Without the right context, AI gives answers that sound right but can quietly derail manufacturing decisions.
It’s 9:15 AM on a Tuesday, and Maria – your rising star process engineer – is about to make a $50,000 mistake.
She asked AI a simple question: “What’s the recommended cure temperature for FR-4 laminate?” The answer came back instantly, confidently: “Cure at 180°C for 90 minutes.” She’s two clicks away from updating the work instruction that will go to the production floor for today’s run of 24 panels.
Laser doppler vibrometry enables simultaneous measurement at dozens of points across populated PCBs, revealing component-level failure risks that accelerometers miss.
Printed circuit boards (PCBs) used in space, defense, aeronautics and transportation cannot tolerate in-service failures. Before deployment, these systems must pass environmental qualification tests, including vibration, shock, thermal cycling, radiation, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and ingress protection.
Innovation gets applause, manufacturing gets contracts.
We’re almost out of time. That is the message underlying US Department of War Secretary Peter Hegseth’s “Arsenal of Freedom” speech on acquisition reform last month.1 We’ve spent a long time chasing “perfect,” with successful programs creating low volumes of some of the most exquisite military systems in the world. These military systems have allowed us to dominate non-peer adversaries with little attrition. Recently, the war in Ukraine and threats in the Indo-Pacific have resurrected the threat of near-peer conflict. They have shown us what to expect from modern battlefields and have exposed a fundamental flaw in the DoW’s acquisition approach: slowness.
Treating technology as a human replacement strategy is a recipe for failure. Here’s the questions you should be asking.
I have good news: Your board just approved hiring a chief of staff for every single employee in your organization.
This person never sleeps. They learn instantly from every interaction and get better with use. They have encyclopedic knowledge across all human domains, from circuit design to supply chain optimization to regulatory compliance. And the cost? As little as $20 per month per employee.
There’s just one catch: They succeed only if you become their coach and manager.
Where excess inventory stops being clutter and starts being currency.
For years, companies have treated excess electronic components like an embarrassing secret. They get over-purchased, boxed up and quietly written off – destined for the trash, the gray market or whatever corner of the warehouse no one wants to inventory.
How do modern stencil materials and coatings influence transfer efficiency and volume repeatability as SMT features continue to shrink?
The key indicators of SMT stencil performance are transfer efficiency and volume repeatability. Transfer efficiency (TE) refers to the percentage of solder paste released from the stencil when compared to the stencil’s aperture volumes and is expressed as a percentage. Typical values range from 60% to 120%.
