Squeezing out more gadgets

Who’d have thought that squeegees were the limiting factor on how fast factories can turn out electronic gadgets? It’s true, says Panasonic of Japan—and it adds to costs, too. Nearly all electronic devices include some sort of circuit board carrying miniature components that are soldered in place. The solder is applied in paste form by a squeegee rolled over a perforated mask plate. But roll it on too fast, and unpredictable waves in the solder stop it going through some holes. One small glitch ruins a whole circuit. Panasonic’s trick is to slide the squeegee very fast up to the holes and then brake hard (GB…