-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueSupply Chain Strategies
A successful brand is built on strong customer relationships—anchored by a well-orchestrated supply chain at its core. This month, we look at how managing your supply chain directly influences customer perception.
What's Your Sweet Spot?
Are you in a niche that’s growing or shrinking? Is it time to reassess and refocus? We spotlight companies thriving by redefining or reinforcing their niche. What are their insights?
Moving Forward With Confidence
In this issue, we focus on sales and quoting, workforce training, new IPC leadership in the U.S. and Canada, the effects of tariffs, CFX standards, and much more—all designed to provide perspective as you move through the cloud bank of today's shifting economic market.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Hunting for Clues: Feng Xue Solving Circuit Board 'Crimes' With AOI Standard
May 8, 2025 | Linda Stepanich, IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute

When residents in sleepy English villages needed a top-tier detective to solve a murder, they called on Belgian super-sleuth Hercule Poirot, author Agatha Christie’s fictional detective famous for using his “little grey cells” to solve crimes. In the same way, IPC standards development committees, when creating a standard to detect defects in circuit boards using Automated Optical Inspection (AOI), call on IPC A-Team, Hercule.
AOI is an automated visual inspection of a printed circuit board in which a camera scans the device to test for failures and defects. IPC-9716, Requirements for Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) Process Control for Printed Board Assemblies, released in January 2025, is the first automated inspection standard in a series.
The subject matter expert leading A-Team Hercule hails from Singapore, not Belgium, and is well known for working late into the night to help detect circuit board mysteries with his fellow committee members around the globe. Meet Feng Xue, IBM, chair of 7-25A, the Automated Optical Inspection Process Control Standard Task Group, A-Team Hercule, and 7-25B, AOI Process Control for IC Substrates Standard Task Group.
When Feng started working at IBM, he worked closely with Matt Kelly, who also worked at IBM and is now IPC’s CTO/VP of Technology Solutions, on cloud applications in IoT and AI, “on all the smart manufacturing stuff,” Feng says. The two stayed in touch after Matt left IBM.
“I still had frequent conversations with Matt, and he asked me to work with him on the factory of the future issues, including issues like AOI,” Feng says. “We realized there were no active specifications for this type of inspection and no committee working on one until Matt recruited me. He thought I had the right expertise and asked me to chair a new committee, and I was happy to do it.” Feng’s background is in microelectronics, making him ideal for the role of committee chair. “I worked in a wafer fab before joining IBM. So, basically, I’m a wafer guy. When you’re dealing with wafers, you’re dealing with packaging.”
Continue reading this article in the spring 2025 issue of IPC Community.
Testimonial
"In a year when every marketing dollar mattered, I chose to keep I-Connect007 in our 2025 plan. Their commitment to high-quality, insightful content aligns with Koh Young’s values and helps readers navigate a changing industry. "
Brent Fischthal - Koh YoungSuggested Items
Koh Young Showcases Advanced Dimensional Metrology and Inspection Solutions for Semiconductor and Wafer-Level Packaging at SEMICON India
08/14/2025 | Koh YoungKoh Young, the industry leader in True 3D™ measurement-based dimensional metrology and inspection solutions, will present its latest advancements for semiconductor and advanced packaging applications in Hall 1 Booth 1086 during SEMICON India 2025 held September 2-4, 2025, at Yashobhoomi (IICC), New Delhi, India.
TRI's Advanced WLP and Back-End Solutions at SEMICON Taiwan 2025
08/11/2025 | TRITest Research, Inc. (TRI), the leading test and inspection systems provider for the electronics manufacturing industry, will join SEMICON Taiwan held at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1 – 1F from September 10 - 12, 2025.
TRI's Advanced WLP and Back-End Solutions at SEMICON Taiwan 2025
08/08/2025 | TRITest Research, Inc. (TRI), the leading test and inspection systems provider for the electronics manufacturing industry, will join SEMICON Taiwan held at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1 – 1F from September 10 - 12, 2025.
ViTrox Americas to Showcase Advanced SMT Inspection and Smart Factory Solutions at SMTA Michigan and Ohio Expos
08/07/2025 | ViTroxViTrox Americas Inc. is pleased to announce its participation in the SMTA Michigan Expo & Tech Forum on Tuesday, August 19 in Livonia, MI, and the SMTA Ohio Expo & Tech Forum on Thursday, August 21 in Independence, Ohio.
ViTrox Unveils Smart 3D AOI Solutions, Pioneering Dual-Sided Inspection and Robotic Vision Solutions for Back-end Assembly Processes
08/04/2025 | ViTroxViTrox, which strives to be the World’s Most Trusted Technology Company, proudly announces the launch of its new-generation innovations in Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) technology for back-end assembly processes.