-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueAll About That Route
Most designers favor manual routing, but today's interactive autorouters may be changing designers' minds by allowing users more direct control. In this issue, our expert contributors discuss a variety of manual and autorouting strategies.
Creating the Ideal Data Package
Why is it so difficult to create the ideal data package? Many of these simple errors can be alleviated by paying attention to detail—and knowing what issues to look out for. So, this month, our experts weigh in on the best practices for creating the ideal design data package for your design.
Designing Through the Noise
Our experts discuss the constantly evolving world of RF design, including the many tradeoffs, material considerations, and design tips and techniques that designers and design engineers need to know to succeed in this high-frequency realm.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
Happy’s Essential Skills: Computer-Aided-Manufacturing, Part 1—Automation Protocols
September 14, 2016 | Happy HoldenEstimated reading time: 19 minutes

I have addressed automation planning previously in this series, so I hope by now you realize the difference between ‘automation’ and ‘mechanization.’ In printed circuit fabrication and assembly, most of what is advertised is mechanization. But when you get to assembly test, then you begin to see true automated solutions. The difference between the two is the networking and protocols that supply the information and data. An industry for us to look to as an example: our brothers in semiconductor fabrication. This industry has had fully automated factories since the mid-1980s.
INTRODUCTION
This column is dedicated to the automation protocols that currently exist and some new ones just coming on the market. In Part 2, I will present some examples from my own projects.
The ‘messages and recipe data’ needed for production scheduling-to-machine connections has evolved over the years. The selections to be covered here are:
- Serial RS-232C/RS-485
- Parallel IEEE-488/HP-IB
- MAPS™ protocol
- SECS I & SECII/GEM protocols
- OML
- IPC-2541
- LAN (IEEE-802.3 and TCP/IP)
- Wireless and IoT
Recipe-to-Machine and Machine-to-Machine
When I started working with automation control in 1970, we had ASCII characters in parallel cabling. So we started by using these printer and teletype protocols to control machines. Sometimes, we had only BCD to work with! Today you have the ‘lights-out-factory’ and Industry 4.0 initiatives. A lot of progress is the result of the automotive industry’s application of PLCs and robots to manufacturing. Figure 1 shows what the Germans foresee for Industry 4.0[1]. Figure 2 shows the 4-level hierarchy of CAM, while Figure 3 shows typical networked factory control units.
Figure 1: The scope of Industry 4.0 enables an intelligent plant (planet). (Source: Advantech)
Figure 2: Enterprise and plant control topology showing the 4-level hierarchy. (Source: Renesas Edge—Big Data in Manufacturing)
I was fortunate to be employed by Hewlett-Packard. Their 2116-model computers (and later, the 2110) were real-time-interrupt driven computers and ideal for machine control. HP had even developed a CNC machine control system but decided not to sell it since it did not fit their instrument or computer sales force’s experience. They sold all the CNC systems to Allen Bradley in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Thus, I ended up working frequently with AB to buy back the software that HP had developed. This was serendipitous as AB introduced me to their programmable logic controller (PLC) technology. PLCs became a major tool in machine control.
Figure 3: Typical industrial automation controllers and PLCs. (Source: Wenatchee Valley College, Nevada)
Page 1 of 5
Suggested Items
Global Semiconductor Sales Increase 27% Year-to-Year in May
07/07/2025 | SIAThe Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced global semiconductor sales were $59.0 billion during the month of May 2025, an increase of 27.0% compared to the May 2024 total of $46.4 billion and 3.5% more than the April 2025 total of $57.0 billion.
SIA Applauds Passage of Strengthened Semiconductor Investment Credit
07/04/2025 | SIAThe Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) released the following statement from SIA President and CEO John Neuffer following passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1).
Horizon Sales Celebrates 10 Years of Exceptional Service by Sales Leader David Smith
07/02/2025 | Horizon SalesHorizon Sales, a premier manufacturers’ representative and distributor for the electronics assembly industry, is proud to announce that David Smith is celebrating 10 years with the company this month.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
06/27/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007While news outside our industry keeps our attention occupied, the big news inside the industry is the rechristening of IPC as the Global Electronics Association. My must-reads begins with Marcy LaRont’s exclusive and informative interview with Dr. John Mitchell, president and CEO of the Global Electronics Association. For designers, have we finally reached the point in time where autorouters will fulfill their potential?
Reflections and Priorities: An Update to I-Connect007 Readers
06/24/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007The electronics and manufacturing industry is evolving rapidly—with new technologies, deeper global connections, and a growing drive toward sustainability. To reflect these changes and our place in this dynamic space, we’re refreshing our brand.