Date of Award
5-1986
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Business Administration
Department
Business
First Advisor
Jack Kirk
Second Advisor
Charles Orme-Rogers
Third Advisor
Eric N. Koch
Abstract
The introduction of an automated PCB facility in today's technological society still includes a people-oriented facility. The main thrust should be to develop Artificial Intelligence, then the incorporation of LANS, CAD, ICAM, and CIM.
The ability to lace all the functions together is by far the biggest obstacle. The hardware of the equipment is not so much the obstacle to the chemical process and knowledge as the software. Software, which is the capability to talk from the computer to the equipment, is the greatest stumbling block because there is no standardization in the language format.
The method which a computer "talks" from the computer to the appropriate process equipment, or analytical equipment is the first important consideration. Hardware is fairly standardized the world over, but software is totally different. Once software is standardized the same as hardware, then processes will fit together as the pieces in a puzzle.
The chemical process of a PCB is sketched out in this paper. The process does not go into any detail, but is intended to Familiarize the reader with the knowledge of the chemical process of the PCB.
The equipment process is also explained to show possible approaches to automation. Equipment companies have claims to their state-of-the-art equipment. However, ideas and methods change on the equipment, but the chemicals do not, and have not changed in the processes.
The ability to enhance chemical processes by means of automatic control of temperature, pressure, or combinations of the Functions, are all state-of-the-art approaches. The capability to incorporate equipment and chemical processes is a Forerunner to automation. Placing a microprocessor console into the system does not automate a process, and turning on the system, turning on the conveyor, checking temperature and pressure is only a semi-automated system. The equipment is still too controlled by people to be classified as an automated plant.
The total automation concept is still in the design state. Although various industries claim total automation, people still interface with a lot of the equipment. In the electronics industry, robots and conveyorized equipment are manned by people somewhere in the operation.
The facets of equipment, chemical analysis, photoplotter, order taking for PCB inventory, and other necessary elements are simple work steps; however, when put together, they turn out to be a complex process. The computer with Artificial Intelligence which can turn on, analyze a finished printed circuit board without human reference or interference from start to finish, describes total automation. The computer now has total control over the entire process.
The following chapters show a proposal for total automation with very little human intervention. The ability to have Artificial Intelligence in a computer for the chemical analysis process, artwork tooling, building, "what if'' production problems, and performance of work diagnostics are all strong realities for today. The objective computer with Artificial Intelligence will yield data, graphs, and forecast inventory control.
This paper is not intended to solve all the minute details of chemical processes through automatic analysis. The ability to write universal software for all the microprocessors is also not an intent of this paper. The objective is to show how the PCB industry is building toward the automated concept. We already have the foundations to achieve automation in the the immediate future, but only if industry is willing to accept these new concepts.
Recommended Citation
Rossi, George P., "Leading the Electronics Industry Into Total Automation" (1986). Theses. 1285.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/1285
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
