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May 22, 2024 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
SMTA’s 2024 Wisconsin Expo & Tech Forum wrapped up another well-attended event on May 7 in Milwaukee, with more than 50 exhibitors. Visitors had plenty of time on the exhibit floor between sessions to meet with key industry suppliers and look at everything from tools to tests.
The event also included tech sessions, a keynote panel discussion, a lunch sponsored by Ellsworth Adhesives, and lively discussions on unlocking success in SMT manufacturing.
Mike Marshall, a field application engineer at NCAB gave an insightful opening tech session focused on lowering the cost of PCBs through smart design choices. Mike has been in the industry for 40 years and has vast real-world experience. He provided many smart points for designers to consider, from hard to soft costs, and broke down each in a well-thought-out presentation. In some cases, he said that your choices could save you a lot of cost and cycle time and stressed that the best way to start is by collaborating with your manufacturer at the beginning of the design process. This is good advice we often hear from those in the supply chain.
After the sponsored lunch, a five-member keynote panel, moderated by chapter president Paul Wilson, kicked off the afternoon. The keynote panel included Marc Apell of ITW EAE, Joe Clure of Kurtz Ersa, Geoffrey Post of MacDermid Alpha, Marshall Summers of Universal Instruments, and John Neiderman of ZESTRON.
The room was full, and the panel sparked a lively discussion on unlocking success in SMT manufacturing in two key areas: efficiency and quality. Much of the conversation revolved around the solder paste application to reflow.
The panel provided some counterintuitive advice on process optimization. One point was to improve output by reducing conveyor speed and adjusting fans rather than adjusting heating temperatures. As they pointed out, the boards may come out slower, but the time you save waiting for oven temps to increase or decrease is a net gain.
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