Viscom Technology Forum Looks to the Future

Hanover, Germany, July 2019 – At Viscom's Technology Forum this year on June 5-6 in Hanover, Germany, board member Carsten Salewski welcomed all present participants, who then debated "The Future of Electronics Manufacturing" together with outstanding speakers. Viscom sales engineer Michael Mügge moderated the forum.

As the keynote speaker, Austrian strategy consultant Franz Kühmayer of Zukunftsinstitut GmbH presented brand-new perspectives under the theme "Why We Need to Rethink the Way We Work!". The former executive used examples from the area of artificial intelligence to show how state-of-the-art technology is successively replacing humans in problem-solving and task performance. CEO Johann Weber from global player Zollner Elektronik AG elucidated the challenges posed by digital transformation from the standpoint of an EMS provider in his specialist presentation.

Björn Noreik of BNB-Qualitätsstatistik und Training, which has supported companies in statistical analysis for more than two decades, demonstrated how production success can be measured. In his presentation he guided participants through the labyrinth of capability indicators such as Cgk, Cmk, Cpk and Ppk. An insight from his demonstration: in the big-data context, it is important to know how one actually gets to his measurement results and under which conditions the samples used for the calculation have been recorded.

Veronika Franz of Product Marketing at Viscom presented exceptional inspection solutions for Viscom customers, thus proving Viscom's expertise in customized solutions. The projects she selected included automated handling of printed circuit boards during the verification process after solder paste inspection for a manufacturer of dental instruments and devices, as well as the precise 3D coplanarity measurement of components to ensure flawless bonding processes, likewise integrated in the production line, for a manufacturer of inverters for wind farms. The most unusual presented example was a shoe last manufacturer who measures shoe sizes using one of Viscom's manual X-ray inspection systems and rotatory computer tomography.

Uwe Pape, a quality assurance expert at Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg, showed what the inspection of electronic assemblies looks like from the perspective of the automobile maker. Driver assistance and safety systems are valued as useful aids, but must be 100% reliable – regardless of whether they are used as parking assistants, tracking assistants or proximity warning devices. The focus on this high standard is even more intense as the development of self-driving vehicles progresses. Thus, it's no wonder that VW has developed its own quality standards in these areas. The era in which the company viewed electronic components in vehicles as a "black box" is long gone.

High-quality electronics in motor vehicles must also be meticulously protected from environmental influences such as humidity and moisture. This is done by conformal coatings. Dr. Helmut Schweigart, head of Technology Development at ZESTRON Europe, shared his extensive expertise in this field with the participants in the Technology Forum.

Axel Klapproth, Senior Applications Manager of Viscom's Series Products Business Unit, presented effective inspection strategies for detecting gas inclusions, known as voids, in solder joints. Here, the focus was on the component types LED, BGA, QFN, THT, transistors and chips. Via a live connection to the demonstration X-ray inspection system, the listeners were able to see firsthand how critical voids can be detected and measured. Viscom customers acquired in-depth user knowledge with regard to this and other topics in workshops, "Meet the Experts" sessions and during tours of the system exhibition.

A further highlight of the two-day event was a fascinating panel discussion moderated by the journalist and trend expert Birgit Gebhardt. Among other things, she discussed cross-manufacturer M2M communication, e-mobility and the new 5G standard for mobile communications and its impact on self-driving vehicles and real-time communication in industry with Franz Kühmayer and Johann Weber as well as the other guests Sven Buchholz of ASM, Christoph Stoppok of ZVEI and Volker Pape of Viscom.