Productivity Improvement on the PCBA Coating Process

Abstract

The printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) industry is important for Thailand because it is a high-value export product. Many manufacturers, such as the world-class company, have plants located in Thailand. The research established that the output of the coating process needed to be increased by maintaining the resources. The manufacturer case study needs the printed circuit board to be coated per customer requirement, which is 20–30 microns. The coating machine process is a bottleneck, and only one machine is in place. The data analysis of the production database identifies that the thickness measurement consumed more time per day (76 minutes of performing the coupon and thickness measurement). Three times per day, the thickness is confirmed by a coupon (stainless plate) measurement at the beginning of the shift (morning, afternoon, and night shift). The research aims to prove the coating machine's performance is still maintained all day and can reduce the number of thickness measurements per day. The statistical approach involved applying analysis of variance and concluding that the thickness requirements are still maintained all day and there is no need to measure the thickness for the afternoon and night shifts. The thickness is not different for all three shifts, with 95% confidence. The coating still meets the customer requirements, and the output increased from 103.20 to 118.40 units per day, and productivity improved from 8.60 to 9.87 units per operator, which is 14.77% increasing.