Werner - you bring tears to my eyes.  You summed it up so well.  On behalf of
the consultant community (at least those of us who do particpate in varying
degrees with Technet), thanks so much.
What little I have ever been able to contribute to Technet has also been out
of gratitude to what I've derived from my 25 years in the industry.  I enjoy
helping others and I am not aware of any business generated as a result of my
technet particpation (who knows, might have  frightened a few off).
Now back to business.
I have been out of the country for a short time and am trying to catch up on
a few things (am writing this in Osaka en route home from the Philippines and
I am optimistic that they will indeed let me back in the country.  A short
while ago there was a note from a colleague who was getting into the PCB
design arena.  I don;t know if, in my absence this was suggested or not, but
if it was, it requires emphasizing.  Spend some time learning about the
actual SMT assembly processes. Take a course in SMT assembly, attend seminars
and spend some time "on the assembly floor".  I still find that the biggest
problem in our industry is DFM or a lack of it, due to designers not having
the opportunity to become familiar with assembly equipment, materials and
processes and the interactions.  I teach a course at various venues (NEPCON,
PCB East and Asia, SMTA Academies) entitled  Design for Manufacturability
from an Assembly Point of View.  It is intended for and by designers and I
always find them in awe of our processes and amazed at the impact their
design deviations make on our processes (and the resulting rework and cost).
Anyway, spend some time on our side of the wall.  And Technet was a great
start!
That's it for my soapbox today.  Time to board a flight.
Phil Zarrow
ITM, Inc.
Durham, NH  USA
www.ITM-SMT.com

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