The processes, by which companies create functional devices from the diverse collection of components and materials which we associate with electronic devices, demand diverse knowledge. The phrase "You cannot inspect quality into a product" is not a meaningless mantra. As package size shrinks, and as we push the limits of the materials and methods employed to produce electronics goods, the fact that quality is the result of applied knowledge becomes increasingly clear. This knowledge crosses disciplines taught in institutes of higher learning. These disciplines are normally associated with organizational functions within companies.

Production Managers, Process Engineers, Design Engineers, Manufacturing Equipment Applications Engineers and Support Technicians, Materials Suppliers, Applications Engineers, Quality Engineers and Auditors have all benefited from attending the Boot Camp.

Perhaps your company is too small to support a staff of manufacturing engineers. Perhaps you need one or two or three people to act as Sales and Technical Representatives, Managers, Design Engineers, Technicians and Instructors, and all must share in the development of manufacturing processes. Do they understand how their particular knowledge can help optimize the entire manufacturing process? Can you afford to learn by trial and error? Product life cycles are shrinking. Profit margins are shrinking. Meanwhile, technical demands in manufacturing are increasing.

Tomorrow's electronic manufacturing personnel are today's students. Everyday, young engineers, production managers, and supervisors are challenged by new demands in the field of electronics. Electronics manufacturing is not taught in most colleges. Prospective engineers are typically "trained" in the expensive school of hard knocks or, if your company is large enough, through the on-the-job (OJT) process of watching veterans do their job. There is no substitute for OJT and hard knocks experience but these stimuli will not teach process optimization. Peripheral processes may indirectly affect the primary process or the process of focus.

The Electronics Manufacturing Boot Camp program ties knowledge from disciplines of statistics, physics, metallurgy, electronics and materials science together to provide a comprehensive understanding of the processes used to manufacture electronic devices. Attendees will learn how design choices may influence yield at the manufacturing level, how materials and process input variables affect process output and interact with subsequent manufacturing processes, how manufacturing processes are designed and monitored. All students of the Boot Camp will enjoy hands-on participation in the primary processes for manufacturing electronic assemblies.

There are 22 modules, short courses, in the Boot Camp. Most of the modules are designed as a combination of lecture and laboratory experience. The target is 40 percent lecture, 60 percent demonstration and hands-on experience. Modules are sequenced to provide an overview of the entire manufacturing cycle, materials used in the cycle and industry-standard expectations for process control and end item acceptance.

Boot Camp starts with the goal of providing a base understanding for practical use of Statistical Process Control, Design of Experiments and Design for Manufacture/Assembly. The first week of the program also includes modules on Bare Board Fabrication, Printing (solder paste and adhesives), Dispensing (adhesives and underfills) and Component Placement.

The second week of Boot Camp continues with manufacturing processes; Wave Soldering, Reflow Soldering, Cleaning, Hand Soldering, Coatings, and Rework Techniques. There are modules also on Process Control Tools, Thermal Profiling, Cleanliness Testing, Reliability Assessment, and No-Clean Processing.

One recent attendee commented, "Probably the most value added training that I have ever attended". Another wrote, "Great course, perfect introductory background [to] electronics manufacturing."

Students receive all course materials in binders, Component ID Guide Book, Surface Mount Manufacturing text, as well as a Boot Camp shirt. The Electronics Manufacturing Learning Center (EMLC) provides lunch during the weekday sessions at the Getaway Restaurant in the International Plaza .

The EMLC in conjunction with the Electronics Manufacturing Productivity Facility (EMPF) Equipment Partners provides lecture facilities and a modern, fully equipped factory floor. The facilities are adjacent to the Philadelphia airport. After completing the course and experiencing the manufacturing process from start to finish, one recent student wrote, "...definitely worth my time and money ...I now feel confident about going home and starting up our own automated manufacturing . . . The mixture of lectures/labs really helps in understanding the processes..."

In addition to the standard Boot Camp sessions, we also can customize the class for large groups of students from the same company. Contact us for details.