Inspection challenges associated with high reliability electronics manufacturing are often mitigated by investing in automation.  With the ever increasing demand to drive down material waste, costs and maintain quality, Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) equipment is well recognized by electronics manufacturing management as a cost-effective process solution.

AOI addresses ever-increasing density, diversity, and quality requirements of PCBs by maximizing resources to increase production efficiency in a competitive business that leaves little margin for  error.  Advanced optical inspection systems detect errors during the assembly of the electronics, and enable measurement and process control at the highest speed and accuracy. AOI eliminates the subjectivity  and variability  associated with manual visual inspection.  Systems are integrated into the automatic assembly processes to provide 100% visible component and solder-joint inspection.

Today’s generation of AOI equipment efficiently addresses density, diversity, and quality requirements, eliminating the subjectivity and variability found with manual visual inspection processes.  The AutoInspector Supra offers a high performance package with excellent resolution and speed capability. The Supra provides defect detection coverage for paste, pre-solder, and post-reflow inspection. The MVP Supra is designed for the medium volume/high mix platform market. The Supra continues to be an excellent inspection solution at a reasonable price.

MVP has developed a new 3D inspection approach by integrating the latest available high-speed smart cameras into the existing design of the AutoInspector Series. The Ultra II and Supra can be delivered with this option to provide unsurpassed 2D/3D performance in one machine.

The first inspection system released in the GEM Series of inspection solutions is the Compact Tabletop inspection system. The Compact offers the same inspection capabilities as the AutoInspector inline systems, but in an off-line, small, portable package. Using the same software as the AutoInspector, MVP’s Compact brings accurate, extensive defect detection at an affordable price point.

The paste process provides the vital foundation to the remainder of the SMT process, and with the advent of Pb-free, specific issues regarding paste print can become more prevalent. It has already been determined that paste registration issues yield lower quality on lead-free assemblies with regards to tombstoning based on initial studies. It has also been demonstrated that lower wetting forces will generate quality issues with regards to complete joint formation, de-wetting, and bridging due to misalignment.

Based on these anticipated issues, manufacturers can look to 3D SPI as a potential way to mitigate these issues, and maintain consistent process performance. Through proper characterization of the process, SPI can identify shifts or deviations in performance which bring to light process issues. This practice promotes better root cause analysis in this vital process step, and can help eliminate these propagated issues viewed at the end of the SMT process.

Inspection coverage encompasses solder paste, pre-reflow and post-reflow/wave inspection of SMT and mixed technology boards. Equipment features should include comprehensive integrated optical inspection solutions with off-line programming capabilities, flexible repair solutions, extensive SPC tools, and provide the user an inspection platform to support inspection of product anywhere in the process. This enables accurate and repeatable real-time process measurement and process control.

Key areas of real time measurement should include Paste (area, pad area coverage (%), height (micron), volume (x)), Pre-reflow (x and y offset (micron), rotation (degrees)),  Post-reflow (x and y offset (micron), rotation (degrees), solder fillet size (%)).This data will allow process engineers to understand the process window and recognize process shifts as they occur.

Data outputs should be automatically generated, configured to client/contract  requirements, collected in real time and be sent to a host automatically after each inspection.  Real-time data analysis helps identify process problems, which can be detected and corrected, at the source.

For additional information on the MVP Automatic Optical Inspection equipment or to schedule a demonstration, please contact Ken Friedman, by telephone at 610-362-1200 ext 279 or via e-mail at kfriedman@aciusa.org.