The IE Department inaugurates its SMT Line

A printed circuit board assembly line (based on surface mount technology or SMT) located in IE's Manufacturing Lab was inaugurated on Thursday, December 12, 2002. University and Industry leaders attended the activity. The SMT line was donated by Hewlett Packard and Solectron Corporation, both located in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

Shortly after transporting the line into the Lab (April 2002), various IE professors started an effort to obtain some production volume from the electronics industry sector. This was motivated by the desire to provide engineering students with real examples of the manufacturing activity they will encounter after graduation. Students, especially in IE, will be able to apply the concepts and tools presented in the classroom to evaluate and improve performance. Through time, this line will become an exemplary or learning factory where students will gain knowledge from.

To develop the SMT know-how, the IE Department is starting to offer an SMT course which is open to engineering students in manufacturing related disciplines. The course is intended for third and fourth year students who are interested in working afterwards for a minimum of six months. The logistics of the working experience is being defined.

During the inauguration ceremonies, Jorge Rodríguez, Solectron's vice-president for worldwide manufacturing operations, announced that during summer 2003 our new business will go through a certification process. After successful completion of this activity, Solectron and Smart Modular Technologies will work with UPRM in the production volume challenges.

The line will also be used for prototype runs related to new product developments resulting from interdisciplinary UPRM activities or from external customer needs.