Reading time ( words)
PCB inspection is taking on greater significance as boards and packaging become increasingly smaller, with greater functionality. Automated optical inspection (AOI) and its backup associate, X-ray, team up to catch a variety of board assembly problems. But it’s AOI that’s at the forefront of this process.
AOI takes on a variety of key assignments, such as checking out the numbers labeled on passive and active devices and matching them with the database to assure they’re legitimate components, as specified in the bill of materials (BOM). Also, if alternate parts are used, the AOI machine is trained to verify them, regardless of manufacturer, as long as the device has the same footprint, value, tolerance, voltage, package type, etc.
That’s only the beginning. AOI is excellent at detecting missing or wrong components and misalignments. If a component is misaligned, say at 30° or 45°, AOI catches it. It also catches opens and bridging, and it can check for skewed parts and tombstoning. AOI can detect anything as long as it’s written on the component.
Read the full column here.
Editor's Note: This column originally appeared in the October 2013 issue of SMT Magazine.
Share
Suggested Items
05/24/2023 |
Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 Magazine
At the Atlanta SMTA Expo and Tech Forum, I met Neil Hubble, president of the metrology systems provider Akrometrix. If you’re not sure exactly what metrology entails, you’re in luck. In this interview, Neil explains why metrology is becoming a critical part of PCB manufacturing. We also discuss the company’s capital equipment, testing services, and why Akrometrix counts many of the top PCB and semiconductor manufacturing companies in the world as their customers.
03/15/2023 |
Mark Laing, Siemens Digital Industries Software
We recently heard President Biden’s State of the Union address, and it got me thinking that perhaps now is a good time to look at our own post-pandemic “state of the union” in the electronics manufacturing services industry. I will describe several key issues that our customers around the world are facing as we move forward into a new normal.
12/21/2022 |
Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007
Nolan Johnson speaks with Cybord’s Zeev Efrat about managing supply chain issues through advanced component verification procedures. Efrat describes the four-step process Cybord recommends to not only ensure that the components used are genuine and in good condition, but also to provide detailed provenance at the component level, thereby improving OEMs' ability to provide cradle-to-grave traceability.