these shifting requirements in the interview transcript. Although it was impossible not to intermingle the two topics—automation and responses to the COVID-19 outbreak—as a whole, this discussion sheds light on the qualitative changes that factory automation can bring to one’s business methods. We pick up the interview a few minutes in.
Nolan Johnson: Let me introduce you to Happy Holden, who is one of our consulting technical editors. He is an industry luminary and a pioneer of HDI manufacturing techniques. Happy spearheaded much of the industry, including a lot of techniques related to smart or automated factories. Happy, before this interview started, we talked about roll-your-own equipment.
Andy Kadah: It’s great to meet you. We’re crazy engineers here, who also happen to build what we design. We built all the production benches and a lot of our conveyor systems. We build all of our own test equipment, and we’re about to go on a little robotics binge because I have some ideas on how we can build some robotic test benches. You would be amused. This facility is an engineer’s toyshop. You can dream something up and have it in your hand in a very short period of time around here. We have the electrical hardware design capabilities and embedded software development, along with product design and the capability of 3D modeling the captive circuit board. We also have the contract manufacturing assembly equipment, in addition to the machine shop for building fixtures automation and benches, molding equipment, surface-mount equipment, and test equipment that’s all automated.
Happy Holden: One of the sets of blueprints I have is a build-it-yourself hoist handling system for panels that maintenance men can build out of one-inch tubular steel welded. You put it behind the line and load up your batches and hit the run switch, and it runs along the back, dipping the panels—plus, you can still dip by hand from the front, and it uses electromechanical timers.
To read this entire interview, which appeared in the April 2020 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
DownStream Acquisition Fits Siemens’ ‘Left-Shift’ Model
06/26/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007I recently spoke to DownStream Technologies founder Joe Clark about the company’s acquisition by Siemens. We were later joined by A.J. Incorvaia, Siemens’ senior VP of electronic board systems. Joe discussed how he, Rick Almeida, and Ken Tepper launched the company in the months after 9/11 and how the acquisition came about. A.J. provides some background on the acquisition and explains why the companies’ tools are complementary.
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
06/26/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonThere's a story about a young woman preparing a holiday ham. Before putting it in the pan, she cuts off the ends. When asked why, she shrugs and says, "That's how my mom always did it." She asks her mother, who gives the same answer. Eventually, the question reaches Grandma, who laughs and says, "Oh, I only cut the ends off because my pan was too small." This story is a powerful analogy for how many PCB designers approach routing today.
Connect the Dots: The Future of PCB Design and Manufacturing
07/02/2025 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsFor some time, I have been discussing the increasing complexity of PCBs and how designers can address the constantly evolving design requirements associated with them. My book, "The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Designing for Reality," details best practices for creating manufacturable boards in a modern production environment.
Siemens Turbocharges Semiconductor and PCB Design Portfolio with Generative and Agentic AI
06/24/2025 | SiemensAt the 2025 Design Automation Conference, Siemens Digital Industries Software today unveiled its AI-enhanced toolset for the EDA design flow.
Cadence AI Autorouter May Transform the Landscape
06/19/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazinePatrick Davis, product management director with Cadence Design Systems, discusses advancements in autorouting technology, including AI. He emphasizes a holistic approach that enhances placement and power distribution before routing. He points out that younger engineers seem more likely to embrace autorouting, while the veteran designers are still wary of giving up too much control. Will AI help autorouters finally gain industry-wide acceptance?