Joe Fjelstad, Founder and President, Verdant Electronics

Plato told us that necessity was the mother of invention and often need does create an idea that generates a heretofore unseen solution. Joe and the team at Verdant see the necessity of solder as a big problem in the creation of electronic assemblies. You may have seen their recent announcement touting the launch of their new Occam Process as an "Evolution in circuit assembly".

Truly it is a revolution in that they have invented a PCB manufacturing process that does not require solder. We caught up with Joe in his car on his way to a customer meeting and asked him a few questions regarding the Occam process and its development at his company Verdant Electronics.

DeCollibus: Well OK Joe you've let this big cat out of the bag, what's next?

Fjelstad: I guess change happens! Really though, we've just fired the starting gun in this process development race and we will just have to see what happens and where it take us. I expect there will be more than a little discussion and controversy, and, moreover because no one can change overnight, I expect that many people will continue to do things the old way for some time to come.

I also expect we will see some early adopters of the Occam Process who will run with it to their advantage. I have already heard from folks with such interest. It really boils down to making a conscious choice between actively helping to shape the future and passively conforming to whatever random shape the future might happen to take. Personally, I much prefer working with the former group.

DeCollibus: Your advisory board reads like a who's who in the world of electronics, a group of individuals who know their stuff. Have they had much to say about the process?

Fjelstad: Yes Steve, taken as a group they pretty much have a lock on most, if not all of the tribal wisdom the electronics assembly industry has collected. I hold every one of them in the highest esteem and respect all of them in their own way have helped us with their tough probing questions and insights. Their positive response to Occam helped get Verdant where it is.

DeCollibus: Was it the no-lead mandates that drove this development?

Fjelstad: It was more the idea of solder in general that was seen as the problem. The industry was bending every part of the SMT process to serve the needs of solder. It appeared evident, that solder was going to be the limiting factor in any further advancement of circuit assembly technology. From what I have seen and read, lead-free just pushed the limits of solder to a higher level of pain, creating ever higher levels of frustration.

For evidence, one needs to look no further than the IPC archives of TechNet and Lead-free forums. As process development moved ahead, other benefits appeared. For example, environmentally it takes far less generated energy to assemble with this process, it will save literally billions of kilowatt hours, and it is in many ways simpler than the current methods.

The fundamental ideas behind the proposed approach builds on the proven ideas of many different technologies of the past. Though invention and reinvention are part of what is being proposed, it is not so much a matter of invention as it is one of orchestration and bringing the right technologies into play in the right order.

DeCollibus: Will Occam impact other areas in the process?

Fjelstad: The Occam process has far-reaching implications. Instead of three different sectors for electronics manufacturing, PCB fabrication, components manufacturing, and assembly, there are just two. That is because printed circuit manufacture and assembly are essentially fused into one continuous manufacturing operation. This solution will greatly increase control, and harness the revenue presently lost in supply chain management.

DeCollibus: As you move ahead with this new technology what happens at Verdant Electronics?

Fjelstad: We don't stop. We are looking at other solutions that have merit that will also mitigate the use of solder, we have applied for a number of patents, and we have more ideas in the works. At Verdant Electronics we will continue to move in directions that will reduce manufacturing costs and reduce the impact of electronic product manufacturing on the environment. These are things that can benefit everyone, everywhere. Wednesday's announcement was a big step in the right direction.

DeCollibus: Thanks Joe, I am sure we will be speaking again as the Occam Process develops.