September, 2017


www.us-tech.com How Smart is Smart Enough? By Philip Stoten (@philipstoten)


er the opportunity presents itself. But what do we actually mean by it? Just how intelligent does a machine or sys-


T


tem have to be for it to be considered smart? And, what is smart enough? Who gets to be the arbitra- tor of what is smart and what is not? The answers only really come from one place, and that is the customer. When any manufacturer selects a piece of equipment or a software solution, it is they who define just how smart it needs to be. As an industry, we are beginning


to develop benchmarks, such as the Smart Factory Awards (www.smart- factoryawards.com), to test smart solu- tions against others in the market-


When any manufacturer selects an equipment


and/or software solution, it is they who define just how smart it needs to be.


place. The SFA is accepting submis- sions until October 21, and the win- ners will be announced at productroni- ca this November. The finalists will be the products and services that meet the highest standards, according to a panel of judges from both industry and academia. The panel includes members


from IBM, Microsoft, Intel, and others. These awards are designed to set a standard for smart solutions that oth- ers can aspire to. The final test, howev- er, is always made by the buyer.


Smart Basics Communication is the first test.


If a system cannot communicate, can it really be smart? I think not. This brings along with it the challenge of communications protocols and stan- dards, a topic that has taken up plen- ty of column inches and hours of con- versation over the last few months. While the IPC develops CFX


and Mentor continues to promote OML, another initiative supported by a large group of industry players has entered the fray. The new Hermes standard has rapidly gained support and seems to be a serious contender in the race. The Hermes standard uses TCP/IP to allow machines to


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he term “Smart” may be one of the most over- used words in the SMT industry right now. We seem to throw the word around whenev-


communicate with one another. It also employs XML to transmit other information, such as board IDs, conveyor speeds and material dimensions. According to most EMS companies and OEMs,


they are ready for an established standard. They want a standard and they want it sooner, not later. Many are already using their own systems and have created internal protocols. Some vendors are creat- ing solutions that work regardless of any existing communications standards or protocols, translating data into another sort of common language. My father used to say, “If you have nothing smart to say, it is best to say nothing.” He was


right. If we can nail down communications, then we had better have something worth communicat- ing. Levels of traceability grow more challenging and complex, and our ability to collect data and communicate it should be a minimum requirement of anything that professes to be “smart.” A smart tool should be able to sense a number


of things, such as operator input, components used, consumable levels, and environmental fac- tors. Take for example the smart reflow oven. It should be capable of recording every product as it enters, the status of each section of the oven, the


Continued on page 32


Page 29


Philip Stoten is an internation- ally recognized EMS industry expert. Known for his skills as an inter viewer, reporter and


panel moderator, Philip is a fea- tured multi-media contributor to U.S. Tech on a regular basis.


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