Thomas Waibel did not follow a traditional path into advanced manufacturing. He built his knowledge from the ground up, and today that practical approach shapes how he supports customers, connects production lines and develops AI tools for electronics manufacturing.
As part of the new generation at HW Technologies, Thomas brings a distinctly practical perspective to advanced electronics manufacturing. His work spans Mycronic SMT equipment, line installations, preventive maintenance, fault finding, operator support and training. We spoke with him about what connected production lines actually deliver, why underused capacity is one of the most common problems on a factory floor, and how AI is changing both inspection and technical support.
You are the customer-facing side of HW Technologies’ support. What does the job involve?
Most of my customer visits fall into three areas: scheduled preventive maintenance, individual machine or complete production-line installations, and breakdown support. I also provide a lot of remote support, particularly for automated optical inspection (AOI) customers.
The job is never only about repairing a machine. It is about understanding what the customer is manufacturing, how the line is behaving and what needs to happen to keep production moving.
You have developed particular expertise in Mycronic SMT equipment. How did you build that knowledge?
I completed broad Mycronic equipment and software training in Sweden, followed by specialist AOI training in Singapore. But a great deal of my knowledge has come from the old-fashioned approach of reading manuals, working through faults and spending time on machines at customer sites.
Every factory teaches you something different. Over time, you learn to recognise patterns across the entire production line rather than looking at each machine in isolation.
Why is that whole-line perspective so important with the newest generation of SMT equipment?
“The real advantage appears when the machines share information and support one another.”
The jet printer gives manufacturers flexibility without a stencil and can deposit solder paste very accurately, including on difficult pads or inside cavities. Solder paste inspection can identify a deposit problem early and, in an integrated setup, send the correction straight back to the jet printer so the paste is repaired before the board moves further down the line.
Pick-and-place equipment can track component use, while intelligent storage towers update inventory and prepare the correct reels when production needs them. AOI then closes the loop, catching what got through and feeding that information back up the line.
Each machine is valuable on its own, but the greater benefit comes from the way the complete system reduces manual handling, rework and avoidable downtime.
Where do you see manufacturers losing the most production time?
Often, the problem is utilisation. A capable line may spend too much time waiting, changing between jobs or continuing to produce boards after an issue has already appeared.
“Modern Mycronic systems are particularly strong for manufacturers managing a high product mix, shorter production runs and frequent changeovers.”
Communication along the line is also important. When inspection identifies a problem, that information needs to reach the beginning of the process quickly. The team can then make an adjustment before a small issue becomes a full batch of defective boards.
How is AI changing automated optical inspection?
“AI-assisted programming and auto-tuning can dramatically reduce the effort required to create and refine an AOI program.”
Traditionally, manufacturers have relied on a small number of highly trained people to spend hours programming a board and then fine-tuning the library. Mycronic’s new GenI software removes most of that. It uses a neural network to identify the components, leads and solder joints on the first board, sets its own tolerances, and then adjusts them as production runs. In practice that can bring the whole job down to somewhere in the order of 10 to 30 minutes.
The software learns from the decisions made at the review station and adjusts tolerances for the boards that follow.
Skilled review still matters. An experienced person must confirm whether an indication is a true defect or a false call. AI does not remove that expertise; it helps people apply it more quickly and makes the technology more accessible to the wider production team.
What do customers usually need most from you when you are on site?
They need someone who will take ownership of the problem and work towards a practical solution. In manufacturing, a machine sitting idle has an immediate cost.
Sometimes the first step is a temporary fix that gets the equipment running safely while a permanent solution is arranged. At other times, the best response is to help the customer reorganise production so another job can continue. My trade background taught me to assess what is in front of me, work with the available resources and find a reasonable path forward rather than waiting for a textbook situation.
You came into this from a trade background rather than an engineering degree. How has that shaped the way you work?
I have enormous respect for engineering knowledge, but my own route has been different. I learned by starting with the basics, working with my hands, reading the documentation and seeing what happens when a system is operating in the real world.
That makes me comfortable asking simple questions, tracing a problem from the beginning and building my understanding step by step. For practical work, starting from the bottom up is a good thing. It creates a foundation that you can continue adding to.
When I joined my dad, Hugo, at HW Technologies, I started with the books and administration. That allowed me to learn how the business worked from the inside. From there, I gradually moved into customer visits, equipment installations and service work.
That progression gave me a bottom-up understanding of the whole business rather than only one technical part of it.
What is HW Technologies’ point of difference when it comes to customer support?
For me, it is the combination of flexibility, personal responsibility and knowledge gained across many different customer sites. Because this is a family business and our name is attached to the work, I feel a strong responsibility to make sure customers receive the service they deserve.
I also try to leave people with more knowledge than they had before the visit. That might mean helping an operator understand a recurring issue, improving first-pass yield or showing the team how one part of the production line affects another.
You also work extensively with AI, including developing your own internal platform. What is the thinking behind it?
To become a true expert technician on Mycronic, or almost any complete SMT line, you need knowledge of half a dozen machines combined with years of practical experience. Very few people can develop expertise across every part of the line. That is why I have been building an internal, knowledge-based AI platform that can support employees at their own pace and at different skill levels. The aim is to create an expert assistant that can support fault finding, help structure customer reports and work-order escalations, and give technicians a reliable place to test a question before it needs to be taken further.
“I am also developing onboarding pathways from beginner through to advanced, allowing future team members to build context before they begin working directly on a machine.”
Practical experience will always be essential, but better access to knowledge can make that experience more productive, more quickly. The platform is still developing and will continue to evolve as the technology and available information change.
HW Technologies also works in acoustic monitoring, including underwater applications. How are you involved in that area?
It started in 2022, when a bioacoustics researcher asked Hugo whether the airborne acoustic camera we had represented for around twenty years could be made to work underwater to study marine mammals. The first experiments were a few hydrophones, a GoPro and a backyard pool.
It has come a long way since. We built and field-tested a full prototype with an Australian defence partner, and the next-generation system is now available in Australia for hire or purchase under our HYDRO Acoustics Australia brand. I enjoy this work because it is completely different from SMT. I have been out on Sydney Harbour conducting live field tests with divers, as well as running experiments in the pool.
We are contributing to an emerging capability that could have applications across several industries. It could help businesses identify underwater noise problems and avoid costly investigations, support marine biologists studying what is happening beneath the surface, and give defence organisations better acoustic awareness in underwater environments.
What is driving the growth of HW Technologies?
“More Australian companies are building their products locally and looking for the equipment, knowledge and support they need to do it successfully. That is the shift we are helping to enable. Australia is rebuilding its electronics manufacturing capability, and companies like ours are where that national ambition meets the reality of the factory floor. That is the part we are here for.”