SMT007 Dec2020

DECEMBER 2020 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 1
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ON DEMAND ON DEMAND
DECEMBER 2020 • FEATURED CONTENT
Hiring and Training

Even in our skilled, technology-heavy industry, some entry-level manufacturing positions seem
to turn over as rapidly as the drive wheels of a locomotive. You can, however, stop the churn-and-
burn approach and start recruiting young, well-trained employees more likely to stay put. How,
exactly? That’s what this issue is all about.
10 10 Lorain County Community College’s

Successful MEMS Program
Interview with Johnny Vanderford
and Courtney Tenhover
24 IPC Addresses Critical Industry

Skills Gaps With Electronics
Workforce Training
by David Hernandez and Carlos Plaza
24 34 Training Is Hard,
But It’s Also Soft
by Jahr Turchan
44 Happy’s Essential Skills:

Recruiting and Interviewing
by Happy Holden
44 52 FEATURE COLUMNS:
30 Put Your Operators
in the Driver’s Seat
by Eric Camden
52 Redefining Recruiting to Attract

and Hire the Right Talent
by Alfred Macha
4 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020
DECEMBER 2020 • ADDITIONAL CONTENT
ARTICLE:
8 66 High-Density PCB Technology
Assessment for Space Applications
by Maarten Cauwe, et al.
COLUMNS:
8 Hiring and Training
by Nolan Johnson
60 Changing Roles in the Digital Factory

by Michael Ford
60 DEPARTMENTS:
89 Career Opportunities
98 I-007e Educational Resource Center
99 Advertiser Index & Masthead
HIGHLIGHTS:
42 Market
50 MilAero007
66 58 Supplier
86 Top 10 from SMT007.com
SHORTS:
48 Lean Digital Thread: Micro-Solutions—
Solving One Challenge at a Time
65 High-Tech, High-Value Cleaning Answers
Made Easy With KYZEN’s Tech-2-Tech
84 Test Connection’s Bill Horner
Remembered
Innovative solutions for complex
circuit board manufacturing
Click to see what we bring to each sector of the industry:
RF/Microwave Power High-Speed

PCBs Electronics Data
Automotive Lamination Startups

Electronics
Our technology produces what our customers dream!
www.candorind.com | (416) 736-6306

Hiring and Training
Nolan’s Notes
by Nolan Johnson, I-CONNECT007
Some jobs are simply a revolving door. Have in, and only two remained: my friend and one
you noticed? A close friend of mine lost her job other employee.
at the start of the pandemic, but she bounced Meanwhile, the dealership hosted two other
back. In her case, work in her previous field hiring events. My friend watched two batches
wouldn’t be returning to normal for some time, of 10 come in behind her and quickly start par-
so she started seeking an interim job. That’s ing down, just as her class had. As she got to
how she ended up attending a job fair, partic- know her colleagues, she quickly learned that
ipating in a screening interview with a poten- only two had been on staff for a year or longer.
tial employer, and, ultimately, got short-listed. She stayed with the job for about 60 days.
In this case, short-listing meant that she was to Though she was successful selling cars, she
attend a two-day pre-hire training class. If she also deduced why the turnover was so high.
passed the class, she would get the job. To her credit, she was fortunate enough to land
As she told me about this process, I wasn’t a different interim job closer to her chosen pro-
sure whether it was genius or sketchy. This fession, so she moved. Just two months after
was equal parts audition, interview, and semi- her training, she left the dealership—the last
nar. When I asked what the job was, she said one from her class.
“retail auto sales and support.” When I asked Listening to the stories, I couldn’t help but
how many people in her class, she estimated think that it’s like watching sea turtles race for
20 or more. That seemed to me like quite a lot their lives to the safety of the ocean. Are there
of people who would work on the dealership any jobs like that where you work?
floor if everyone passed. The auto dealership saga points out that train-
My friend passed the class, but not everyone ing is either just a cost of doing business or an
did. When she showed up for her first day of investment in your company’s future. Which
work, only about 10 of her classmates’ names it is for you depends upon your approach,
were on the work schedule. Before she even doesn’t it? The dealership was uninterested in
received her first paycheck, that group of 10 making changes to keep salespeople on staff;
was already whittled down to five. Thirty days I guess they just decided that 100% turnover

every 60 days was as good as it was going to Our columnists are all on-point this month as
get. Paying for the monthly recruiting program well. Eric Camden puts your operators in the
was just a cost of doing business for them, driver’s seat, Alfred Macha redefines recruiting
much like keeping the lights on. to find the right talent, and Michael Ford con-
In this issue, we look at how training and siders the changing roles in a digital factory.
hiring have adjusted to the times and to the Finally, in the spirit of increasing your skill
immediate staffing needs for our industry. Even level, we bring you two pieces of technical con-
in our more skilled, technology-heavy indus- tent: a paper from 2020 IPC APEX EXPO titled
try, some entry-level manufacturing positions “High-Density PCB Technology Assessment for
seem to turn over rapidly. You can, however, Space Applications” by Maarten Cauwe, et al.,
stop the churn-and-burn approach and start and “High-Tech, High-Value Cleaning Answers
staffing with young, well-trained employees Made Easy With KYZEN’s Tech-2-Tech,” a
more likely to stay put—but how? We learned webinar review by Pete Starkey.
a lot as we put this issue together. Training will continue to be a key part of the
Take, for example, the MEMS Program at infrastructure of our industry. While it is a cost
Lorain County Community College in Ohio. of doing business, it need not be an expense;
Johnny Vanderford and Courtney Tenhover it most certainly can be turned into an asset
detail how and why their program is so suc- for your company if you bring the right mind-
cessful. Likewise, Dave Hernandez and Carlos set to it. SMT007
Plaza outline IPC’s training and certification
programs, continuing to push toward the mil-
lion jobs commitment. Jahr Turchen discusses Nolan Johnson is managing editor of
not only certifications and hard skills but also SMT007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30
soft skills training and Blackfox’s curriculum years of career experience focused
development in those topics. Finally, Happy almost entirely on electronics design
Holden details a pair of his essential skills and and manufacturing. To contact
shares his approach to recruiting and hiring. Johnson, click here.

Lorain County Community College’s Successful MEMS Program
Feature Interview by the I-Connect007 Johnson: We need a lot of that in this industry.
Editorial Team
Vanderford: I couldn’t agree more.
The I-Connect007 editorial team had the plea-
sure of an extended and detailed conversation Courtney Tenhover: I’m a program developer
with Johnny Vanderford and Courtney Ten- at LCCC. I work on the earn-and-learn side
hover from Lorain County Community College of the program with Johnny, including get-
(LCCC). Vanderford and Tenhover are at the ting job placements for students, working with
heart of the microelectromechanical systems employers to understand their needs, and pair-
(MEMS) program at LCCC that is emerging as ing students and employers together. I have an
a model for a successful technical higher-edu- HR and project management background, so
cation program. This conversation was lively, bringing that to this program helps me work
and the enthusiasm at LCCC is infectious, as it with employers on the HR side. Johnny is the
should be; their results are impressive. technical expert.
Nolan Johnson: Can you please introduce who Vanderford: My background is in electrical
you are and what you do? engineering. I have a master’s degree from
Northern Illinois University. A primary part
Johnny Vanderford: I’m an assistant profes- of my degree is based on electronic materials
sor and coordinator of the MEMS program at and hybrid board manufacturing, including a
LCCC. I am also the director of LCCC’s new variety of different types of PCBs. The degree
Manufacturing Electronics and Rework Insti- we teach is microelectronics manufacturing.
tute for Training (MERIT). The content of our It’s how PCBs are manufactured, assembled,
degree and institute is primarily focused on repaired, reworked, and designed with some
training with hands-on skills in electronics additional skills in microelectronic packaging,
manufacturing. such as wire bonding, die attach, and even a

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little bit of some chemical fabrication of silicon Johnson: How far afield from LCCC do these 70
wafers and PCBs. companies range? What’s your circle of influ-
The degree is heavily focused on career ence here?
placement in electronics manufacturing. It is
designed to be a workforce generator to help Vanderford: LCCC is located in Elyria, Ohio.
fill the pipeline. We require every student in Around 90% of these companies are within a
our program to have accumulated 600 hours 40-mile radius around the center of Cleveland.
of paid workforce experience, or the student We’ve had companies in the surrounding area,
doesn’t get their degree, and the commu- including as far as Indiana and Pennsylvania,
nity college won’t get state share of instruc- that need a similar skill set. If students were
tion (i.e., additional funding for continuing) interested in moving toward another place,
for helping students get degrees. We all know they would have careers there as well. We tell
someone who has a degree in one thing, but the students the same thing. It’s nice to have
they’re working in a completely separate field. opportunities and options available for you.
We have tailored the program using input and
feedback from our industry supporters so that Johnson: What sorts of jobs do students land?
we can train students in
necessary electronics man- Tenhover: Predominantly, students land assem-
ufacturing skills, such as bler, hand soldering, electromechanical, and
hand soldering, hot air SMT operator, technician, and engineering
rework, loading pick-and- positions as they near more of the end of their
place systems, and stencil bachelor’s degree. Those are the most com-
printers with solder paste. mon titles. Some are hired as electrical interns,
Students can get trained and other smaller employers just don’t have a
at the college while they’re job description with the title, so they hire them
taking classes, and they in and use them in a wide range of areas.
get employed at companies
Johnny Vanderford working part-time from one Johnson: With eight years of history, I’m sure
to three years while they you can look back to some of your first stu-
continue toward their bachelor’s degree. My dents. How have their career paths progressed?
role is to give them the technical content, and
Courtney’s role is to connect the students with Vanderford: The first student who graduated
the companies on an HR level. When we go to from our program did an internship working
companies, I talk engineering with engineers. part-time with a small company in Elyria that
Courtney finds out what the job needs are, gets is a contractor for packaging. They are a high-
those job requests to our students and alumni, mix, low-volume contractor for sensor pack-
gathers the resumes of those interested stu- ages, so they do die attach, wire bonding, and
dents and alumni, and sends them back to the testing facilities involving HAST, X-ray, and
company’s HR line. That way, the engineers SEM imaging. One student had his first intern-
tailor the technical content to the program, ship and then used his associate’s degree, as
and the company has a steady flow of work- well as his experience, to go down to the Ohio
force that is ready to begin working. State University in Columbus while also work-
Throughout the last eight years since we’ve ing for the NanoTech West Laboratory on cam-
started, we have had 100% of all students in pus. He expanded on his packaging skills. After
the program who have graduated placed in he had his bachelor’s degree, he was hired as an
careers at our 70 supporting companies. Every- engineer by GM to work on transmission sen-
one who has graduated out of this program sors with the Corvette with the central engine.
has been hired at a company doing electronics Many of our students see a similar type of
manufacturing. progression. They can go from a smaller com-
pany to a larger company or help a smaller Vanderford: This is one of the hardest things to
company grow. They use a soldering iron or talk to students about because every student
a hot air gun after reflow or AOI, and they coming out of high school wants to make an
do small touch-ups and repairs, or they sol- impact. A lot of them think, “I can make an
der through-hole components. It’s a skill set impact by working at a higher-level job and
that’s needed to be able to produce a product. making a big salary.” That’s not how most
They get to know the company and product companies work. We tell students, “You’re not
and develop relationships there, which leads to going to get hired for a managerial position.
higher roles on the SMT or AOI lines as opera- You need to build a relationship with that com-
tors. We have one student who runs AOI, pick- pany and the product.”
and-place, and stencil print all on one line. We
have students who are progressing into more Tenhover: We know that not every employer is
box build testing and becoming quality super- able to hire students. In defining our employer
visors too. partners, we invite employers to be a part of the
Most of these companies are extremely design of the program and provide feedback on
happy to get someone who knows how to do the curriculum because we want them at the
soldering without any upfront training. We table from day one. When
provide the training in the first year of the pro- they are ready to hire some-
gram, and then they get hired into the com- one, they’ve been a part of
pany, and they’re able to “hit the ground run- the process the whole time.
ning.” We teach them the do’s and don’ts. We That has been really help-
show them what happens when you leave the ful in engaging employers.
hot air pen on the board for too long. You burn We want them at the table,
the board and pads, and it smells really bad. even if they can’t hire an
At that point, it’s a damaged product, and you intern.
can’t do anything very easily with it. We detail College is expensive any
lead solder processing versus lead-free solder way you look at it, but our
processing. We train them in industry-relevant community college price is Courtney Tenhover
skills that will help get them jobs with mini- on the lower end. For a full-
mal training at the company when they first time student, our bachelor’s degree in micro-
get hired. electronics manufacturing costs $3,800 per
Sure, they make mistakes in college, no one year. That’s $1,900 every semester, which is
is perfect at first, but when they get to the com- one of the lowest-cost bachelor’s degrees in
pany, they have experience that they received Ohio. Our product is our students. In the end,
through training. We’ve had some students the companies that hire our graduates are our
get hired at companies that normally take two customers.
to three months of training before they can
do any processing. But after going through Feinberg: Not only are they the customers, but
our program, in less than a day, they are on the people who buy their products are your
the floor producing and helping the company customers, too.
make products. They stay in the business. This
model has worked well. Vanderford: Exactly.
Dan Feinberg: They need to realize that no Feinberg: Do you see any effect of the move-
matter what the job is, when they start their ment out of China and, in some cases, back to
career, they’re at the bottom. And there’s noth- the U.S. for manufacturing?
ing wrong with that because we all start at the
bottom. But on the second day, they’re no lon- Vanderford: As we approach this situation, we
ger on the bottom. look at companies that are increasing their
The other side is different. We tell students
that this isn’t a dirty factory position. If you go
into some of these factories, they’re gorgeous.
You might have to wear clothes that protect
from static discharge and ESD, but it’s clean
and amazing. Students see videos of these fac-
tories, and their jaws are wide open, and their
eyes brighten up. They say, “That’s not how
the factory looked that I’d pictured.” Factory
manufacturing is different from electronics
manufacturing. It’s becoming more and more
appealing the more that we show it.
Johnny Vanderford, assistant professor and MEMS
program coordinator, demonstrates manufacturing
Feinberg: I totally agree with you. At a recent
virtual technical conference I attended, they
processes in the lab.
toured a PCB facility, and I was just totally
manufacturing capabilities within the local amazed. When I started, we had to figure
area. We saw an article in Forbes Magazine out how to manufacture. There weren’t many
from around 2017 that called the Midwest the resources to document the industry we were
new Silicon Valley of the U.S. Overall, manu- creating. Now, those people have exited the
facturing is coming back to the U.S. strong. industry or are about to.
We’re in the Rust Belt, so we’re very interested
in getting folks within the area. But we’ve Vanderford: There is a gap there. Some have
had companies from as far away as Florida called it the “silver tsunami.” Everyone with
that want more manufacturing of their prod- decades of tribal knowledge, skill sets, and
ucts done in the U.S., and they want people experience at a prosperous company in man-
trained to be able to do that. That same com- ufacturing is getting ready to retire. When a
pany said, “Pass our job descriptions to your company has this happen to them, they can
students. It would be great if they could move pull from one of two places: a traditional uni-
down here.” versity or off the streets.
The big manufacturing necessity is making With someone who has gone to a traditional
products to fight COVID-19. An excellent exam- university, they may not necessarily have
ple of this is an EMS company in LaGrange. hands-on skills, and they may require addi-
They have about 100 employees who can man- tional training, but at least they have a degree.
ufacture products with their biomedical ISO However, they may ask for additional funding
13485 certificate. When COVID-19 hit, they because they have an expensive degree.
received a contract order to make portable Meanwhile, people who are green off the street
ventilators, which were desperately needed in have no training or background experience, but
hospitals. They considered building a new line, they can get hired for less money. However, they
they hired more people in, and they’re produc- require so much training that some of the com-
ing things on additional shifts as well. Their panies can’t keep up. Some of this training and
manufacturing is strong for them, making application takes six months to a year of pro-
products to fight COVID-19. I couldn’t agree duction time and product. Ten people might get
more with how manufacturing has increased hired, and one year later, only one employee
in the area. And who’s helping this company might remain as a viable worker. For many com-
make these products? LCCC MEMS students, panies, especially smaller ones, that’s completely
a degree that this company, and many more unacceptable in terms of what they need for com-
companies helped tailor so that they could get petent technical staff. They want people who are
their workforce pipeline filled. better trained and able to do manufacturing.

Johnson: With those numbers, you’re not talk- get the pick-and-place back up and running
ing just 12 months. For all 10 workers, you’re because the whole line is not producing. Every-
talking about 10 years. thing down the line is waiting on you. It’s up
to you to fix this efficiently and effectively so
Vanderford: Exactly. That’s a long time. One that we can continue producing again.” Some
of the big reasons for this is internal train- people say, “I’ll get this done tomorrow,” but
ing mechanisms. For many companies, train- when the machine is down, the yellow light is
ing isn’t a primary part of what they do. As flashing, and nothing is producing, you have
a manufacturing facility, they produce prod- to fix it right then. We encourage the people
ucts. Training is important to them but not as we train to learn how to troubleshoot effec-
important as production. Many companies say, tively and efficiently.
“Here are some videos to watch. Now, shadow The luxury of being a training institute is
this person for the next three months. Maybe we can offer a way to not only show them the
we’ll get an issue that shows up.” right way to do things but also the wrong way.
At LCCC, we force those issues on them. Many people learn based on a limited amount
We purposely put a little goblin in the room of training experience, and they don’t learn to
to mess up the equipment. We do the oppo- do hand soldering effectively. While instructing
site thing that companies want to have happen on hand soldering and hot air rework, we don’t
to all of their equipment so that students gain have to worry about products being destroyed.
timely troubleshooting skills. They have to set In our case, they’re built to be destroyed and
it right by the end of the day so that they can burned so that the students can see what it
make boards, or they’re not going to get points looks like and how bad it is.
for their lab. It’s this level of how we train peo-
ple at the college that sets us apart from more Feinberg: It’s too bad you’re not enthusiastic
traditional training programs. about this (laughs).
For example, we show them what the issue
is and the dangers of having the pick-and-place Vanderford: I love what I do. I love it when I see
machines down because one of the nozzles is a student say, “I got the job.” It’s the best thing
jammed. We tell them, “Your stencil printer is in the world because you know a company got
sitting there and waiting because the machine a good employee and the student has a career
is down. The stencil print inspection system and will get a quick return on the investment
before that is now waiting, too. We have to because the degree costs less than most uni-
versities.
Feinberg: The value of the industry just went

up a little bit.
Vanderford: Exactly. It’s growing the manufac-

turing community around us.
Holden: How much academic theory or engi-

neering methodology is included in the pro-
gram?
Vanderford: We get questions like that a lot,

such as, “Why doesn’t your degree have any
Lorain County Community College students calculus or advanced physics? Why do students
gain practical skills in operating and troubleshooting learn how to do photolithography and chemi-
machinery across the entire assembly process. cal etching on PCBs without having three or

four chemistry classes?” They have only one
chemistry class behind them before they start
doing PCB etching and fabrication for one of
our classes. Our program is how it is because
the industry drives it. We only teach course-
work that the companies around us want stu-
dents hired in.
We have three PCB fab houses in our area.
Two of the companies have hired our stu-
dents, not because we made them experts, but
we gave them the gist. They understand what
photoresist is. They know what it’s like to pro-
cess it in an amber-lit room, expose it under-
neath the mask, and etch it in a tank of hot fer- MEMS student training also includes
ric chloride. We cover the types of chemicals, inspection and testing.
the dangers of handling the chemicals, devel-
oping formulas, and why they shouldn’t bring next day, we say, “Twelve of those resistors are
a given chemical near the ferric chloride etch. bad. Hot air and rework them. Put new ones
These aren’t extremely advanced things that on that are going to look different.” We also
require huge amounts of advanced theory, have a working relationship with a company in
but at the same time, that person walks into Colorado. We’ve received products from them,
the door of these companies, and upper man- too.
agement says, “They already know a little bit
more than some of my employees here, and Johnson: How did such a focused electronic
they know 10,000 times more than anyone else manufacturing program get started in Ohio?
who has ever walked through my door before.”
They’re not an expert, an advanced physicist, Vanderford: This program started in 2013, when
or an advanced material science person, but we asked for money from the state to begin
they are valuable from the start. a program that was involved with electron-
ics manufacturing. We thought it would be
Feinberg: Are you building a relationship with an interesting skill set. But the question came
not only the component suppliers but also oth- from the state, “Why do you want to do this,
ers? and why here?”
LCCC’s president at the time was interested
Vanderford: We have a pretty good relationship in doing this as well, but at the same time, the
with a few companies, including two PCB fab- state said, “We’ll give you funding, but there
rication houses near us in Grafton and West- has to be a career path reason behind this.”
lake, Ohio. One manufactures some of our That’s when I was hired and started asking,
PCBs for free for the intro class. With the very “How many companies around our area do
first PCB that most students get, on the front any sort of microelectronics manufacturing?”
part, there’s a bunch of 1206, 0805, 0603, 0402, At first, we found eight companies in the Ohio
and 0201 resistors that are all in series with the area that said, “We need technical help.” We
back of it on here having parts for capacitors, worked quickly, funding was available, and we
diodes, transistors, and SOP chips. didn’t want to lose that.
This is something that they learn how to sol- Companies told us what coursework the stu-
der in the first six months of the program. And dents should be trained in and asked if there
we don’t just give them one; we give them a was a way the college could help feed the
good five or six. We tell them, “You have 24 workforce pipeline with these students. We
resistors that you must solder by hand.” The said we’d make working a credited require-
ment of the program. Our TRAIN OH model “What do you want your workforce trained
that the NextFlex Institute of San Jose, Cali- in?”
fornia, helped us implement moves as much
of our collegiate classes onto a two-days-per- Johnson: How active are your employers in
week schedule, leaving the remaining three defining the course material?
days per week to work. Here, the link was
made that our whole program was built on—a Vanderford: We meet twice a year as a group
bridge between industry and education. to talk about how we can tailor the program.
These aren’t big manufacturing companies Once they hire someone in, we ask, “How is
in Ohio; there’s no Apple, HP, or Google here, this person doing? Can we do anything to help
but there are lots of mid-sized and smaller train them further in some of our classes?” The
companies that make the products for the big- degree becomes dynamic at that point. It’s not
ger companies around the same program year
us. There is a company after year, especially
that manufactures the since everyone’s elec-
parts that go into hos- tronic products change.
pital equipment for a We just got the
large biomedical man- request last year to start
ufacturing company. doing hand solder train-
One company manufac- ing in 01005 SMT resis-
tures all of the products tors. We’ve been doing
that go into a leading 0201s, and the company
blender and food pro- said, “We just bought
cessing brand. Another more equipment for
company with around putting down smaller
120 employees manu- components, so we
factures products for a need someone familiar
well-known MRI sys- with hand dexterity.”
tem. Other companies That’s the skill that will
we’re in contact with include one that makes get someone hired at one of these companies.
radios for the nautical industry that are built It comes from the college taking accountabil-
to block sailing environments, one that does ity for their degree, talking to these companies,
contract-level packaging, and one that makes and discussing what their needs are. The com-
small PCBs for camera lens systems for vision panies drive the content of the curriculum, so
placement robots. we’re teaching skills that are valuable toward
Every time we find a new company that’s that career path.
interested, we’re excited. A lot of these com-
panies and startups don’t have globally recog- Holden: There are lots of community colleges
nized names, but they manufacture for them, in the U.S., but I don’t know if their graduates
and they need help, too. On top of that, LCCC get good-paying jobs or have a work-study pro-
has a business incubator, the Desich Entrepre- gram like this, where they work and get paid
neurship Center, where companies with up to while taking classes. This is financially an out-
25 employees can rent space for low-volume standing solution rather than going into heavy
manufacturing general office stuff. There are debt.
approximately 20 companies in those build-
ings right now. If those companies hire a stu- Vanderford: Some of the bigger companies find
dent out of the college, their rent that they pay that our tuition is so low and say, “A year in
to the college goes down, and Courtney and I this degree costs as much as a class at a bigger
are the ones knocking on their doors, asking, university, so we’ll just pay for your degree.”

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We get students who come out
debt-free with a job. That’s a
great way to exit college.
We tell all of the students,
“You’re not taking a class. You
are getting trained in some-
thing that a company has said
they need skilled workers for.”
Some of our classes are not all
electronics. We offer classes on
AutoCAD, SolidWorks, mechan-
ical drafting, and GD&T. We
teach them to make PCBs, but
there are a lot of mechanical Lorain County Community College students have access to the MEMS lab
parts of those PCBs. Quality is during evening hours as well, minimizing conflicts with their current jobs.
important too. Our students get
Yellow Belt/Six Sigma certified, as well as gain hot air rework, as well as what will happen
Lean manufacturing experience. when a feeder is loaded incorrectly with the
wrong part. That’s what MERIT is going to be
Feinberg: Not only that, but they learn what is all about.
being dealt with by those in the same industry. The cost is going to be increased compared
to the tuition because they’re going to be pri-
Vanderford: This is something that every stu- vate classes offered at a faster pace where
dent goes through and that our local compa- someone could get potentially 24–36 hours of
nies have been really happy with. For instance, experience on a pick-and-place tool. But we’ve
we were even contacted by a company in Bos- received requests from all over the U.S., includ-
ton, Maryland, that wanted people who could ing Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana,
wire bond, do photolithographic processing, Kentucky, and more.
and had SMT pick-and-place experience. This could be for people who have worked
Other companies have said, “We need 25 slide line and want to work as an SMT oper-
people trained up now. How can we do that?” ator. Another case might be when a company
They can send them over to LCCC and/or the hires a sales manager, but how many peo-
Manufacturing Electronics and Rework Insti- ple with a sales degree know anything about
tute for Training (MERIT). We will train them PCBs? Not that many of them do when they
on the same SMT equipment. It’s the same first come out of college, but you send them
thing that our bachelor’s degree students are to us, and we give them a crash course with
getting in a shorter period of time. Rather than hands-on experience, detailing what a PCB is
offer the traditional 16-week classes at the com- and how it’s manufactured. All of a sudden,
munity college level of $3,800 per year for full- they have an edge.
time student tuition, we’ll open up our doors
and offer hands-on training with our equip- Johnson: You’ve created a consistent onboard-
ment during daytime seminar hours, offering ing training program for the employers. You
classes that will last 3–5 days with a custom- have become their training department.
ized training fee.
We’ll put them on an SMT line and show Vanderford: That’s what we want to become.
them how to put solder paste down on a sten- As a community college, we train in skill sets.
cil. We’ll show them how to clean up a stencil, The students that we have in the MEMS pro-
ensure that the fiducials are clear, load feed- gram are usually working during the daytime.
ers, program and do AOI, hand soldering, and When they’re done with classes, they come to

us at night and train on our equipment during Tenhover: That sounds about right in some
the late afternoon and evening hours so that places. Even with COVID-19, we haven’t seen
we’re using the equipment all day and all night a decrease. There’s still that need for students.
long for training purposes.
It’s a fully functional production line. Some Vanderford: The need for a trained workforce
companies have asked to use it for prototypes, seems to have become a lot more important
but we recommend the production be done at lately. At the same time, colleges are experi-
our company supporters. We don’t want to be encing a low rate of incoming students enroll-
in competition with them. We’re not set up ing. For the last four years, we have had every
with quality inventory liabilities. We want to seat in our program maxed out at the very
train their workforce. beginning, while touring interested students
throughout the year.
Johnson: What’s it like interfacing with the One of our areas that we’ll be growing in will
companies themselves? be hiring additional instructors. As a public
community college, we require people with a
Tenhover: They’re all very enthusiastic. In particular degree to teach. Typically speaking,
Johnny’s advisory committee meetings, there’s if you want to teach for an associate’s degree,
high attendance, participation, and feedback. you have to have a bachelor’s degree, and if
They usually go overtime because everyone you want to teach for a bachelor’s degree, you
is so excited to share their feedback and talk have to have a master’s degree, etc.; however,
with Johnny. A lot of the employers want to we’re not just going to hire someone with a
hear about the degree and what students are Ph.D. who hasn’t worked for the industry. We
learning. They’re very eager to send us their need instructors who’ve gotten their feet wet!
job openings and to interview students. For After college, I worked for a solar cell com-
example, an employer recently shared some of pany, which was a private company that man-
their openings, a student was interested, and ufactured a vertical multi-junction photovol-
they interviewed later that same afternoon. taic solar array that used an amplified mirror to
They make room to interview our students as increase the light. We had investors that came
quickly as they can. in, and if they didn’t invest in the company,
A lot of their excitement also comes from the we didn’t have a paycheck. These companies
way Johnny interacts with them. He
constantly seeks feedback and adjusts
the program. If Johnny learns that
many employers are trying to have one
particular skill, he changes his plan
for the day, takes all the students in
the lab, and teaches them that skill.
It’s not a stagnant degree; it’s always
developing to what employers need. If
a student comes in from their intern-
ship and doesn’t know something they
need to do on the job, Johnny and our
lab instructors teach them so that they
go back to work and have the increased
scale that they need.
Johnson: I have talked with a handful

of other programs, and they’re not all
having the same results that you are. Vanderford talks soldering details with MEMS students.

people interested in the program, moti-
vated students, and ongoing feedback
from these employers who are hiring.
As long as you’re listening and adapting,
your program continues to spin up.
Vanderford: One of the things that we get

that’s different as a community college
is the variety of incoming students. I like
to say that this degree is from kids aged
six to 60, which doesn’t fall too far from
where the fence is. For example, we
have high school students taking college
classes so that they can earn an associ-
ate’s degree while they’re in high school,
which is called College Credit Plus.
One man got his degree at age 61
Workbenches with inspection equipment in a through our program. Now, he’s working
MEMS program lab space. for a company in Wooster, Ohio, doing
PCB manufacturing. They’re one of the
expect results, and that’s how we treat this only companies in our area that has a machine
program. We ask ourselves, “Are the compa- to automatically place through-hole compo-
nies happy with the workforce that they get?” nents, and he also does box builds. He came
Companies often want to hire out of our pro- into college originally as a retired letter carrier
gram. For instance, Lincoln Electric hired two from the U.S. Postal Service, and he wanted to
students out of the program. They put them say to his grandchildren, “If Grandpa can get
through the company’s two-week training a college degree, so can you.” He walked out
program. The company found out in the first with a degree and a job and told his grandchil-
week that they were so good at what they’ve dren, “If Grandpa can get a job, so can you.”
been trained in from the MEMS degree that We also have military veterans using their
they were outperforming people who had been VA and GI Bills, and this program is appeal-
there for years. They told us, “We haven’t seen ing because it’s low-cost, career-centered, and
people like this for a while.” Afterward, they offers job security. Many DoD contractors like
created a position just for MEMS students from hiring veterans. One of our participating com-
LCCC. They’ve since then called back and panies designs and manufactures infrared
asked, “Can we please get more?” cameras for detecting human heat signatures
Companies are realizing more and more that to help rapid-fire artillery equipment lock onto
students trained in the MEMS degree know human targets through walls. They like getting
what they’re doing, and they don’t have to military personnel that come in because they
train them because they can just hit the ground have clearance. That’s what they need in order
running right when they hire them. It’s fantas- to hire someone in.
tic. That’s how you produce.
Johnson: Thank you both very much for your
Johnson: It’s an amplification loop. You dialed time.
in some very specific needs for the employers.
You started delivering on that, which created Vanderford: This has been great.
more demand and spread the word about how
students can get a job and career out of this pro- Tenhover: Thanks so much. SMT007
gram. It’s almost guaranteed. Now, you have

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IPC Addresses Critical Industry Skills Gaps
With Electronics Workforce Training
Feature by David Hernandez and Carlos Plaza most potential employees simply do not have.
IPC—ASSOCIATION CONNECTING ELECTRONICS In fact, a recent report by Deloitte [1] revealed
that the skills gap—the difference between
Our commitment at IPC is to help the world the skills that employers need and those that
build electronics better, and a core compo- are available from workers looking for a job—
nent of that promise is education. In this arti- may leave an estimated 2.4 million U.S.-based
cle, we will review how IPC certification and manufacturing jobs unfilled between 2018 and
workforce training programs work to fulfill the 2028. The resulting loss in productivity, reve-
pressing educational needs of the electronics nue, and missed opportunities for expansion
industry. could cost as much as $2.5 trillion.
Over the past three decades, IPC standards While the IPC certification programs serve a
and certification programs have played a crit- critical role in ensuring that our workforce is
ical role in protecting public safety and pro- knowledgeable about IPC standards and their
moting excellence by ensuring the quality, reli- requirements, the industry has been clear that
ability, and consistency of electronic products. these programs are only part of the solution.
In 2019, IPC worked with its global network Throughout 2017 and 2018, IPC interviewed
of certification centers to certify over 108,000 over a thousand industry members across the
individuals across 200 countries and 21 lan- globe to better understand their training needs.
guages to seven IPC standards. The ubiqui- The results of this study, as well as subsequent
tous adoption of these programs speaks to the interviews with both IPC members and non-
strong partnership forged between IPC and the members, led to the development of the IPC
electronics industry. Electronics Workforce Training Initiative. In
Just like certification, training has always 2018, IPC signed the Pledge to America and
been an indispensable part of doing business, committed to deploying this initiative in com-
and rarely has it been more so than the pres- bination with its certification programs to train
ent. The rapid pace of technological innovation one million workers in the electronics industry
and new ways of working require skills that over a five-year period.

Operators
The Electronics Assembly for
Operators (EAO) training program
was released in August. This pro-
gram introduces operators to the
key concepts, tools, materials,
and processes required to consis-
tently assemble high-quality PCBs
and is comprised of 18 training
modules. The first nine modules
are mandatory and cover topics
the industry determined are crit-
ical for every assembly opera-
tor. These include PCB assembly,
safety, ESD and product handling,
component identification, draw-
ings and specifications, basic PCB and PCBA
The IPC Electronics Workforce defects, and the use of standards. The second
Training Initiative set of nine modules are optional and include
The goal of the IPC Electronics Workforce more detailed information about specific areas
Training initiative is to provide easy-to-imple- of assembly such as SMT and TH technologies,
ment, cost-effective, and efficient training pro- hand soldering, conformal coating, hardware,
grams that teach the knowledge and skills and press fit.
needed to perform specific job functions to The program’s modular structure allows
industry-defined levels of proficiency. Each of for flexible implementation. Those organiza-
our Workforce Development Programs is built tions that need generalists can have their stu-
through a partnership with the industry. We rou- dents complete all 18 modules, while those
tinely speak with dozens of industry members that require specialists may opt to have stu-
around the world about the issues they face. dents complete the first nine modules and only
If training is identified as a solution, a volun- those optional modules that relate directly to
teer group of industry subject-matter experts their specific job role. Since each block of nine
works with IPC learning professionals to design modules requires an average of 16–20 hours
and develop materials and courses that meet to complete, the total commitment to the pro-
these specifically defined needs. Finally, we gram is one week at the top end.
test the resulting educational solution in real- A second operator focused program, Wire
life settings and make any required changes Harness Assembly for Operators (WHO), is
before making it available to the wider pub- nearing launch. This program’s 14 modules
lic. The IPC EDGE online education platform are also divided into mandatory and optional
allows anyone, anywhere, to access this con- units. The first seven modules cover core
tent at any time. knowledge and skills such as safety, docu-
The IPC Electronics Workforce Training ini- mentation, materials and components, tools
tiative adheres to three core principles: Train- and equipment, wire preparation and pro-
ing solutions must address real-world skills cessing, and inspection and testing. The sec-
gaps, be developed through industry partner- ond group of modules is focused on specific
ships, and provide for flexible implementation. job tasks such as crimped and soldered termi-
We have begun by addressing critical skills nations, splicing, connectors, labeling, secur-
gaps that industry members are experiencing ing and coverings, and finished assembly. The
with new operators and PCB designers. program has entered the beta testing phase

with novice wire harness operators at volun- Introductory-Level Course and the eight-week
teer organizations and is scheduled for public PCB Design II Intermediate-Level Course.
launch early in the first quarter of 2021. These courses are supplemented by a series
Both operator workforce training programs of advanced-level courses focusing on specific
are available in online self-paced and instruc- areas of design, such as extreme environments,
tor-led formats. Self-paced courses can be com- military and aerospace applications, rigid-flex
pleted independently from any device with boards, advanced packaging, embedded com-
an internet connection. ponents, RF boards, and
The instructor-led for- printed and wearable
mat allows instructors to devices.
stream the course to their
students from any con- What Is Coming Next?
nected device. Students in If you are anything like
instructor-led courses will us, then the next question
also access the IPC EDGE has to be, “What is coming
online platform to com- next?” Simply put, quite a
plete exercises and assess- lot. While it’s still a little
ments. In either format, too early to announce the
organization instructors next set of programs, we
may track student prog- can provide a preview. We
ress through the IPC EDGE are currently completing a
platform. job task analysis on PCB,
Workforce training programs also include a PCBA, and wire harness inspectors and tes-
series of optional hands-on activities that help ters. Once completed, we will begin working
reinforce learning. Students that complete the on a series of training programs to address the
required modules and at least one of the addi- various needs of these job functions. The first
tional modules earn an IPC certificate that of these programs are scheduled for release in
identifies them as a Qualified IPC Operator. late 2021.
These certificates are serialized with a unique To stay up to date on the latest news about
ID number that can be utilized for validation. the IPC Electronics Workforce Training Initia-
tive, or to learn about the current programs,
PCB Designers visit training.ipc.org. SMT007
Our approach to PCB design training differs
from operator level training in two ways. First, Reference
the programs are taught live on IPC EDGE by 1. Deloitte, “2018 skills gap in manufactur-
IPC instructors that have decades of high-level ing study.”
industry experience. This allows us to com-
bine the practical experience of our instruc-
tors with the convenience of online education.
Second, these programs utilize a project-based David Hernandez is the VP of
curriculum. The program instructor introduces education for IPC.
new concepts and leads discussions twice per
week. Weekly projects are assigned to reinforce
learning and to provide students an immedi-
ate opportunity to implement their new knowl-
edge. Each of these programs will be offered at Carlos Plaza is the senior director
least once in 2021. of education for IPC.
The two core courses in the IPC PCB design
curriculum are the six-week PCB Design I

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Put Your Operators in
the Driver’s Seat
Quest for Reliability
Feature Column by Eric Camden, FORESITE INC.
There are countless ways to optimize equip- blies. The J-STD-001 is how you build, and
ment and material to increase the quality and IPC-A-610 is what it should look like after the
reliability of electronics. Millions of dollars are product has been built.
spent every year on measurement equipment As part of my job, I have been either a CIT or
to look at solder joint quality, part placement, CIS for both J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 for pretty
solder paste application, and basically every much the last 15+ years. That is a big require-
possible measurable aspect of an assembly. ment when I am tasked with putting my hands
One part of the process that should receive elbow deep in your process for evaluation and
an equal amount of time and attention is staff- optimization. Most often, the teacher is a Cer-
ing and training, which is this month’s topic. tified IPC Trainer (CIT) and, if they pass, the
What a coincidence! Operator proficiency in students will be a Certified IPC Specialist (CIS)
larger contract manufacturers is most often an with the skills to build and inspect electronic
internal function with certified trainers over- assemblies.
seeing classes of employees on a regular basis. There are other levels of certification avail-
From my experience, the most common type of able to include a new certification, Certified
training is IPC J-STD-001 Requirements for Sol- Standards Expert (CSE), which is specific to a
dered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies and single standard. This makes you an “expert” on
IPC-A-610, Acceptability of Electronic Assem- a particular standard and can give you the abil-

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ity to make final referee calls. There is also the My point is that beyond the structured train-
Master IPC Trainer (MIT), which is the top of ing sessions, there needs to be internal “les-
the training food chain. They are the ones who sons learned” training specific to your facil-
certify the trainers that train the specialist. ity and equipment. Many times, this type of
J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 courses do not knowledge can play as big of a role in your
encompass every aspect of building or inspect- product’s reliability—that, and a 1974 Buick
ing electronic assemblies, but they cover most Regal that, while reliable, requires a lot of
topics. If need be, you can certify inspectors attention to stay that way. Just like an assem-
to look at bare boards, wire harnesses, rework bly line! Whew, that was certainly a drive to
and repair, and/or design, among others. No connect those dots.
matter the size of the CM, it is imperative to Staffing is the second part of this month’s
have properly trained operators on the floor topic, and having never been in the position to
doing the work and inspecting it to make sure directly hire anyone, what I have to offer should
it meets whatever acceptance criteria are called be taken with a grain of salt. What I can say
out on the drawing. from personal experience is you don’t need to
Just as important as having training done hire anyone who automatically has every skill
to some standard like the IPC is having the you are looking for. I was a drywall finisher
operators trained to look at your specific for five years before being hired at Foresite. I
assembly and knowing where to start look- started as a bench tech in the chemistry lab in
ing when something is out of control. This a time before autosamplers, which afforded a
goes back to another column I wrote some lot of time for reading up on both the electron-
time ago talking about tribal knowledge. In ics assembly process and at the root cause of
lieu of a copy/paste situation, the CliffsNotes the failures we were testing.
version is the industry is constantly losing Even back in the early 2000s, we had a few
more experienced employees who have been pretty good microscopes to go along with some
part of the build since its inception. With experienced engineers who would take time
age comes experience, and often, that expe- from their busy schedules to teach me a thing
rience includes time on the equipment used or two here and there when time allowed.
to build your product. You can’t teach experi- Sure, I had the luxury of time that others might
ence, but you sure can write it down for oth- not have, but the point is to hire people with a
ers to learn from. desire to learn more about what they are doing
Assembly process equipment is often like and why, beyond just being their job. There
driving a 1974 Buick Regal (which is not a ran- are no bad car puns or musical memories from
dom choice, by the way; that was my first car). the 1980s here—just a recommendation to hire
By that, I mean it would make certain noises people who are naturally inquisitive whenever
that I only learned the root cause of after driv- possible.
ing it for many months ( in the off chance I Your assembly floor managers and line oper-
heard it between Mötley Crüe songs). I knew ators are the first and last line that steer your
that one certain sound meant I was low on oil. reliability numbers. (I knew I could get one
Another sound meant my tire with the con- more in there.) SMT007
stant slow leak needed a few pounds of air.
In the same way, an experienced operator Eric Camden is a lead
knows that when they see a bad solder joint investigator at Foresite Inc.
or some other anomaly, they need to look at To read past columns or
reflow profile, belt speed, or some other param- contact Camden, click here.
eter. That is the type of thing that IPC (or any
other industry body) cannot teach. That is the
definition of tribal knowledge, and it’s being
lost all the time.

COM M ERCI
AL • M I
LITARY • M EDI
CAL • BAREBOARD
www.
usc
irc
uit
.com
Training Is Hard, But It’s Also Soft
Feature by Jahr Turchan In my job, I’m in a position to have conver-
BLACKFOX TRAINING INSTITUTE sations with dozens of EMS and fabricators as
they book their employees in for IPC certifi-
There is a disconnect in many manufactur- cations and recertifications. Customer require-
ing companies. This article is not about that ments demand that they employ certified tech-
disconnect, but rather a topic that gets clouded nicians. But what about those skills that are
and the objectives made more difficult by that not “required” by their customers? What about
prevalent disconnect. Business owners, vice communication and team-building skills and
presidents, and operational executives are customer service or time management? I have
expected to have a vision for the company worked in and served industries with the most
strategy. But what is not always fully known is stringent of requirements like medical, DoD,
the broad strokes of how to get there. aerospace, telecommunications, and automo-
The result is that these businesses can’t tive, and I have never seen a requirement for
effectively communicate company vision to soft skills training or training of support job
the tactical team they have employed to ensure functions for employees. The question is, “If
the proper execution of the day-to-day tasks. it is not required, does it merit our attention?”
Too often, these teams are left to focus on the The answer is that it absolutely does because
immediate needs of today. The constant call it benefits the bottom line.
for operational metrics—too often focused on It is no secret that more efficient operations
the bottom line—draws the attention away yield better profit margins. Operations manag-
from long term investments that will most ers endeavor on a daily basis to improve pro-
likely have the greatest overall impact on the cesses and find other means to optimize. Often-
bottom line. This investment is one that will times, this is done through the application
increase the value of the most valuable asset of more efficient machinery and equipment.
of the business, which is human capital. The Other times, it is accomplished by removing
investment is training. redundancies in the workforce. All too often,

they prefer to promote from within to
give their employees a chance to evolve
and grow with the company.
The trouble is just because an
employee has put in the time to master
a certain technical skill does not neces-
sarily mean that employee possesses all
of the tools needed for promotion. This
customer was looking for a way to better
develop in their hourly employees both
the skills and the tools. To accomplish
this will require a customized and online
learning portal from which the customer
can give access to its employees to learn
skills such as critical thinking, team-
work, communication, and leadership.
we overlook the opportunity to make our work- A terrific real-world example of the value
force more effective and efficient through the and benefit of soft skills can be found when we
proper application of training, but why? Well, look at our military veterans who have transi-
for one, it’s difficult to measure. In a metrics- tioned into civilian careers. Military.com lists
centric world, we prefer direct correlations. teamwork, leadership, cross-functional and
We like it when the new machine is two times transparent communication, critical thinking,
faster than the old one or uses 75% of the pro- and problem solving as some of the top soft
cess inputs for the same output. skills that are taught in the military and are
Training our employees in soft skills, such to be credited for a veteran’s success in the
as leadership skills, communication, conflict civilian workforce. The success of that veteran
resolution, and reinforcement of general math, will directly translate to a win for the com-
unfortunately, does not directly correlate to our pany that hires them. If the employee is win-
production metrics. There are, however, sev- ning, the company is winning. And with the
eral proven results that come from investing skill set mentioned previously, it is no won-
in training your employees, including attract- der that many companies report having a 60%
ing and keeping great employees, creating pro- increase in retention rates when they hire mili-
motable employees, and keeping employees tary veterans. Soldiers exiting the military with
engaged. Disengaged employees can be poison these skills likely did not have them when
in the workforce. At best, they are unproduc- they entered, which means they can be taught,
tive. At worst, they can actively work against
the company and damage the culture that has
been put in place. There is one more key aspect:
It forces you to look to the future. There is a
correlation between forward-thinking employ-
ers and successful employers.
In a recent discussion with a prominent Colo-
rado Springs manufacturer about online learn-
ing platforms, the desire for soft skills training
was identified. This company takes extremely
good care of its employees. They have top-shelf
benefits, excellent work accommodations and
break areas, and even a giant playground for
their employees’ children. Whenever possible,

Because failure is not an option.
In your daily life you are dependent on a

lot of products. The car you drive, the
airplane you fly in or the ECG equipment
measuring your heart. You expect them to
work – because they have to.
All electronic products have a PCB
inside. At first sight they may all look the
same. But it could be a world of difference
between a normal and a High Reliability
PCB.
High Reliability PCBs.

ncabgroup.com
which is exactly what we are trying to get man- and possibly time-bound—learning paths that
ufacturers to realize. consist of a bespoke combination of skills and
Blackfox has had veteran-focused train- include virtual instructor-led trainings to affect
ing programs for several years now. We help the desired outcome.
returning vets translate their military-learned Adult learning theory must be taken into
technical skills into applicable civilian tech- consideration during any instructional design
nical skills. These highly trained transitioned and content curation. The use of micro-learn-
soldiers are a hot commodity and are usually ing, real-world examples, experiential learn-
snatched up quickly by an employer partner. ing, the establishment of personal relevance,
Looking ahead, in 2021 we will continue and many other concepts are key to form-
this work through a collaboration with the ing concrete solutions for training. Once the
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) training is available and delivered, training
to develop and deliver must continue to inter-
a new transitioning face with the manufac-
veteran training pro- turer to deliver metrics
gram as part of NAM’s on the training that is
Heroes Make America being consumed. We
Program. Soldiers will can also help with put-
be trained through the ting a plan together to
pilot program at mili- track the impact of the
tary bases in Colorado training, whether this
Springs, Colorado, and is through operational
they’ll be available for metrics, measuring
hire across the nation. employee engagement,
And while there is likely to be a large amount or a variety of other methods.
of similarity between the technical and soft Blackfox has been training manufacturers on
skills that each manufacturing company is technical and soft skills for about 25 years. But
looking for, the exact method of delivery is times are changing, and we are adapting. The
bound to be fairly unique. While one manu- world has been on a faster and faster pace of dig-
facturer may want to give free for all access italization, and the global COVID-19 pandemic
to a variety of technical and personal develop- gave it a huge kick forward with the necessity
ment courses that can be taken in a self-paced to operate and interface with each other in a
manner, other companies will establish strict— remote environment. We’ve been asked to help

In your daily life you are dependent on a

lot of products. The car you drive, the
airplane you fly in or the ECG equipment
measuring your heart. You expect them to
work – because they have to.
All electronic products have a PCB
inside. At first sight they may all look the
same. But it could be a world of difference
between a normal and a High Reliability
PCB.
High Reliability PCBs.

ncabgroup.com
A Blackfox in-person class, prior to social distancing requirements.
IPC beta test how they deliver and assess IPC on more than 40 areas of competency. These
instruction and certification online. courses and learning paths are designed to
As such, we were one of the first to offer lead to nationally and internationally recog-
online IPC training. It was clear that these nized certifications and credentials. The skills
newly developed training vehicles are not a being offered are not limited to electronics
fad or quick fix, but rather it was a crash intro- manufacturing, but rather the entire manufac-
duction to a new norm. To be more responsive turing industry. Tribal knowledge of processes
and to have the best possible impact, we estab- can be digitized and delivered to ensure an
lished a cloud-based learning management sys- effective and efficient cross-training that will
tem that will enable us to have an even deeper create required redundancy where necessary.
impact on our customers. Blackfox will con- Training your workforce is akin to invest-
tinue to deliver IPC instruction and assessment ing in R&D. There is no formula that will tell
in the manner directed by IPC. you what your return will be, but you know
In addition to delivering complementary that if you don’t invest in R&D, your business
content for IPC-related instruction, organiza- will stagnate. With improved HR metrics, such
tions can now leverage a training platform they as cost per hire, employee turnover, employee
aren’t required to maintain for themselves to engagement, absenteeism, etc., it certainly
increase their efficiencies with the dissemina- seems compelling to make that investment in
tion of knowledge, as well as training and poli- your human capital. SMT007
cies for their organization. For example, a com-
pany’s onboarding process can be streamlined Jahr Turchan is the director
while adding a layer of accountability and of veteran affairs and advanced
automated follow up from either HR or that manufacturing programs at
employees’ manager. Blackfox Training Institute
Blackfox will have over 700 skills courses and can be reached at
(technical and employability skills) that focus jahrt@blackfox.com.

ELECTRONICS
WORKFORCE
TRAINING
POWER YOUR
POTENTIAL
NEW COURSES AVAILABLE NOW
• Electronics Assembly for Operators

• IPC-A-610 for Operators
• IPC-J-STD-001 for Operators
• Soldering Fundamentals
2/3 of electronic Upskill Your

industry companies VS Employees with
have difficulty finding IPC Electronics
production workers. 1
Workforce Training
IPC Electronics Workforce Training helps you
bridge the skills gap. Throughout 2020 IPC will launch
a series of training courses curated to the needs of the See our current course listing on IPC EDGE.
electronics industry. We’re working to make effective Courses can be offered directly to employees or integrated into your training programs.
training easier for you to deliver.
1
IPC. (2017). Findings on the Skills Gap in U.S. Electronics Manufacturing.
Applied Materials, BE Semiconductor Rohm Reducing Size of Automotive
Industries to Accelerate Chip Integration Designs With Ultra-Compact MOSFETs E
Technology E ROHM released the ultra-compact AEC-Q101
Applied Materials Inc. and BE Semiconduc- qualified MOSFETs, RV8C010UN, RV8L002SN,
tor Industries N.V. announced an agreement and BSS84X, best-in-class 1-mm2 size that
to develop the industry’s first complete and delivers automotive-grade reliability. The prod-
proven equipment solution for die-based hybrid ucts are suitable for high-density applications,
bonding, an emerging chip-to-chip interconnect such as ADAS and automotive ECUs.
technology that enables heterogeneous chip
and subsystem designs for applications includ- 2020 IEEE International Electron Devices
ing high-performance computing, AI, and 5G. Meeting (IEDM) Announces Virtual
Events Schedule E
NIST Releases Draft Cybersecurity The 66th annual edition of the IEEE Interna-
Guidance E tional Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), a
Taking another step toward strengthening the forum for the presentation of applied research
nation’s critical infrastructure, the National in transistors and related devices, announced
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) the details of its virtual schedule.
drafted guidelines for applying its cybersecurity NVIDIA Xavier Shatters Records, Excels in
framework to critical technologies, such as the
global positioning system that use positioning, Back-to-Back Performance Benchmarks E
AI-powered vehicles aren’t a future vision;
navigation, and timing (PNT) data.
they’re a reality today. And they’re only truly
possible on NVIDIA Xavier, our system-on-a-
Pacific Green Acquires Battery Energy chip for autonomous vehicles.
Storage System Design Company
Innoergy Limited E North American Semiconductor Equipment
Pacific Green Technologies Inc. announced that it Industry Posts September 2020 Billings E
acquired Innoergy Limited, a designer of battery North America-based manufacturers of semi-
energy storage systems whose clients include conductor equipment posted $2.75 billion in
Osaka Gas Co. Ltd. in Japan and Limejump Lim- billings worldwide in September 2020 (three-
ited, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc. month average basis), according to the Sep-
tember Equipment Market Data Subscription
Samsung, VeriSilicon Support Blaize (EMDS) Billings Report published by SEMI.
AI Platform E
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a world leader in SoftBank Group, NVIDIA CEOs on
advanced semiconductor technology, in collab- What’s Next for AI E
oration with design services provider, VeriSili- Sharing a vision of AI enabling humankind,
con, successfully supported the on-time market NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang joined Masayo-
launch of AI Edge computing startup Blaize’s shi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group
hardware platform, despite the COVID-19 Corp., as a guest for his keynote recently at the
pandemic. annual SoftBank World conference.

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Feature by Happy Holden method for the workforce. Management would
I-CONNECT007 approve 10 times as many “internal hire only,”
as they would “authorized for external hire”
Editor’s note: This article was originally and “relocation authorized.”
published online in 2016 and has since been What this meant was that there was always
updated. a lot of competition for the most talented engi-
neers in the company, as they could easily
Hopefully, your career has progressed to the transfer to any of the open “internal hire only”
point that you are empowered to recruit your jobs. If the recruiting manager pulled you into
own team or a key person for your team. There the new job, your current manager could not
are always technical people looking for better stop or oppose the transfer. This placed a lot of
jobs, but many times, the most talented are burdens on managers to properly coach, lead,
busy doing their work and not looking for new and challenge their team. Any team manager
opportunities. If you are fortunate enough to who was dominating, lacked delegation skills,
work for a company that has established a stel- or always issued orders instead of letting engi-
lar reputation, the job of recruiting becomes a neers do their job was soon exposed because
lot easier. This was what I found after working people transferred out, and no one wanted to
a few years for Hewlett-Packard. transfer in. Without hiring from the outside
(any good engineer would take any job just to
Recruiting get in), the lack of personnel became apparent.
As a result of our rapid expansion and auto- Printed circuit manufacturing was not one of
mation due to the phenomenal sales of the the jobs that electrical engineers in HP wanted
HP-35 scientific calculator, I was promoted to do. EEs were also not the best choice for
to process engineering manager. I needed to printed circuit manufacturing because chemi-
recruit more printed circuit process engineers. cal engineers, chemists, and mechanical engi-
HP had a unique method of distributing engineers had more skills useful to support the
neering resources. It was a kind of free-market PCB manufacturing process. Therefore, I was

authorized to recruit external hires. I was part Professional Organizations
of the college recruiting team, as 90% of HP Joining a professional organization is another
engineers were recruited from universities (BS, way of increasing your network, but most POs
MS, or Ph.D.). HP’s process for college recruit- have a website with job postings or “situations
ing was based on an early form of network- open” that you can take advantage of. The
ing. HP maintained close contact with depart- most useful organizations are those that have
ment heads and head professors of engineering monthly or bi-monthly meetings. They are great
departments at favored universities. places to meet and get to know your peers.
To recruit chemical engineers, we went to
those universities noted for their focus on Conferences and Seminars
industries like electronics, process control, and There is always an abundance of conferences
environmental. I contacted the department and seminars going on in electronics, espe-
heads for chemical engineering at five noted cially printed circuit manufacturing, design,
universities, including my alma mater. We and assembly. IPC is the most visible in North
asked professors to give us the names of their America, but it has its counterparts all over the
most talented graduating students that would world (EIPC in Europe, ICT in the U.K., JPCA
likely be interested in a career in electron- in Japan, TPCA in Taiwan, etc.). There are also
ics. We contacted the students and scheduled various SMTA conferences and seminars, as
appointments to interview them at a time con- well as other trade shows and events held by
venient for them rather than the fixed slots at other organizations.
the engineering placement office. Most chem-
ical engineers were not looking for careers in
electronics, but rather in petroleum, chemi-
Industry Newsletters and Magazines
There are numerous electronics newsletters
cals, pulp and paper, or energy.
that may have job postings as part of standard
features. The same is true of industry maga-
Recruiting in Good Times and Bad zines. If recruiting efforts have not returned
New university graduates proved to be excel- any results, then an ad placed in one of the
lent PCB process engineers. However, if you magazines may be the ticket. Just remember,
are looking for experienced engineers or sci- magazines have a longer lead-time than news-
entists, then other tactics are in order, such as: letters or newspapers.
• Networking with peers
• Professional organizations Internet Job Postings/Social Media
• Conferences and seminars There are many sites that cater to job search-
• Industry newsletters and magazines ing, including professional contacts through
• Internet job postings/social media LinkedIn. Through networking, a job posting
• HR departments and professional recruiters may be forwarded to someone who is looking
for something in your field.
Networking With Peers
This is always my first choice. If you’ve met HR Departments and Professional
other engineers that have impressed you and Recruiters
may be interested in your job, then you are on If you are in a larger company, the HR depart-
your way. That is one reason I recommend that ment will be involved, especially with news-
you should write technical papers for publica- papers or professional recruiters. For smaller
tions. It makes your name visible in the indus- companies, it depends. Professional recruit-
try. Delivering papers at conferences increases ers are usually my last resort. Although they
your network and opportunity to meet peers. are effective, they offer the service of finding
The majority of jobs are found through con- candidates at a price in order to make money,
tacts, so network, network, network! which can be expensive.

Interviewing Interview Steps
Once you have a short list of candidates, Before you start interviewing, there are seven
how do you select the right individual for steps to be aware of (Table 1):
your job opening? Interviewing is much more
1. Anticipate the need.
than reviewing their resume. You have to read
2. Specify the job.
that document. What you need to discover is
3. Develop the pool.
whether this individual can think, solve prob-
4. Access the candidates.
lems in production, work on new ideas, inno-
5. Close the deal.
vate, and work in your team. Is this individual
6. Integrate the newcomer.
the kind of engineer that can replace you?
7. Audit and review.

Interview Advice “Explain your understanding of the
Advice on interviewing style and questions second law of thermodynamics.” A good
include: chemical engineer will always remember
the fundamentals of their profession.
1. Be prepared with the right questions.
2. Ask open-ended questions that require Conclusion
a thoughtful, complete answer and not Just remember, the skills you demonstrate in
just “yes” or “no.” recruiting and interviewing will be good when
3. From the resume, select a noted accom- you want to find a new job or be considered
plishment and ask open-ended questions for promotion. The better your network, the
about specifics, processes, and results. more opportunities that may find you. SMT007
4. Have a group of questions already pre-
pared that gets to the body of experiences Reference
and skills needed for the job. 1. Groysberg, B., and Fernandez-Araoz, C. “The Definitive
5. Have questions prepared that give you a Guide to Recruiting in Good Times and Bad,” Harvard Busi-
clearer idea of how this candidate’s mind ness Review, May 2009.
works.
6. Be prepared with other questions that look Happy Holden has worked in printed
for specific examples of their skills in circuit technology since 1970 with
leadership, communication, adaptability, Hewlett-Packard, NanYa/Westwood,
organization, innovativeness, etc. Merix, Foxconn and Gentex. He is
7. Ask a fundamental question that dates currently a contributing technical
back to a person’s schooling. If it is a editor with I-Connect007.
chemical engineer, ask a question like,
Lean Digital Thread:

Micro-Solutions—Solving One Challenge at a Time
by Sagi Reuven phone to do things that I used to do with my laptop, it’s
SIEMENS DIGITAL INDUSTRIES really over-use. Surprisingly, one of the most used apps
was a simple calendar. I guess that a big part of my pro-
As promised, Sagi Reuven jumps back to the manu- ductivity is impacted by a very simple solution.
facturing floor and shares his thoughts on the role of a
manufacturing execution system (MES), reporting, and Click here to read this entire column at SMT007.
analytics. Reuven describes in more detail the micro-
solutions concept and why he thinks it will make a huge Sagi Reuven is a business develop-
impact on achieving productivity excellence. What fol- ment manager for the electronics
lows is a brief excerpt from this month’s column. industry, Siemens Digital Industries.
Download your free copy of the book
What Is the Most Used App on Your Smartphone? The Printed Circuit Assembler’s
I am constantly looking for bottlenecks and barriers to Guide to… Advanced Manufactur-
improve what I do. I’m not sure if it’s a leftover from my mil- ing in the Digital Age from Men-
itary service or just a part of my personality and educa- tor, a Siemens Business, and visit I-007eBooks.
tion. Last week, I checked the iPhone screen time feature com for other free, educational titles. You can also
in more detail to answer an important question: Am I really view Siemens’ free, 12-part, on-demand webinar series
over-using my phone? The answer is yes, for sure. But the “Implementing Digital Twin Best Practices From Design
answer is also much more complicated. If I’m using my Through Manufacturing.”

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UPCOMING WEBINARS
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PCB Technologies Focuses on an tive President-elect. It’s shaping up to be a
All-in-One Solution E busy month here at IPC, heading into a busy
Recently, PCB Technologies reached out to us new year. Chris Mitchell details some of the
with news about their new All-In-One offering. top issues we’re following this November.
Intrigued, we followed up and spoke with VP
of Marketing and Business Development Arik U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin to
Einhorn to get more details on the All-In-One Transform Airlifters Into Potent Strike
services. We’ve included the short article and Weapon Platforms E
the interview. The U.S. Air Force Strategic Development
Planning and Experimentation (SDPE) Office
Insulectro Opens Shop With All-New awarded Lockheed Martin a $25 million con-
Printed Electronics E-Commerce Site E tract to support the next phase of the service’s
Insulectro, a distributor of materials for use in Palletized Munitions Experimentation Cam-
the manufacture of printed circuit boards and paign.
printed electronics, rolled out its new online
shopping center for conductive inks and pastes Perspecta Labs to Improve 5G Security
plus advanced substrates and films. for DARPA E
Perspecta Inc. announced that its innovative
Understanding MIL-PRF-31032, Part 4 E applied research arm, Perspecta Labs, received
Continuing with Part 4 of the discussion two awards on the Defense Advanced Research
on understanding the military PCB perfor- Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Open, Programma-
mance standard MIL-PRF-31032, Anaya Vardya ble, Secure 5G (OPS-5G) program for work to
explains how the next step in the process is improve the security of 5G networks.
to create four new procedures to address the
unique requirements of the military. TTM Technologies: Defense, Data Drive
Profits in 3Q E
Jaunt Air Mobility Establishes Access TTM Technologies Inc., a leading global
Skyways to Support Integration of printed circuit board and radio frequency com-
Advanced Air Mobility E ponents manufacturer, reported results for the
Jaunt Air Mobility announced the establish- third quarter of fiscal 2020, which ended on
ment of Access Skyways, a group of partner September 28, 2020.
companies providing expertise to support the
integration of Advanced Air Mobility. ST Engineering iDirect Achieves World’s
First Live MF-TDMA Demo E
The Government Circuit: ST Engineering iDirect announced the success-
As 2021 Nears, What’s on IPC’s ful completion of the first Over-the-Air (OTA)
Government Policy Radar? E testing of iDirect’s Multi-Frequency Time Divi-
In the United States, Election Day 2020 has sion Multiple Access (MF-TDMA) return link
come and gone, and all signs indicate that for- on the Telesat Phase-1 Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
mer Vice President Joe Biden is the presump- satellite.

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Redefine Recruiting to Attract
and Hire the Right Talent
Operational Excellence
Feature Column by Alfred Macha, AMT PARTNERS
Should you hire the most talented candidate from new hires to tenured employees, know
for the open position in your department? The the traits that define and exemplify your cul-
answer is no. Hire the right talent for the posi- ture.” Here are the four steps with commen-
tion. The concept is straightforward to under- tary from me.
stand, but achieving success can be compli-
cated without a structured recruiting process. 1. Identify Key Traits That Describe Your Culture
The process starts with an evaluation of the Establish a cross-functional team represent-
company’s core values and branding. Once ing most functions of your company to get
that has been accomplished, then screening inputs. These inputs should consist of adjec-
candidates and selecting the right talent for tives, verbs, or phrases that define how the
your hiring needs becomes much easier. company operates and what behaviors the
organization expects of all employees.
Understand Your Organization’s
Core Values 2. Narrow the List to Establish Your Core Values
Before you start searching for new employ- Attempt to capture values that are unique
ees, you should clearly understand the core that go beyond the common ones of commit-
values that allow your company function. This ment, teamwork, reliability, etc., to name a few.
is important as you determine the culture fit of
prospective candidates for the job position you 3. Share Your Core Values Companywide
plan to hire for. One Forbes’ article [1] described Once you’ve determined your core values,
“key strategies for establishing your compa- share them throughout the company with
ny’s core values and ensuring your people, a marketing campaign aimed at informing

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for Electronics
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employees. Again, these values should capture centers can create that branding differentiator
the company culture, and employees should to attract top talent.
embody them.
Screening Candidates for Competency
4. Share Your Values With the World and Culture Fit
Once core values are defined and commu- Once you are ready to post a job opening
nicated to the workforce, the final phase is to by promoting your values and brand, then you
write these values down and discuss behaviors are ready to evaluate candidates. Many can-
that support these values to the management didates may only be interested in the job title
team. The goal is to establish common ground itself and the opportunity to get higher com-
with the hiring managers to assess candidates pensation. However, top candidates will do
on culture fit. Align your core values with pro- their homework on your company. Part of their
spective candidates. homework will be about understanding your
company’s values and how working for the
The Importance of Branding in Recruiting organization will add value to their careers.
Treat potential candidates as customers. One question that can give the recruiting
Positioning your company in the marketplace manager a clue of a candidate’s interest in the
to attract and acquire candidates will give you position is, “Why are you interested in apply-
the edge in a competitive labor market. This ing for the position?” A typical response will
requires a marketing and sales approach in be that the opportunity is aligned with the can-
your hiring process, which starts with under- didate’s career aspirations and qualifications.
standing your company’s branding. According However, there will be a few candidates who
to one article [2], “Your brand is the sum total have done research on the company and will
of your customers’ perceptions, notions, and point to a specific strength or technology that
experience. It is the face, personality, and the the company offers that is of interest to them.
values espoused by your business and every- The recruiting manager needs to note those
thing in between.” intangibles during the screening process before
Keep in mind that high-performing employ- presenting candidates to the hiring manager.
ees want to develop a strong career where their It’s very important that the recruiting man-
contributions are recognized and where they ager is able to evaluate a candidate’s interests
can learn during each employment opportu- and EQ to determine a fit for the company’s
nity. Your organization’s brand is important to core values and brand. The hiring manager
attract and retain the right employees. Employ- should also evaluate the candidate’s IQ, EQ,
ees take pride in belonging to an organization and competency adequacy for the job position.
that has a purpose and a brand that they iden- A perception map analysis can be used as an
tify themselves with. objective tool to place candidates into four cat-
Some examples where companies use brand- egories (Figure 1).
ing to attract top talent include IBM, Square,
Starbucks, and more [3]. IBM reinvented their 1. High-Value Candidates
culture to be more casual and informal. Square Candidates in this category have a good cul-
uses career videos to emphasize the company’s ture fit and the right competency level for the
mission and highlight talent. Starbucks lever- desired job. These are your desired candidates.
ages social media for connecting with prospec- Also, these candidates are highly sought after
tive candidates and recruiting. by other companies and may have multiple job
The majority of manufacturing organiza- offers at the same time.
tions may highlight the nuts and bolts of their
technology and capability when attracting tal- 2. Medium-Value Candidates (High Risk)
ent. Creating a strong brand that highlights These candidates can be the most talented
unique technologies, processes, or knowledge and demonstrate a high level of IQ, but their

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customers,ever yti
me,ever yday!
" Br adHeat h-CEO andFounderofVI RTEX
www.m irtec.com
are highly sought by other organiza-
tions. It is important for the company
to move quickly and make an offer to
highly competent candidates that dem-
onstrate a culture fit with the organiza-
tion’s values and brand.
According to another Forbes’ article [4]:
“Companies are competing in a war
for talent where the best candidates are
off the market in just 10 days. Job seek-
ers are receiving multiple competing
offers and won’t waste their time going
through a lengthy recruiting process.
Figure 1: Candidate screening. Glassdoor reports the average inter-
view process takes 23.7 days. If lon-
fit to culture may be problematic. Compa- ger, candidates perceive it to mean they’re not
nies take a high risk when hiring these can- the top pick or the company is unsure about
didates, as they may create unnecessary con- advancing them to the next stage.”
flicts in the organization. They can deliver
exceptional work as individual contributors
but may not work well with others or not
Conclusion
In summary, you must first understand your
support companywide initiatives that they
organization’s core values and the importance
don’t agree with.
of branding in recruiting. Next, screen candi-
3. Medium-Value Candidates (Low Risk) dates for competency and culture fit using the
These candidates may not have the neces- four recommended screening categories, and if
sary competency to initially excel in the job you identify the right candidate, move fast to
but demonstrated the right culture fit during make them an offer. These steps will help you
the interview process. The hiring manager will redefine how you recruit, attract, and hire the
need to decide whether candidates in this cat- right talent. SMT007
egory are trainable or can learn the skill sets
required for the job in a short period of time. References
These candidates can be great employees if 1. Vivian Maza, “The Importance Of Establishing Com-
they can develop their skills to meet the job pany Core Values—And How To Define Them,” Forbes,
requirements. March 26, 2019.
2. Arpit Sinha, “Six Reasons Branding Is More Important
4. Low-Value Candidates Than Ever Before,” Entrepreneur India, May 14, 2018.
Many of the candidates applying for the job 3. “13 Great Examples of Employer Branding,” Uncubed.
will fall into this category. These candidates 4. Heidi Lynne Kurter, “Employers: Here Are 3 Reasons
do not bring the right skills to the job and have Why Candidates Are Ghosting You,” Forbes, December 31,
not demonstrated alignment with the compa- 2019.
ny’s culture.
Alfred Macha is the president of
Move Fast to Make an Offer to AMT Partners. He can be reached at
the Right Candidate Alfred@amt-partners.com. To read
Once the evaluation of candidates has been past columns or contact Macha,
completed, it will be easier to select the right click here.
candidate for the job position. The candi-
dates categorized in the high-value category

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Computrol Takes Soldering Capabilities Rehm Thermal Systems Expands Sales
to Next Level E Structure in Southeast Asia E
Computro, Inc., a world-class provider of mid- Andy Wang, senior director of sales, is now
to low-volume, high-mix electronic manufac- responsible for sales and marketing activities
turing services to OEMs, is pleased to announce in the Asia-Pacific region.
that it purchased and installed a Thermaltron-
ics TMT-R9800S Solder Robot at its Meridian PVA Earns ISO 9001:2015 Certification E
facility. PVA, a global supplier of automated dispensing
and coating equipment, is proud to announce
Mek Launches Fast, Simple PCB Conformal that the company received certification to the
Coating Inspection E International Organization for Standardization
Mek (Marantz Electronics), a leading supplier (ISO) 9001:2015 standard. PVA’s quality man-
of 3D automated optical inspection and solder agement system (QMS) governs processes for
paste inspection technologies, launched the product design, development, and manufacture.
iSpector JUz for conformal coating inspection.
DELO Launches Liquid
Intellitronix Buys Cutting-Edge SMT Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives E
Component Placement System E DELO developed adhesives that have similar
Intellitronix Corporation, a wholly owned sub- properties to (double-sided) adhesive tapes
sidiary of the U.S. Lighting Group Inc. and a but are applied in liquid form. This helps users
leading manufacturer of automotive electron- save time and costs in the production process.
ics, announced it purchased a state-of-the-art
SMT Component Placement System from Euro- Cabletree Appoints D.B. Management
placer (France). Group to Grow North American Presence E
Thomas Chang, president and founder of Cable-
Cogiscan Partners With AES in Vietnam E tree industrial company, recently announced
Cogiscan, a leading provider of Track, Trace, that the company chose D.B. Management
Control (TTC) and IIoT solutions for the elec- Group to handle his company’s growth into
tronics manufacturing industry, is pleased to the North American marketplace.
announce that it has teamed up with AES for
sales and service throughout Vietnam. Murray Percival Company Showcases
MIRTEC MV-6 OMNI 3D AOI Machine E
Corelis Introduces New ScanExpress Murray Percival Company is extremely pleased
Version 9.8.0 Boundary-Scan to feature one of MIRTEC’s Award-Winning
Software Suite E MV-6 OMNI 3D AOI machines within their fully
Corelis, the leading supplier of high-perfor- functioning SMT product demonstration facil-
mance boundary-scan test and measurement ity in Auburn Hills, MI. MIRTEC’s MV-6 OMNI
software and hardware, announced today ver- machine is the perfect 3D inspection solution
sion 9.8.0 of its ScanExpress™ Boundary-Scan to meet the needs of the Midwest electronics
Suite of Software is now available. manufacturing industry.

The right solutions happen when
you care enough to ask the right questions.
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Changing Roles in
the Digital Factory
Smart Factory Insights
by Michael Ford, AEGIS SOFTWARE
Obviously, the level of maturity within the the desired location, though there did seem to
electronics assembly industry, in terms of core be challenges at times. Technology and exper-
technologies, is high and relatively stable. tise flourished, machines became faster, and
Experts once required to have a specialized materials became smaller. With PCB dimen-
knowledge of materials and processes are giv- sions and spacing reducing in line with the
ing way to those experienced in the application material sizes, we saw the same challenges
of automated and computerized solutions. It is coming around, over and over again, related to
time to reinvent the expectations and qualifica- cleaning and access for testing and inspection,
tions that we seek in managers, engineers, and for example.
production operators to attract and support a After 30 years of SMT production, with an
different kind of manufacturing innovation. immense contribution of technology and work
When SMT first came along, I naively by people far more clever than myself in these
thought that it could not be that difficult to specialized areas, I still maintain that PCB
pick up a component and place it on a PCB in assembly is not complicated. This perspective

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comes from the observation that the location as material and product logistics, as well as
at which this know-how resides has changed planning optimization and quality control.
from once being needed in each and every SMT As product-mix has increased, the whole
factory across the world to now being within of the shop floor gets into a mess, with con-
the domain of the machine vendor and mate- tinuous fire-fighting. This is not the profile of
rials suppliers. Today, we trust the machines people that we need for smart manufacturing;
and materials that we buy—sophisticated, in other words, we cannot replace the skilled
matured, yet progressive commodities that experts that we once had with unskilled work-
simply perform the intended work efficiently ers. As the industry has trended away from
and reliably. Creating an SMT configuration to mass production toward the extreme of mass-
meet any line configuration requirement is as customization, we need to reinvent the tech-
easy today as ordering off-the-shelf products, nologies that are associated with these factory-
selecting the best tools for the job from any level functions.
one of many vendors. As automated machines reduced the need
This has all coincided with the trend of for manual work in terms of core manufactur-
experts in the core technologies leaving manu- ing technology and assembly activities, soft-
facturing either to go on to work with machine ware automation replaces the dull and repeti-
vendors or simply retiring. The key ques- tive calculations done currently by people who
tion is, “Does this create a void?” Up to fairly are using tools such as Excel to perform their
recently, perhaps yes, but now I don’t think planning, material management, and qual-
that it is such a serious issue. If our minds stay ity control, in addition to legacy ERP or even
in the “analog” factory of yesterday, we have MES systems. The way going forward in terms
everything pretty much covered, with results of factory operational improvement is digital,
in terms of efficiency, productivity, flexibility, and the people needed are those who under-
and quality being as good as they ever can be. stand how to utilize software and systems to
Any incremental challenges today are met pre- improve manufacturing and how to differenti-
dominantly by vendors, and manufacturing ate between them.
can continue as is. The use of real-time data within manufac-
turing thus far has been limited; it has been
constrained by a lack of timely availability of
Any incremental challenges data that has a consistent meaning and can be
trusted to be used for investigative processes
today are met predominantly and decision making. The main driver toward
digitalization for most companies has been the
by vendors, and manufacturing gathering of traceability data, which itself has
can continue as is. been a haphazard affair. Thankfully, the digital

manufacturing world is finally going through
the revolution long promised by Industry
4.0 and smart manufacturing. Industry stan-
Of course, this is not an option. Factory-cen- dards—most notably from IPC in the form of
tric improvements now become the differen- the Connected Factory Exchange (CFX), the
tiators. In many areas, the consequence of IPC Digital Twin, exact traceability of IPC-1782,
variation continues to present challenges, but as well as the Digital Product Model Exchange
the details needed to identify anomalies in a (DPMX), which is also known as IPC-2581—
timely fashion and then track the root causes enable completely reliable interoperability of
are not practically possible for humans to do data when used with the right tools.
unaided. In areas of low labor cost, we have Having standards in place, however, is
already seen many people with relatively low only the start. Few applications in the realm
skills being thrown at these challenges, such of MES, etc., have been ready for these tech-

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nology changes, but the volunteer compa- many that propose such pioneering digital
nies behind these open industry standards are technologies represent a risky path and that
clearly setting the pace, providing an unprec- so-called experts are simply trying to make
edented opportunity for factory visibility, con- their bad business work. For sure, unless you
trol, optimization, and quality, as well as fur- have the skills in-house to know what tech-
ther automation opportunity. What is really nologies and solutions are out there—which
needed now in manufacturing are people with work and which do not and how they spe-
the skills to understand the use of data in man- cifically relate to the needs of production—
ufacturing, the difference and consequence of it is very easy to make a mistake and go
selecting technologies, and how to bring about with a company name that “you will never
changes and manage manufacturing based on get fired for choosing” only to find your-
what the data shows. self locked into a solution that is isolated
It is quite fortunate that skills and experience from the rest of the industry, including from
in computing are growing, but manufacturing machines themselves that you depend on.
is not the most famous or attractive place to Trust needs to be built between incumbent
which people with those skills are attracted. senior management and the new profile of
But this is something that needs to change, as manufacturing engineers, managers, and
this is the way in which factories will differ- operators. Successfully addressing new chal-
entiate themselves within the industry against lenges always works best with an open mind.
their peers. The whole approach to recruit- The reality is that with these new skills in new
ment and role definition needs to change to roles comes the need for training and experi-
take advantage of technologies that are now ence in manufacturing itself. The incumbent
available. We all now need to market manu- skills are at least as important as the new
facturing careers in context with this new digi- ones. The successful companies will be those
tal age and be less concerned about the loss of that create the right balance of hybrid sets of
past dependencies. skills, manufacturing, and digital technology
There is still one final challenge, however. formed by communication, trust, and mutual
The momentum with legacy practices within respect. This is not politics, after all. SMT007
manufacturing remains strong. As manufac-
turing has been slow to have easy access to Michael Ford is the senior director
good data, managers within manufacturing of emerging industry strategy for
and the supply chain have become introspec- Aegis Software. To read past
tive, with the whole of their professional world columns or contact Ford, click here.
contained within the four walls of the factory,
believing—with very decreasing merit—that

High-Tech, High-Value Cleaning Answers
Made Easy With KYZEN’s Tech-2-Tech
by Pete Starkey tion of process bath life, and overcoming the challenges of
I-CONNECT007 cleaning under low-stand-off tight-pitch components.
Recordings of all of these past sessions are readily
Thanks to KYZEN’s Tech-2-Tech initiative, I’ve been tak- accessible on-demand online, together with downloads
ing the opportunity to broaden my knowledge of the fun- of the corresponding Q&A sessions—practical answers to
damentals of cleaning electronic assemblies. sensible questions! And, of course, the KYZEN team are
Tech-2-Tech offers a wide-ranging selection of well-cho- always available to respond to any further queries which
sen topics, covering diverse aspects of selecting, evaluat- may subsequently arise.
ing, operating, and maintaining cleaning processes. These Still to come, on December 3 at 3:18 p.m. GMT and
were clearly explained in a series of focused 15-minute December 4 at 1:33 a.m. GMT (the alternative time slots
sessions, each one presented by a different member of to align with North American, European, and Asian time
KYZEN’s team of industry experts. It’s amazing how much zones) will be Jack Reinke’s session on the environmen-
practical information can be effectively transferred and tal impact of a PCB cleaning agent: its potential effect on
explained in a 15-minute slot, especially one that’s clev- the waste stream and whether or not to put spent process
erly designed to fit conveniently into the working day with solution down the drain. A definite date for our diaries!
minimum disruption and includes time to grab a coffee! For those whose primary interest is metal finishing,
The series began back in July, led by KYZEN Executive KYZEN provided a full alternative programme with each
Vice President Tom Forsythe exploring the expectations of session focused on a specific aspect of cleaning in metal
a cleaning process and the relative merits of short-term finishing. To KYZEN’s great credit, the Tech-2-Tech initia-
evaluation versus extended field trial for real-life charac- tive provides an intelligently constructed agenda of no-
terisation. “Cleaning products must clean,” he remarked, nonsense practical information, advice, and guidance for
“Cleaning agents must touch the dirt, and contaminants the benefit of decision-makers, engineers, and technical
must be managed.” staff engaged in electronics assembly.
Without getting buried in scientific detail, Forsythe Presented in plain language with interesting analogies,
described traditional cleaning technology and compared KYZEN’s webinar supplies a wealth of valuable informa-
it with the complexity of soils currently encountered, tion, presented in an informal and easily assimilated style,
the consequent complexity of the processes required with intelligent answers to intelligent questions, refresh-
to remove them, and the critical importance of effective ingly free from commercial promotion.
rinsing. “It’s about balance and strength—enough sol- I have greatly enjoyed the experience and look forward
vency power to clean and enough pH to manage the soils to the next chapter.
and keep them in solution.”
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Forsythe also discussed the dynamics of the cleaning
process, particularly when operating in a real-world sce-
nario, and the value of gathering and reviewing all the
data from a trial before making production decisions. “It’s
a long journey, with some ups and downs and some bends
in the road. Some days, it rains!”
Subsequent sessions have included discussion of the
five forces of cleaning; the significance of pH and how to
maintain it; the importance of rinsing; the causes, con-
sequences, and avoidance of foaming; optimisation of
cleaner concentration; manual concentration monitor-
ing and the benefits of automated monitoring; determina-

High-Density PCB Technology
Assessment for Space Applications
Article by Maarten Cauwe, et al. This article provides an overview of the ongo-
IMEC-CMST, ET AL. ing European Space Agency (ESA) project on
high-density PCB assemblies, led by imec with
Abstract the aid of ACB and Thales Alenia Space in Bel-
High-density interconnect (HDI) printed cir- gium. The goal of the project is to design, eval-
cuit boards (PCBs) and associated assemblies uate, and qualify HDI PCBs that are capable
are essential to allow space projects to benefit of providing a platform for assembly and the
from the ever-increasing complexity and func- routing of small pitch AAD for space projects.
tionality of modern integrated circuits such as Two categories of HDI technology are consid-
field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), dig- ered: two levels of staggered microvias (basic
ital signal processors (DSPs), and application HDI) and (up to) three levels of stacked micro-
processors. Increasing demands for function- vias (complex HDI). In this article, the quali-
ality translate into higher signal speeds com- fication of the basic HDI technology in accor-
bined with an increasing number of I/Os. dance with ECSS-Q-ST-70-60C is described.
To limit the overall package size, the contact The results of the thermal cycling, intercon-
pad pitch of the components is reduced. The nection stress testing (IST), and conductive
combination of a high number of I/Os with anodic filament (CAF) testing are provided.
a reduced pitch places additional demands The test vehicle design and test parameters for
on the PCB, requiring the use of laser-drilled each test method are discussed in detail.
microvias, high aspect ratio core vias, and
small track width and spacing. While the asso- Introduction
ciated advanced manufacturing processes have Two main drivers are commonly identified for
been widely used in commercial, automotive, HDI PCBs: (1) the small pitch and high number
medical, and military applications, reconcil- of I/Os of key components and (2) the increas-
ing these advancements in capability with the ing performance of these components resulting
reliability requirements for space remains a in high-speed signal lines on the boards. The
challenge. use of microvias allows reducing the length of

the signal path, improving both signal integrity although no commercial implementations have
and power integrity. Critical nets may suffer been found. Ceramic ball-grid arrays (CBGAs)
from crosstalk due to the dense routing within with non-collapsing, high Pb solder balls are
the fanout. The routing of differential pairs in used in military and aerospace applications
between the pins of a 1.0-mm pitch compo- [5]. At 0.8-mm pitch and beyond (0.5 mm),
nent requires fine line widths and spacing. Dif- ceramic (i.e., hermetic) packages become a
ferential pair routing in between the buried reliability risk as the smaller solder balls can
vias for 0.8-mm pitch components is no lon- no longer support the coefficient of thermal
ger possible. The pairs need to be split within expansion (CTE) difference between package
the fanout area, and the effect on signal integ- and board. A recent NASA study, therefore,
rity will depend on the length of the split. The investigated the reliability of plastic ball-grid
change in width on single-ended nets, as well arrays (PBGAs) with up to 1704 pins at 1.0-mm
as a change in the spacing and/or trace widths pitch and 432 I/Os at 0.4-mm pitch [6].
of a differential pair, will cause an impedance Increasing the capability for dense routing,
discontinuity. Choosing the appropriate layer signal integrity at high speeds, and a high num-
build-up and via types will thus improve both ber of I/Os undoubtedly has its impact on reli-
route-ability and signal integrity. ability. Reducing line width and spacing, via
An important consideration in the defini- pad size, and drill diameters all influence the
tion of technology parameters for HDI PCBs is manufacturing yield and quality and thus pres-
that component pitch, and the number of I/ ent a reliability risk. New materials need to be
Os cannot be addressed independently. A high introduced to corroborate the increasing capa-
pin count component (>1000 pins) with 1.0- bility demands without diminishing the reli-
mm pitch can require the use of microvias to ability standards.
reduce the total layer count or to improve the High-density interconnect PCBs have been
shielding of controlled impedance lines. On used for over three decades and are currently
the other hand, the escape routing of a 0.5- applied in all markets. Numerous studies on
mm pitch component with only two rows of HDI technology and its reliability have been
solder balls can be performed without micro- published. The returning theme in almost all
vias and fine line widths and spacing. Increas- HDI technology studies is that the technology
ing the layer count to be able to route one or can be very reliable if manufactured properly.
more high pin count components will result in Process control and quality assurance are key
an increase in PCB thickness, which impacts to reliable HDI PCBs.
the minimum via drill diameter through limi-
tations on the via aspect ratio and thus again HDI Technology Parameters
restricts routing possibilities. At the start of the project, a stakeholder work-
To define the HDI technology parameters, shop was organized at the ESA ESTEC facil-
the specifications of area array devices (AADs) ity in the Netherlands to provide an update to
used in past, present, and future space projects the HDI PCB section of the PCB and Assembly
need to be known. Looking into the complex Technologies Roadmap for Space Applications
components for space that are currently under [7] and to derive the requirements for HDI
development, the ceramic column grid array PCBs in space projects. Workshop participants
(CCGA) with a pitch of 1.0 mm will remain the were prime satellite contractors, equipment
package of choice for the coming years. This is, manufacturers, space agencies, ESA-qualified
for example, the case for the new Xilinx FPGA PCB manufacturers, ESA technical officers,
(RT-ZU19EG: CCGA1752) [1], the CNES VT65 and independent CAF experts.
telecom ASIC (CCGA1752) [2], and ESA’s Next In preparation for the workshop, a ques-
Generation Microprocessor (NGMP, CCGA625) tionnaire was compiled to determine the driv-
[3]. Column grid arrays with smaller pitch ers and technology parameters for HDI PCBs
(0.8 mm) have been demonstrated in R&D [4], for near-term space projects (2018–2020) and
future space projects (2020-2025). Feedback pins—as primary drivers for the basic HDI tech-
from the PCB/SMT WG members and other nology. In addition, AADs with 0.8-mm pitch
stakeholders was requested to specify the tech- and a few hundred I/Os should be compati-
nological need while keeping in mind the pos- ble with the basic HDI technology. Other driv-
sible repercussions on manufacturability and ing components are small passives (0402 chip
reliability. Starting from the functional require- components), and fine-pitch lead frame com-
ments and component needs for future space ponents (QFP 0.5 mm) when routing space is
projects, a set of advanced technology parame- limited. In future projects, components will
ters is derived for evaluation within the project. have up to 2000 to 3000 I/Os and will use
During the workshop, it became clear that AADs with 0.8- and 1.0-mm pitch. These will
the split into technology for near-term and likely be non-hermetic polymer-based pack-
future projects was not satisfactory as higher ages (PBGA), as a package size of 45 mm x 45
complexity was required in the near-term as mm for ceramic packages is the limit in terms
well. The decision was made to differenti- of CTE mismatch. A further reduction in pitch
ate between basic HDI technology, intended to 0.5-mm pitch is expected for low I/O (200–
for qualification within the project, and com- 300) and for memory devices.
plex HDI technology, including more advanced The HDI technology parameters for basic
technology parameters. The workshop con- and complex HDI, as agreed during the work-
firmed the large FPGA components—based on shop, can be found in Table 1. The basic HDI
1.0-mm pitch CCGA packages with up to 1752 technology consists of a single-sequence core
Table 1: HDI technology parameters for basic and complex HDI technology.

with two levels of copper-filled microvias. in the complex HDI technology evaluation.
Two levels of microvias are considered suffi- Low in-plane CTE materials are not seen as a
cient to route the AADs with 0.8-mm and 1.0- priority for HDI in future projects. The use of
mm pitch. To minimize the reliability risk, the a single sheet of prepreg for the microvias will
microvias are staggered with respect to each be evaluated.
other and to the buried via in the core. Fill- Solder mask is a requirement for the complex
ing of core vias with prepreg from the HDI lay- HDI technology. Other surface finishes (ENIG,
ers is preferred, and two sheets of prepreg are ENIPIG, ENEPIG, and EPIG) are of interest, but
applied. the focus of the project is not to evaluate alter-
The complex HDI technology will use three native surface finishes. The complex HDI tech-
levels of microvias. The microvia configuration nology will be evaluated with both ENIG and
of choice is the semi-stacked option consisting ENEPIG (one finish per base material).
of two stacked microvias plus one staggered
microvia. Stacking three levels of microvias is Project Plan
considered a reliability risk. An IST prescreen- Figure 1 shows the overall concept for the
ing is performed within the project to deter- HDIPCB project. During the workshop, the rel-
mine if the semi-stacked microvia configura- evant AADs for space applications were identi-
tion can meet the required reliability. If this is fied. Based on the mechanical (pitch, number
not the case, the full staggered configuration of pins) and functional (data rate, controlled
will be used as a backup solution. Via plug- impedance) requirements of these compo-
ging and capping will be used for the buried nents, the technology parameters and associ-
vias in the complex HDI technology. The effect ated design rules were determined. The goal
on the reliability of removing the non-func- is to achieve qualification status for the basic
tional pads and back drilling of the buried vias HDI technology. The PCB qualification is fol-
will be investigated as part of the complex HDI lowed by assembly verification for 1.0-mm
technology evaluation. pitch CCGA1752 and 0.8-mm pitch CBGA323
Polyimide remains the material of choice for components.
HDI PCBs in space applications. To accommo- Before launching the evaluation of the com-
date the needs for RF and high-speed digital plex HDI technology, an IST prescreening will
applications, Panasonic Megtron 6 is included be performed to decide on the use of stacked
Figure 1: Overall concept for the HDIPCB project.

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or staggered microvias. The evaluation of the – Coupon P for peel strength on outer
complex HDI technology may lead to formal layers
qualification for all or a subset of the tech- – TVX and SLX procurement IST coupons
nology features, depending on the occur- • Coupons for outgoing inspection as
rence of nonconformances in the evaluation. detailed in clauses 8.2.2 and 8.2.3 of
The subsequent assembly verification for 0.8- ECSS-Q-ST-70-60 [9]
mm and 0.5-mm pitch PBGA components will • BGA coupon which mimics (part of)
be approached in the same manner, with the an actual HDI PCB design
focus on evaluating the performance and iden- – Real and daisy-chain component
tifying uncertainties. fanout for 1.0-mm and 0.8-mm pitch
Next to the qualification and assembly veri- component
fication activities, an extensive HDI reliability ° CCGA, 1.0-mm pitch, 1752 I/Os
assessment is performed. The study focuses (Xilinx Virtex 5QV FPGA)
on three aspects: thermal reliability, microvia ° CBGA, 0.8-mm pitch, 323 I/Os
testing, and CAF testing. The via fatigue and (Teledyne e2v EV12AQ600 ADC)
thermal stress evaluations will be correlated – Routing to Axon Nano-D (1.27 mm) and
with the modeling of the bare PCB. For CAF Smiths connectors KVPX (1.35 mm)
testing, a dedicated test vehicle is designed to
match the requirements of the HDI technology The BGA coupon (Figure 2) mimics (part of)
parameters. An extensive test campaign using an actual HDI PCB design and acts as a “PCB”
thermal cycling, convection, and vapor phase for the qualification test flow. The real com-
reflow assembly simulation, and interconnec- ponent fanout for 1.0-mm and 0.8-mm pitch
tion stress testing (IST) will be undertaken. components are based on the actual pinout
In this article, the test vehicles, test meth- diagrams for the Xilinx Virtex 5QV FPGA and
ods, and test results for the HDI qualification the Teledyne e2v EV12AQ600 ADC, respec-
in accordance with ECSS-Q-ST-70-60C [9] are tively. Controlled impedance differential pair
described. The outcome of thermal cycling, routing was applied to all relevant output pins.
IST, and CAF testing is discussed. Other activi- As high-density connectors can impose restric-
ties within this project will be published else- tions on routing and are thus also driving com-
where over the course of the project. ponents for HDI, two candidates are included
in the BGA coupon. The differential pair inter-
Test Vehicles connections of the Xilinx Virtex 5QV FPGA
The qualification test vehicle (QTV) consists component fanout are routed to eight KVPX
of a full panel design, including the following connectors. The fanout of the Teledyne e2v
features: EV12AQ600 is combined with the Axon nano-
D connector.
• Test structures for HDI qualification Two levels of staggered microvias can be
test flow implemented in different ways. For the 1.0-
– Coupon A/B with through-vias and mm pitch fanout, the component pad is placed
component holes directly above the buried via. The micro-
– Coupons B1, B2, and B3 for the via between layers 1 and 2 is placed partially
microvia level 1, microvia level 2, and inside the component pad. The capture pad of
the buried vias, respectively the microvia between layers 2 and 3 is tangent
– Coupon E for intralayer insulation to the target pad of microvia 1-2. The target
resistance and dielectric withstanding pad of microvia 2-3 is connected to the buried
voltage via using a short trace. The advantage of this
– Coupon H for interlayer insulation microvia configuration is that microvia 1-2 is
resistance and dielectric withstanding not located above the buried via, although the
voltage short trace between microvia 2-3 and the bur-

Figure 2: BGA coupon with real and daisy-chain component fanout for 1.0-mm and 0.8-mm pitch component (left)
and build-up of the qualification test vehicle (right).
ied via sees higher stress than when the pads vias with a pitch of 0.5 mm. The highest CAF
are tangent. The same configuration cannot be risk for through-vias on HDI PCBs is the high-
applied for the 0.8-mm pitch fanout as there is density connectors with a pitch of 1.27 mm.
not enough space next to the buried via. The The minimum distance between a via and a
component pad, with microvia 1-2 partially ground plane for buried vias and through-vias
inside the pad, is located above the buried via. is defined by the design rules for minimum
Due to the smaller pad size, the microvia 1-2 is conductor spacing (75 µm for basic HDI and
located above the buried via, which is consid- 50 µm for complex HDI). The drill diameter
ered a reliability risk. The target pad of micro- for buried vias (0.3 mm) and through-vias (0.5
via 2-3 is placed tangent to the pad of the bur- mm) is copied from the qualification test vehi-
ied via on the opposite side of the buried via. cle design for the basic HDI technology.
Two IST coupon designs are included on the Microvias are considered less prone to CAF
panel to cover the most critical design features due to the use of laser drilling instead of
of the BGA coupon. Next to a TVX coupon mechanical drilling, and their smaller diameter
for through-vias, an SLX coupon with buried results in a smaller contact area with the glass
vias and microvias at 0.8-mm pitch is included fibers. Nevertheless, the wall-to-wall spacing
(microvia configuration as described previ- of a microvia with 125 µm drill diameter at
ously). This SLX coupon contains three sense 0.5-mm pitch is only 375 µm. This is far below
circuits: buried via (S1), buried plus microvias the wall-to-wall spacing seen for buried vias or
(S2), and staggered microvias (S3). The cou- PTHs. To assess this risk, a dedicated micro-
pons are placed on the panel in close proxim- via test structure is added to the HDI CAF test
ity to the BGA coupons. vehicle. Due to the independent drilling pro-
To assess the CAF performance of a given cesses, stacked microvias are not considered
HDI PCB technology, an HDI CAF test vehi- a higher risk for CAF compared to staggered
cle is required that resembles the final prod- microvias.
uct as much as possible (build-up, via con- Six types of via-to-via test structures are
figuration, routing, etc.). The HDI component included in the HDI CAF test vehicle: 0.3-mm
fanout is represented by including buried vias drill buried vias with 0.8-mm pitch in a straight
with a pitch of 0.8-mm and 1.0-mm and micro- and a staggered alignment, 0.3-mm drill buried

vias with 1.0-mm pitch straight and staggered, with all internal non-functional pads removed
0.5-mm drill through-via with 1.27-mm pitch to ensure the failure mechanism is from the
straight, and the microvias with 0.5-mm pitch hole wall to the conductor.
straight. (Straight alignment refers to vias A single design is used to cover both the basic
which are directly adjacent, while the stag- HDI and the complex HDI technology. To mimic
gered alignment offsets the second via with the presence of an additional microvia layer, a
half of the pitch. The term staggered can cre- dummy lamination is performed before the PTH
ate confusion with the microvia configuration. drilling. This covers the risk of material embrit-
IPC-9691B uses the terms in-line and diagonal, tlement as a result of multiple laminations,
respectively.) A number of these test structures affecting the quality of the drilled holes.
are duplicated to cover both the warp and weft The layout of the HDI CAF TV is shown in
fiber direction. Figure 3. The distance between connected vias
Although via-to-via filament growth is of a given test structure is varied to avoid pos-
regarded as the dominant form of CAF, via-to- sible alignment with the glass fiber bundles,
plane test structures remain relevant for HDI. resulting in worst-case (or best-case) perfor-
Four via-to-plane test structures are designed mance. For the same reason, additional spac-
with buried vias or PTHs. The diameter of the ing between groups of vias in staggered test
antipad is the sum of the pad diameter and structures is foreseen.
two times the minimum as-designed spacing
for basic HDI (75 µm) or complex HDI (50 Test Methods
µm). In the case of the buried vias (0.6-mm The qualification test vehicle is subjected
pad diameter), the antipad diameters will be to the qualification test flow for HDI technol-
0.75 mm and 0.7 mm. For the PTHs (0.8-mm ogy as defined in ECSS-Q-ST-70-60C. Group 1
pad diameter), this becomes 0.95 mm and 0.9 (visual inspection and non-destructive test)
mm. The test structures consist of 17x17 vias consists of visual inspection, dimensional
Figure 3: Design and build-up of the HDI CAF test vehicle.

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verification, impedance test, cleanliness, and als, a test temperature of 190°C is used, while
electrical testing. Peel testing is performed in for polyimide testing, it is performed to 210°C.
Group 2 (miscellaneous testing), and Group 3 This stress level is no longer related to the mis-
(thermal stress) covers microsectioning before sion profile but applied to determine if the
and after solder bath float and rework simu- manufacturing quality of the microvia is ade-
lation, and IST. Group 4 (assembly and life quate. Until recently, it was believed that the
test) combines reflow simulation, rework sim- microvia would fail either early (less than 100
ulation, and thermal cycling. ECM testing is cycles) or not at all. An IST endurance of ≥100
part of Group 5. A selection of test methods is cycles was specified with a maximum increase
described in more detail later. in resistance of 4%. After encountering fail-
Within the ECSS-Q-ST-70-60C standard, ures on microvias that successfully passed the
IST is an important test method to evaluate 100 cycles and observing wear-out type failure
the quality of a via (PTH, blind, buried, and mechanisms in microvias after a few hundred
microvia). The test method is applied for pro- cycles, it was decided to increase the threshold
cess monitoring, procurement, and qualifica- to 400 cycles, in line with the standard vias.
tion. IST is a form of current-induced thermal This is further motivated by the microvia reli-
cycling and is described in IPC-TM-650-2.6.26 ability concerns described in IPC-WP-023 [10].
(Method A). The coupon is heated using a An additional caveat with IST of microvias
power circuit, and the resistance of the struc- is that the standard power circuit cannot be
tures under test is monitored continuously via used to heat the coupon. The (buried) vias
the sense circuit(s) of the coupon. The coupon within the power circuit would obviously fail
design should represent the PCB technology of before the microvias. For microvia testing, the
the highest complexity and cover all aspects of coupon can be heated using the superheat cir-
a given design or technology that are expected cuit, or the power can be connected directly to
to affect thermal endurance. a sense circuit containing the microvias. The
Before cycling, the coupons are subjected drawback of the latter is that only one circuit
to six times preconditioning to 230°C using a can be tested at a time, but the temperature of
“superheat” circuit. This meandering circuit the microvia can be better controlled. ECSS-
on the outer layers of the coupon is used to Q-ST-70-60C specifies power-on-sense as the
mimic the assembly process. The temperature preferred method, based on the recommen-
of 230°C is chosen to represent SnPb assem- dation from PWB Interconnect Solutions Inc.
bly, and the six preconditioning cycles should (Ottawa, Canada).
cover the worst-case number of assembly, The reference test method for evaluating
repair, and rework operations. Blind, buried, thermal reliability remains thermal cycling.
and through-vias are cycled from room tem- This is performed in a single chamber system
perature to 150°C (epoxy-based materials) or at ambient pressure. The test samples are sub-
170°C (polyimide) in a three-minute heating jected to reflow simulation (two times vapor
and two-minute cooling cycle. The testing is phase reflow at 215°C) and rework simulation
stopped as soon as one of the sensing circuits (ten times manual soldering) after baking for
reaches a 5% increase in resistance at a high eight hours at 120°C. Following the reflow and
temperature compared to the first cycle. Based rework simulation, the coupons are submitted
on an acceleration study, it was determined to 500 cycles from -55°C to +100°C (10°/min
that an IST endurance of ≥400 cycles should and 15 min dwell time). As this is commonly
be reached for blind, buried, and through-vias. applied for project qualification, a shorter test
Microvia testing using IST follows a differ- consisting of 200 cycles from -60°C to +140°C
ent approach. As microvias experience lower is also applied. Electrical monitoring of daisy
stress levels during cycling, the test tempera- chains can be performed during testing in
ture needs to be increased to apply sufficient addition to the required evaluation method of
stress to the microvia. For epoxy-based materi- microsectioning afterward.

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ECSS-Q-ST-70-60C specifies the following 500 cycles to 170°C (with preconditioning) to
protocol for CAF testing: reflect the test conditions for procurement.
The IST results are shown in Tables 2 through
• Ambient phase using the parameters:
5. The through-vias on the TVX coupon reach
24h, 25°C, 50% RH, 0V
between 596 and 741 cycles. This is well above
• Preconditioning phase using the
the requirement of 400 cycles, although a 500
parameters: 96h, 85°C, 75% RH, 0V
µm via in a 2.8-mm polyimide board could be
• CAF phase using the parameters:
expected to sustain longer testing. The pitch
500h, 85°C, 75% RH, 50V
(“grid”) of the vias in the test coupon was 1.27
• Ambient phase using the parameters:
mm to represent the high-density connector
24h, 25°C, 50% RH, 0V
layout, which could explain the lower number
The overall approach is in line with IPC- of cycles that is reached compared to the pre-
TM-650 2.6.25B, with two noticeable excep- vious testing at a larger grid.
tions. The test voltage of 50 V is chosen to fol- The SLX coupons contain three sense cir-
low the guideline of two times the maximum cuits. Sense 1 (buried vias only) and Sense 2
voltage for HDI technology (in fact, the maxi- (buried vias and microvias) were monitored
mum voltage is 30 V, but 50 V is deemed a more during testing of the buried vias. Testing is
standardized test voltage). The test applies a stopped when both sense circuits have reached
relative humidity of 75% RH, which is less the acceptance criteria of a 5% resistance
than the 85% RH specified in 2.6.25B. But this increase. Sense 3 (microvias only) is used for
still provides some margin and acceleration of
test compared to the maximum relative humid-
ity of 65% in cleanrooms for ground testing
and assembly. Sample preparation before test-
ing consists of electrical registration measure-
ment and baking, followed by six times vapor
Table 2: Results for through-vias tested at 170°C
phase reflow at 215°C, ultrasonic cleaning, and
after six times preconditioning to 230°C.
again baking for eight hours at 120°C.
Test Results
Three panels were selected from the QTV
manufacturing batch and subjected to the tests
described previously. Each panel contains
three IST coupons (one TVX and two SLX cou- Table 3: Results for buried vias tested at 170°C
pons), two BGA coupons, and two times the after six times preconditioning to 230°C.
dedicated test structures for HDI qualification
test flow (coupons A/B, Bn, E, H, and P). For
CAF testing, 10 samples of the HDI CAF test
vehicle were manufactured. All manufacturing
was performed by ACB (Dendermonde, Bel-
gium). Table 4: Results for pre-cycling of buried vias
Nine coupons from three different panels after six times preconditioning to 230°C.
are subjected to IST. Plated through-holes and
through-vias are evaluated on coupons TVX3A,
6A, and 9A. Buried vias are tested on coupons
SLX3A, 6A, and 9A, and coupons SLX3B, 6B,
and 9B are used for microvia evaluation. Prior
to testing the microvias, the buried vias on Table 5: Results for microvias tested at 210°C after six
coupons SLX3B, 6B, and 9B are subjected to times preconditioning to 230°C and 500 cycles at 170°C.

microvia testing (power-on-sense). The buried were subjected to reflow simulation (two times
vias have an aspect ratio close to eight (300 vapor phase reflow at 215°C). In addition,
µm drill diameter in a 2.4-mm core). The num- rework simulation (ten times manual solder-
ber of cycles reached is between 449 and 560, ing) was performed on plated through-holes of
which is above the requirement and in line the high-density connectors on the BGA cou-
with expectations. Pre-cycling for the buried pon (two times four PTHs). All coupons were
vias on the microvia test coupons (SLX3B, 6B, baked for eight hours at 120°C before reflow
and 9B) shows a similar result of 407 to >500 and rework simulation. BGA6A and 9B were
cycles. The required endurance is reached on subjected to 500 cycles from -55°C to +100°C,
all coupons, although the margin on coupon while BGA6B was subjected to 200 cycles from
SLX3B is slim. -60°C to +140°C. Thermocouples are attached
Two out of the three coupons for microvia to all BGA coupons to monitor the board tem-
testing reached the required 400 cycles. Testing perature during testing. The interconnection
of these coupons was stopped after 500 cycles resistance of the daisy chains in the 0.8-mm
to 210°C. Coupon SLX3B failed after 285 cycles pitch fanout was monitored during testing
and did not reach the required endurance. As (four-point resistance measurement every five
the failure could not be located using thermal seconds using Keithley 3706A Systems Switch/
imaging, failure analysis was performed by Multimeter). The final evaluation was per-
microsectioning the entire coupon row by row. formed by microsectioning.
Optical inspection revealed cracks near the Figure 4 shows the details of the daisy chains
target pad of microvia 1-2. These cracks are in the 0.8-mm pitch fanout used for electrical
observed on two microvias in the central zone monitoring. DC1 connects all the vias in the
of the coupon. The other microvia levels in this outer row of the component fanout, DC2 con-
zone did not show any cracks. In other areas nects all the vias in the second row, and so
of the coupon, no cracks were detected on any on. Only the buried vias are included in the
of the microvia levels. Microvia 1-2 in the SLX daisy chains, and the number of buried vias
coupon is located partially above the buried per chain is indicated in the table on the right.
via (0.8-mm pitch fanout configuration). It is Electrical monitoring during thermal
known that this leads to higher stress. If the cycling (Table 6 and Table 7) showed only a
microvias in coupon SLX3B are slightly mis- minimal increase in resistance for both tem-
aligned and thus overlap more with the buried perature ranges. This confirms the positive
via as compared to the other panels, this could IST results for the buried vias. Microsection-
explain the early failure. ing did not reveal any cracks initiating in the
Three BGA coupons were submitted to the barrel of the buried via nor any anomalies in
assembly and life test flow. The test samples the microvias.
Figure 4: Layout and number of vias of the daisy chains in the 0.8-mm pitch fanout.

Table 6: Results of the electrical monitoring during thermal cycling
(500 cycles from -55°C to +100°C).
Table 7: Results of the electrical monitoring during thermal cycling

(200 cycles from -60°C to +140°C).
The CAF testing was performed on 10 sam- as for all the buried vias on all samples, the
ples in a CTS CS-40/200 climate chamber misregistration was below the lowest detect-
using a Gen3 Systems Auto-SIR 256 with a able level of 40 µm. Subsequently, the sam-
256-channel test rack. Sample preparation ples were submitted to reflow simulation (six
started with the measurement of the registra- times reflow at 215°C). After reflow simula-
tion on the electrical test structures included tion, the samples were visually inspected and
on the test vehicle. A maximum misregistra- cleaned using isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Finally,
tion of ≤60 µm was measured for the PTHs on the samples were placed in the oven for bak-
three samples. For all other samples, as well ing (eight hours at 120°C).

The samples were mounted in the test rack A detailed overview of the HDI CAF test
and kept in the chamber for 24 hours before results and associated failure analysis will be
raising the temperature (85°C) and the humid- published elsewhere. As an example, Figure 5
ity (75% RH). The first measurement was shows the results for buried vias in a straight
performed just before the temperature was configuration with a pitch of 0.8 mm and 1.0
increased. During the preconditioning phase mm for both the warp and weft direction of the
(85°C and 75% RH without bias), measure- glass fibers. Figure 6 shows the results of the
ments were taken every 24 hours. After 96 microvia test structure.
hours of soaking, the actual CAF phase started, The failure criteria is a drop in resistance
and a bias voltage of 50 V was applied to the of more than one decade compared to the
samples. Measurements were then taken from baseline resistance after 96 hours of soak-
all samples every 15 minutes. The test contin- ing. No failures are observed between micro-
ued for 500 hours, after which the bias was vias at 0.5-mm pitch, buried vias at 1.0-mm
switched off, and the measurement programs pitch, or PTHs at 1.27-mm pitch. Some fail-
stopped. The temperature and humidity were ures occur between buried vias at 0.8-mm
reduced to 25°C and 50% RH. The samples pitch. Most failures are detected in the via-to-
were kept inside the chamber for an additional plane test structures, especially for the PTHs.
24 hours when the final measurement was per- There is no significant difference between the
formed. antipad diameter for basic and complex HDI
Figure 5: CAF test results for buried vias in a straight configuration with a pitch of 0.8 mm (left)
and 1.0 mm (right) for both the warp (upper row) and weft direction (bottom row) of the glass fibers.

cation test flow was deemed an adequate com-
promise. The possible variations in manufac-
turing can be considered covered by the use
of qualified manufacturers having a PID (pro-
cess identification document). The CAF risk
of a given design needs to be reviewed case
by case to ensure that the qualification testing
covers (i.e., is representative of worst-case or
highest technological capability) for the pro-
cured PCB design.
Conclusion
During the workshop, the relevant AADs for
Figure 6: CAF test results for microvias in a straight space applications were identified. Based on
configuration with a pitch of 0.5 mm. the mechanical and functional requirements of
these components, the technology parameters
(75 µm vs. 50-µm spacing). The exact nature and associated design rules were determined.
of these failures is not yet known at the time Two categories of HDI technology are consid-
of writing of this article, and failure analysis ered: two levels of staggered microvias (basic
is ongoing. HDI) and (up to) three levels of stacked micro-
A dedicated test vehicle was designed to vias (complex HDI).
match the requirements of the HDI technology This article presents the main results of the
parameters. The design of this HDI CAF TV dif- qualification test flow for basic HDI technol-
fers significantly from the more widely used ogy. The through-vias and buried vias reached
IPC test coupons and derivations. The layer the required IST endurance of 400 cycles. The
count is twice as high (20 layers versus 10 lay- microvia configuration for the 0.8 m pitch
ers typically), doubling the number of opportu- fanout might be the cause of the early fail-
nities for CAF, affecting drill quality, and intro- ure in IST. Electrical monitoring during ther-
ducing a higher risk for contamination with mal cycling showed only a minimal increase in
foreign material. The use of sequential lamina- resistance for both temperature ranges. Micro-
tion (risk of embrittlement) and internal plated sectioning after cycling did not reveal any
layers (thick copper) makes achieving a good cracks initiating in the barrel of the buried via
drill quality more challenging and better repre- nor any anomalies in the microvias. For the
sents the actual board. CAF testing, no failures were observed between
The rationale behind this test vehicle and, microvias at 0.5-mm pitch, buried vias at 1.0-
by extension, the CAF test methodology can mm pitch, or PTHs at 1.27-mm pitch. Some
be debated. CAF testing can be performed failures occurred between buried vias at 0.8-
at different levels: material evaluation, qual- mm pitch. Most failures were detected in the
ification of a given design and material at a via-to-plane test structures, especially for the
selected manufacturer, or as a batch release PTHs. All other tests in the qualification test
for each procurement. While material screen- flow were passed successfully.
ing, at possibly elevated stress levels, is rele- The qualification of the basic HDI technol-
vant for material development and compari- ogy is only the first step in this extensive study
son, it is insufficient since it does not take into on HDI technology for space applications.
account the manufacturing. Some experts are An extensive reliability assessment is under-
of the opinion that CAF is batch related and way. Various test methods for microvias will
should therefore be done as part of the release be evaluated to arrive at a test flow that can
procedure during outgoing test. In the ECSS assure an adequate confidence level for both
working group, CAF testing as part of a qualifi- procurement and qualification.

Acknowledgment 7. TEC-QT/2014/268 (06/05/2015): PCB and assembly
The work in this article is performed in the technologies roadmap for space applications.
frame of an ESA GSTP project (ESA Contract 8. ECSS-Q-ST-70-12C (14/07/2014): Design rules for
No.: 4000122931/18/NL/LvH). The authors printed circuit boards.
would like to thank Jason Furlong from PWB 9. ECSS-Q-ST-70-60C (01/03/2019): PCB qualification
Interconnect Solutions and all members of the and procurement.
ESA PCB/SMT working group for their valu- 10. IPC-WP-023 (01/05/2018): IPC Technology Solutions
able insights and feedback. SMT007 White Paper on Performance-Based Printed Board OEM
Acceptance—Via Chain Continuity Reflow Test, The Hid-
References den Reliability Threat.
1. “Xilinx Virtex-5QV Update and Space Roadmap,”
Xilinx, SEFUW2016, ESA/ESTEC. Editor’s note: This paper was first presented at the IPC
2. “ST65nm hardened ASIC technology for space appli- APEX EXPO 2020 Technical Conference and published in
cations,” STM, ESCCON2016, ESA/ESTEC. the 2020 Technical Conference Proceedings.
3. “GR740 - Next Generation Microprocessor (NGMP),” Maarten Cauwe, imec-Cmst, Zwijnaarde, Belgium
Cobham Gaisler, FPDs 2015, ESA/ESTEC. Bart Vandevelde, imec, Leuven, Belgium
4. “The European One-Stop Shop for CCGA: From Column
Chinmay Nawghane, imec, Leuven, Belgium
Manufacturing to Column Assembly on LGA or Re-Assem-
Marnix Van De Slyeke, ACB, Dendermonde, Belgium
bly on Used LGA,” HCM Systrel, EMPS-7, Portsmouth, U.K.
5. “Ball-grid array reliability assessment for aerospace Erwin Bosman, ACB, Dendermonde, Belgium
applications,” R. Ghaffarian, N.P. Kim, Microelectronics Joachim Verhegge, ACB, Dendermonde, Belgium
Reliability, 39 (1999), 107–112. Alexia Coulon, Thales Alenia Space, Charleroi, Belgium
6. “Reliability of Area Array Packages With 1500–2500 I/ Stan Heltzel, European Space Agency, ESTEC, Noordwijk,
Os,” R. Ghaffarian, NEPP report. The Netherlands
Test Connection’s Bill Horner Remembered

Bill Horner, the founder of The Test Connection Inc. and a well-respected engineer,
passed away on September 21, 2020. He was 81 years old.
Bill received a bachelor of science degree in engineering, physics, and com-
puter science from Loyola College and a diploma from Baltimore Technical Insti-
tute in electronics, broadcast engineering, and industrial electronics.
Before founding The Test Connection Inc. in 1980, Bill had advanced through
20 years in senior ATE and quality management positions at major corporations,
such as GenRad, Bendix, Westinghouse, Plantronics, and Hydranautics.
The Test Connection Inc., located in Hunt Valley, Maryland, has been a reli-
able source for quality test engineering solutions. In light of the growing trend
of outsourcing test engineering products and services, Bill founded TTCI and
built this test engineering service with the purpose of responding to this need.
He proudly served as a member of the U.S. Army in the special Nike Hercules
Fire Control Unit. As an active participant in the ATE community, Bill presented
papers and co-sponsors events at major ATE seminars and user group meet-
ings. He was a strong advocate for the local Capitol Chapter of SMTA.
Bill was born Wilbert August Horner on September 17, 1939, in Baltimore,
Maryland. He was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret Horner. He is
Bill with his loyal Bernese
survived by Bert Horner and his wife Monica, Michele Reichart and her
Mountain Dog, Sawyer.
husband Shawn, and grandchildren Alex, Leah, Addison, and Cooper.
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James Dyson once said, “Manu-
facturing is more than just put- In Zulki Khan’s last column, he
ting parts together. It’s coming talked about flip-chip ball grid
up with ideas, testing principles, array (BGA), or FCBGA, mak-
and perfecting the engineering its grand entrance into PCB
Sagi Reuven microelectronics assembly. But
ing, as well as the final assem-
Zulki Khan
bly.” In this column, Sagi Reuven describes that subject requires a lot more
the importance of process engineering or new digging to get the full story for OEMs planning
product introduction (NPI) and how process highly advanced products that demand PCB
engineers can make a big difference. microelectronics assembly.

Foundations of the Future: Koh Young Joins IPC-DPMX
5
Inspirational Career Paths— 8
Consortium to Further Enable
Meet Tayler and Olivia E Smart Factory Automation E
Charlene Gunter du Plessis Koh Young, an industry
connected with Tayler Swan- leader in True3D™ mea-
son, an engineering team mem- surement-based inspec-
ber at Digital Instruments Inc., tion solutions, proudly
and Olivia Lim, a manufactur- announced it joined the
du Plessis
ing engineer at Kimball Elec- Gunter IPC-DPMX (IPC-2581) Consortium to advance
tronics, to discuss their studies, professional the adoption of a data and transfer methodol-
career journeys, and exciting opportunities in ogy, which will improve efficiency and reduce
the electronics manufacturing industry. costs for electronics manufacturers.
SMTA Additive TechXchange Part 7 of Siemens’ Digital Twin

6
Keynote: An Outlook on 9
Webinar Series: Optimizing
Advanced PCB Fab E Inspection and Test Engineering E
Tara Dunn of Omni PCB, In Part 7, Gorajia’s discus-
SMTA’s Additive TechXchange sion centers on how to “Opti-
addressed additive technology mize Inspection and Test Engi-
specifically in the context of the neering.” In this segment, he
electronics industry. Pete Star- focuses on building the best
Jeff Doubrava
key details the keynote presen- inspection and test outputs, leveraging learning
tation, an outlook on advanced printed circuit libraries, and allowing some “art.”
board fabrication, from Jeff Doubrava, manag-
ing partner at Prismark Partners.
IPC Standards Development:
J
Business Challenges and an
SMT Solver: How to Audit OEM-EMS
7
Assembly Capability, Part 2 E
Inside View E
The rapid pace of technology
During the past two decades, development, miniaturisation,
there has been a tremendous and high-density packaging is
increase in outsourcing by presenting new opportunities,
OEMs to EMS companies, which but with them come challenges
also results in a decrease in involving traceability and qual- Graham Naisbitt
Ray Prasad
yield. In this column, Ray Prasad ity control. Graham Naisbitt addresses SMT-
focuses on the technology and manufacturing related IPC standards as a chair and vice-chair
capabilities of the supplier. of several committees.
For the latest news and information, visit SMT007.com. Subscribe

to our newsletters or premium content at my I-Connect007.
Career Opportunities
Now Hiring Now Hiring
Director of Process Engineering Process Engineering Manager
A successful and growing printed circuit board manufac- A successful and growing printed circuit board manu-
turer in Orange County, CA, has an opening for a director of facturer in Orange County, CA, has an opening for a pro-
process engineering. cess engineering manager.
Job Summary: Job Summary:
The director of process engineering leads all engineering The process engineering manager coordinates all engi-
activities to produce quality products and meet cost objec-
neering activities to produce quality products and meet
tives. Responsible for the overall management, direction, and
coordination of the engineering processes within the plant. cost objectives. Responsible for the overall management,
direction, and coordination of the engineering team and
Duties and Responsibilities: leading this team to meet product requirements in support
• Ensures that process engineering meets the business of the production plan.
needs of the company as they relate to capabilities, pro-
cesses, technologies, and capacity. Duties and Responsibilities:
• Stays current with related manufacturing trends. Devel- • Ensures that process engineering meets the busi-
ops and enforces a culture of strong engineering discipline, ness needs of the company as they relate to capabilities,
including robust process definition, testing prior to produc- processes, technologies, and capacity.
tion implementation, change management processes, clear • Stays current with related manufacturing trends.
manufacturing instructions, statistical process monitoring Develops and enforces a culture of strong engineering dis-
and control, proactive error proofing, etc.
cipline, including robust process definition, testing prior
• Provides guidance to process engineers in the devel-
opment of process control plans and the application of to production implementation, change management pro-
advanced quality tools. cesses, clear manufacturing instructions, statistical pro-
• Ensures metrics are in place to monitor performance cess monitoring and control, proactive error proofing, etc.
against the goals and takes appropriate corrective actions • Ensures metrics are in place to monitor perfor-
as required. Ensures that structured problem-solving tech- mance against the goals and takes appropriate correc-
niques are used and that adequate validation is performed tive actions as required. Ensures that structured problem-
for any issues being address or changes being made. Devel- solving techniques are used and that adequate validation
ops and validates new processes prior to incorporating is performed for any issues being address or changes
them into the manufacturing operations. being made. Develops and validates new processes prior
• Strong communication skills to establish priorities, work to incorporating into the manufacturing operations
schedules, allocate resources, complete required informa-
tion to customers, support quality system, enforce company Education and Experience:
policies and procedures, and utilize resources to provide the • Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering or engi-
greatest efficiency to meet production objectives. neering is preferred.
Education and Experience: • 7+ years process engineering experience in an elec-
• Master’s degree in chemical engineering or engineer- tronics manufacturing environment, including 3 years in
ing is preferred. the PCB or similar manufacturing environment.
• 10+ years process engineering experience in an elec- • 5+ years of process engineering management experi-
tronics manufacturing environment, including 5 years in the ence, including 3 years of experience with direct respon-
PCB or similar manufacturing environment. sibility for meeting production throughput and quality
• 7+ years of process engineering management experi- goals.
ence, including 5 years of experience with direct responsi-
bility for meeting production throughput and quality goals.

IPC Instructor
Longmont, CO; Phoenix, AZ;
U.S.-based remote
MivaTek Global:
Independent contractor,
possible full-time employment
We Are Growing!
Job Description MivaTek Global is adding sales,
This position is responsible for delivering effective technical support and application
electronics manufacturing training, including IPC Certi-
fication, to students from the electronics manufacturing engineers.
industry. IPC instructors primarily train and certify oper-
ators, inspectors, engineers, and other trainers to one of
six IPC Certification Programs: IPC-A-600, IPC-A-610, IPC/
Join a team that brings new imaging
WHMA-A-620, IPC J-STD-001, IPC 7711/7721, and IPC-6012. technologies to circuit fabrication
IPC instructors will conduct training at one of our pub- and microelectronics. Applicants
lic training centers or will travel directly to the customer’s
facility. A candidate’s close proximity to Longmont, CO, or should have direct experience in
Phoenix, AZ, is a plus. Several IPC Certification Courses direct imaging applications, complex
can be taught remotely and require no travel.
machine repair and/or customer
Qualifications support for the printed circuit board
Candidates must have a minimum of five years of elec- or microelectronic markets.
tronics manufacturing experience. This experience can
include printed circuit board fabrication, circuit board
assembly, and/or wire and cable harness assembly. Sol- Positions typically require regional
dering experience of through-hole and/or surface-mount and/or air travel. Full time and/or
components is highly preferred.
Candidate must have IPC training experience, either contractor positions are available.
currently or in the past. A current and valid certified IPC
trainer certificate holder is highly preferred.
Applicants must have the ability to work with little to no
Contact HR@MivaTek.Global
supervision and make appropriate and professional deci- for additional information.
sions.
Send resumes to Sharon Montana-Beard at

sharonm@blackfox.com.

Our Summit Anaheim, CA, division

currently has multiple open positions
Indium Applications Manager for planning engineers.
Responsible for identifying market insights and The planner is responsible for creating and veri-
developing strategies, using market intelligence, fying manufacturing documentation, including work
emerging technologies, and industry feedback to instructions and shop floor travelers. Review lay-ups,
promote an assigned series of products/offerings to details, and designs according to engineering and
a designated market space and will collaborate with customer specifications through the use of computer
other internal functions such as product manage- and applications software. May specify required man-
ment, marketing communications, sales, technical ufacturing machinery and test equipment based on
support, production, accounting, and quality to real- manufacturing and/or customer requirements. Guides
ize established goals. manufacturing process development for all products.
Responsibilities:
Responsibilities: 1. Accurately plan jobs and create shop floor travelers.
• Own Indium Corporation’s brand presence in
2. Create documentation packages.
an “identified market” as assigned by the
position’s supervisor 3. Use company software for planning and
• Conduct market research to determine market issuing jobs.
opportunities and to develop competitive 4. Contact customers to resolve open issues.
knowledge 5. Create TDR calculations.
• Mine customers, co-suppliers, competitors, 6. Assist in the training of new planning engineers.
employees, researchers, trade-shows, patents, 7. Review prints and purchase orders.
publications, etc. for opportunity insights 8. Create stackups and order materials per print/spec.
• Identify preliminary market strategies to 9. Plan jobs manufacturing process.
develop specific offerings 10. Institute new manufacturing processes and
• Provide training on application technologies or changes.
and specific products to sales and technical
Education/Experience:
personnel
1. High school diploma or equivalent
• Support new product development by
2. Minimum five (5) years’ experience in the printed
determining customer needs and
communicating these needs to the proper circuit board industry with three (3) years as a
technical group(s)/product managers planning engineer.
• Network with relevant industry players to obtain 3. Must be able to cooperate and communicate
market information/facilitate partnerships effectively with customers, management, and
• Perform other duties or special projects as supervisory staff.
assigned 4. Must be proficient in rigid, flex, rigid/flex, and
sequential lam designs.
Contact: jobs.indium.com

We’re Hiring! We’re Hiring!

Connecticut Locations Illinois / New Jersey
Senior Research Chemist: Technical Service Rep:
Waterbury, CT, USA Chicago, IL, USA
Research, develop, and formulate new The technical service rep will be respon-
surface treatment products for the printed sible for day-to-day engineering support
circuit board, molded interconnect, IC for fabricators using our chemical prod-
substrate, and LED manufacturing indus- ucts. The successful candidate will help
tries. Identify, develop, and execute stra- our customer base take full advantage of
tegic research project activities as dele- the benefits that are available through the
gated to them by the senior research proper application of our chemistries.
projects manager. Observe, analyze, and
interpret the results from these activi- Applications Engineer:
ties and make recommendations for the South Plainfield, NJ, USA
direction and preferred route forward for As a key member of the Flexible, Form-
research projects. able, and Printed Electronics (FFPE) Team,
the applications engineer will be respon-
Quality Engineer: sible for developing applications know-
West Haven, CT, USA how for product evaluation, material test-
Support the West Haven facility in ensuring and characterization, and prototyping.
ing that the quality management system In addition, this applications engineer
is properly utilized and maintained while will provide applications and technical
working to fulfill customer-specific require- support to global customers for the FFPE
ments and fostering continuous improve- Segment.
ment.
For a complete listing of career opportu-
For a complete listing of career opportunities or to apply for one of the positions
nities or to apply for one of the positions listed above, please visit us here.
listed above, please visit us here.

SMT Field Technician SMT Operator

Hatboro, PA Hatboro, PA
Manncorp, a leader in the electronics assembly Manncorp,aleaderintheelectronicsassemblyindus-
industry, is looking for an additional SMT Field Tech- try, is looking for a surface-mount technology (SMT)
nician to join our existing East Coast team and install operator to join their growing team in Hatboro, PA!
and support our wide array of SMT equipment. The SMT operator will be part of a collaborative
team and operate the latest Manncorp equipment in
our brand-new demonstration center.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Manage on-site equipment installation and Duties and Responsibilities:
customer training • Set up and operate automated SMT assembly
• Provide post-installation service and support, equipment
including troubleshooting and diagnosing techni- • Prepare component kits for manufacturing
cal problems by phone, email, or on-site visit • Perform visual inspection of SMT assembly
• Assist with demonstrations of equipment to • Participate in directing the expansion and further
potential customers development of our SMT capabilities
• Build and maintain positive relationships with • Some mechanical assembly of lighting fixtures
customers • Assist Manncorp sales with customer demos
• Participate in the ongoing development and
improvement of both our machines and the Requirements and Qualifications:
customer experience we offer • Prior experience with SMT equipment or equiva-
lent technical degree preferred; will consider
recent graduates or those new to the industry
Requirements and Qualifications: • Windows computer knowledge required
• Prior experience with SMT equipment, or • Strong mechanical and electrical trouble-
equivalent technical degree shooting skills
• Proven strong mechanical and electrical • Experience programming machinery or
troubleshooting skills demonstrated willingness to learn
• Proficiency in reading and verifying electrical, • Positive self-starter attitude with a good work
pneumatic, and mechanical schematics/drawings ethic
• Travel and overnight stays • Ability to work with minimal supervision
• Ability to arrange and schedule service trips • Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. repetitively
We Offer: We Offer:
• Competitive Pay • Competitive pay
• Health and dental insurance • Medical and dental insurance
• Retirement fund matching • Retirement fund matching
• Continuing training as the industry develops • Continued training as the industry develops

Sales Account Manager Senior Process Engineer

Sales Account Management at Lenthor Engineering Job Description
is a direct sales position responsible for creating and Responsible for developing and optimizing Lenthor’s
growing a base of customers that purchase flexible and manufacturing processes from start up to implemen-
rigid flexible printed circuits. The account manager is in tation, reducing cost, improving sustainability and
charge of finding customers, qualifying the customer continuous improvement.
to Lenthor Engineering and promoting Lenthor Engi- Position Duties
neering’s capabilities to the customer. Leads are some- • Senior process engineer’s role is to monitor process
times referred to the account manager from marketing performance through tracking and enhance through
resources including trade shows, advertising, indus- continuous improvement initiatives. Process
engineer implements continuous improvement
try referrals and website hits. Experience with military programs to drive up yields.
printed circuit boards (PCBs) is a definite plus. • Participate in the evaluation of processes, new
equipment, facility improvements and procedures.
Responsibilities • Improve process capability, yields, costs and
• Marketing research to identify target customers production volume while maintaining safety and
• Identifying the person(s) responsible for improving quality standards.
purchasing flexible circuits • Work with customers in developing cost-effective
• Exploring the customer’s needs that fit our production processes.
capabilities in terms of: • Engage suppliers in quality improvements and
– Market and product process control issues as required.
• Generate process control plan for manufacturing
– Circuit types used processes, and identify opportunities for capability
– Competitive influences or process improvement.
– Philosophies and finance • Participate in FMEA activities as required.
– Quoting and closing orders • Create detailed plans for IQ, OQ, PQ and maintain
– Providing ongoing service to the customer validated status as required.
– Develop long-term customer strategies to • Participate in existing change control mechanisms
such as ECOs and PCRs.
increase business
• Perform defect reduction analysis and activities.
Qualifications Qualifications
• 5-10 years of proven work experience • BS degree in engineering
• Excellent technical skills • 5-10 years of proven work experience
• Excellent technical skills
Salary negotiable and dependent on experience.
Full range of benefits. Salary negotiable and dependent on experience.
Full range of benefits.
Lenthor Engineering, Inc. is a leader in flex and Lenthor Engineering, Inc. is the leader in Flex and
rigid-flex PWB design, fabrication and assembly with Rigid-Flex PWB design, fabrication and assembly with
over 30 years of experience meeting and exceeding over 30 years of experience meeting and exceeding
our customers’ expectations. our customers’ expectations.
Contact Oscar Akbar at: hr@lenthor.com Contact Oscar Akbar at: hr@lenthor.com

IPC Master Become a Certified IPC

Instructor Master Instructor
This position is responsible for IPC and
Opportunities are available in Canada, New
skill-based instruction and certification England, California, and Chicago. If you love teach-
at the training center as well as training people, choosing the classes and times you
want to work, and basically being your own boss,
ing events as assigned by company’s this may be the career for you. EPTAC Corporation is
sales/operations VP. This position may the leading provider of electronics training and IPC
be part-time, full-time, and/or an inde- certification and we are looking for instructors that
have a passion for working with people to develop
pendent contractor, depending upon their skills and knowledge. If you have a back-
the demand and the individual’s situ- ground in electronics manufacturing and enthusi-
ation. Must have the ability to work asm for education, drop us a line or send us your
resume. We would love to chat with you. Ability to
with little or no supervision and make travel required. IPC-7711/7721 or IPC-A-620 CIT certi-
appropriate and professional deci- fication a big plus.
sions. Candidate must have the ability
Qualifications and skills
to collaborate with the client manag- • A love of teaching and enthusiasm to help
ers to continually enhance the training others learn
• Background in electronics manufacturing
program. Position is responsible for vali-
• Soldering and/or electronics/cable assembly
dating the program value and its over- experience
all success. Candidate will be trained/ • IPC certification a plus, but will certify the
right candidate
certified and recognized by IPC as a
Master Instructor. Position requires the Benefits
input and management of the train- • Ability to operate from home. No required
in-office schedule
ing records. Will require some travel • Flexible schedule. Control your own schedule
to client’s facilities and other training • IRA retirement matching contributions after
centers. one year of service
• Training and certifications provided and
For more information, click below. maintained by EPTAC

APCT, Printed Circuit Sales Representatives

Board Solutions: (Specific Territories)
Opportunities Await Escondido-based printed circuit
APCT, a leading manufacturer of printed fabricator U.S. Circuit is looking to
circuit boards, has experienced rapid hire sales representatives in the
growth over the past year and has multiple following territories:
opportunities for highly skilled individuals
looking to join a progressive and growing
company. APCT is always eager to speak • Florida
with professionals who understand the • Denver
value of hard work, quality craftsmanship, • Washington
and being part of a culture that not only
serves the customer but one another. • Los Angeles
APCT currently has opportunities in Santa
Clara, CA; Orange County, CA; Anaheim, CA; Experience:
Wallingford, CT; and Austin, TX. Positions • Candidates must have previous
available range from manufacturing to qual-
ity control, sales, and finance. PCB sales experience.
We invite you to read about APCT at APCT.
com and encourage you to understand our Compensation:
core values of passion, commitment, and • 7% commission
trust. If you can embrace these principles
and what they entail, then you may be a
great match to join our team! Peruse the Contact Mike Fariba for
opportunities by clicking the link below. more information.
Thank you, and we look forward to
hearing from you soon. mfariba@uscircuit.com

NEW DATES ANNOUNCED!

March 6-11

March 9-11
SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER | CA
TECHNICALLY
SPEAKING:
IT’S THE
PLACE TO
be Denise J. Charest
Quality Engineer,
Amphenol Printed
IPC APEX EXPO 2021 will be Circuits
packed with far-reaching ideas
and insights.
IPC APEX EXPO 2021 is proceeding

as an in-person event. IPC and the
San Diego Convention Center are
committed to the well-being and
health and safety of all attendees.
IPCAPEXEXPO.ORG | #IPCAPEXEXPO ®
Learn from the Experts in Our On-demand Video Series
Live and on-demand webinars from KYZEN Implementing “Digital Twin” Best Practices
designed to answer all your cleaning questions. From Design Through Manufacturing with Expert
Jay Gorajia, a 12-part micro webinar series.
Process Validation, by Graham K. Naisbitt, Chairman and CEO, Gen3

This book explores how establishing acceptable electrochemical reliability can be achieved by using
both CAF and SIR testing. This is a must-read for those in the industry who are concerned about ECM
and want to adopt a better and more rigorous approach to ensuring electrochemical reliability.
Advanced Manufacturing in the Digital Age, by Oren Manor, Director of Business Development,
Valor Division for Mentor a Siemens Business
A must-read for anyone looking for a holistic, systematic approach to leverage new and emerging
technologies. The benefits are clear: fewer machine failures, reduced scrap and downtime issues,
and improved throughput and productivity.
Low-Temperature Soldering, by Morgana Ribas, Ph.D., et al., Alpha Assembly Solutions

Learn the benefits low-temperature alloys have to offer, such as reducing costs, creating more
reliable solder joints, and overcoming design limitations with traditional alloys.
Conformal Coatings for Harsh Environments, by Phil Kinner, Electrolube

This handy eBook is a must-read for anyone in the electronics industry who wants a better
understanding of conformal coatings. Kinner simplifies the many available material types and
application methods and explains the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Our library is open 24/7/365. Visit us at: I-007eBooks.com

MANAGING EDITOR: NOLAN JOHNSON
(503) 597-8037; nolan@iconnect007.com ADVE RTIS E R IN DE X
PUBLISHER: BARRY MATTIES American Standard Circuits................................ 43
barry@iconnect007.com
APCT........................................................................... 63
SALES MANAGER: BARB HOCKADAY
(916) 608-0660; barb@iconnect007.com Blackfox Training Institute.................................. 45
MARKETING SERVICES: TOBEY MARSICOVETERE Candor Industries..................................................... 7
(916) 266-9160; tobey@iconnect007.com
Eagle Electronics.................................................... 27
TECHNICAL EDITOR: PETE STARKEY
+44 (0) 1455 293333; pete@iconnect007.com Eptac........................................................................... 75
TECHNICAL EDITOR: PATTY GOLDMAN Flexible Circuit Technologies................................ 71
CONTRIBUTING TECHNICAL EDITOR: HAPPY HOLDEN Gen3 Systems......................................................... 29
(616) 741-9213; happy@iconnect007.com
I-Connect007 eBooks......................................... 2, 3
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: KIERSTEN ROHDE
kiersten@iconnect007.com I-007e Micro Webinars......................................... 23
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: MICHELLE TE ICM Controls............................................................ 35
michelle@iconnect007.com
Insituware................................................................. 61
PRODUCTION MANAGER: SHELLY STEIN
shelly@iconnect007.com
IPC......................................................................... 41, 97
MAGAZINE LAYOUT: RON MEOGROSSI Koh Young................................................................. 67

AD DESIGN: SHELLY STEIN, MIKE RADOGNA, Kyzen......................................................................... 59
TOBEY MARSICOVETERE
Macdermid Alpha Assembly Solutions...... 31, 83
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIST: BRYSON MATTIES
Manncorp.................................................................... 5
COVER: SHELLY STEIN
Mirtec......................................................................... 55
COVER IMAGE: ADOBE STOCK © PIXELSCHOEN
NCAB................................................................... 37, 39
P Kay Metal.............................................................. 25
PCB Technologies................................................... 51
Pluritec (SMT)........................................................... 19
SMT007 MAGAZINE®
Prototron Circuits................................................... 85
is published by BR Publishing, Inc.,
942 Windemere Dr. NW, Salem, OR 97304 Siemens Digital Industries Software................ 53
© 2020 BR Publishing, Inc. does not assume and
hereby disclaims any liability to any person for loss
SMTA.................................................................... 49, 57
or damage caused by errors or omissions in the
material contained within this publication, regardless
Sunstone Circuits.................................................... 15
of whether such errors or omissions are caused The Test Connection................................................ 11
accidentally, from negligence or any other cause.
December 2020, Volume 35, Number 12 Thermaltronics......................................................... 77
SMT007 MAGAZINE is published monthly,
US Circuit.................................................................. 33
by BR Publishing, Inc.

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DECEMBER 2020 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 1

Hiring and Training

10 10 Lorain County Community College’s

24 IPC Addresses Critical Industry

44 Happy’s Essential Skills:

52 Redefining Recruiting to Attract

60 Changing Roles in the Digital Factory

RF/Microwave Power High-Speed

Automotive Lamination Startups

Our technology produces what our customers dream!

www.candorind.com | (416) 736-6306

8 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

DECEMBER 2020 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 9

10 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

14 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

Feinberg: The value of the industry just went

Vanderford: Exactly. It’s growing the manufac-

Holden: How much academic theory or engi-

Vanderford: We get questions like that a lot,

16 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

18 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

20 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

Johnson: I have talked with a handful

DECEMBER 2020 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 21

Vanderford: One of the things that we get

22 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

Thisfreeon- demandwebi nars eri

24 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

26 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

28 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

30 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

Process Expertise Innovative Products

Let’s get started.

Let’s work together to optimise the adhesion strength of your assembly.

32 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

34 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

36 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

In your daily life you are dependent on a

High Reliability PCBs.

38 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

In your daily life you are dependent on a

High Reliability PCBs.

40 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

• Electronics Assembly for Operators

2/3 of electronic Upskill Your

42 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

www.asc-i.com | (630) 639-5444

44 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

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DECEMBER 2020 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 47

Lean Digital Thread:

48 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

50 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

clear communication. Get on board

52 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020

The inherent complexity of delivering high quality, consistent surface mount

Valor Process Preparation – try it today!

Create comprehensive shop floor work instructions

Increase quality by preserving manufacturing

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