Estimating front end throughput: where has all the data gone [PCB manufacture]

The authors have three objectives. The first is to explain a number of reasons for the unavailability of necessary data for high-fidelity performance modeling for manufacturing. The second objective is to illustrate the importance of matching model detail with data accuracy. The authors provide an example in which an analytical model is compared with simulation for a set of very coarse data and show that the incremental solution detail does not warrant the development effort associated with the simulation. The final objective is to describe a hierarchical approach to developing performance models for next-generation printed circuit card assembly lines that is motivated by the lack of available operating data. The approach provides a mechanism for developing models with more meaningful data