-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueAlternate Metallization Processes
Traditional electroless copper and electroless copper immersion gold have been primary PCB plating methods for decades. But alternative plating metals and processes have been introduced over the past few years as miniaturization and advanced packaging continue to develop.
Technology Roadmaps
In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we discuss technology roadmaps and what they mean for our businesses, providing context to the all-important question: What is my company’s technology roadmap?
Wet Process Control
In this issue, we examine wet processes and how to obtain a better degree of control that allows usable data to guide our decisions and produce consistently higher-quality products.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Test and Inspection: Competitive Advantage and Cost of Doing Business
December 8, 2021 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
In this interview, Charlie Capers of Zentech breaks down the changing requirements he’s seeing in test and inspection in the industry, and the growing importance of investing in testing for the future growth and success of your company.
Nolan Johnson: Charlie, test strategies seem to be all over the place.
Charlie Capers: Everybody does everything a little differently. It depends on your shop, your processes, the size of your shop, and the volume of the stuff you’re doing.
Johnson: What seems to be emerging is increased activity with the IPC J-standard; the shifts in how you approach ROSE testing, in addition to the customer-driven and OEM-driven demands that are changing for testing inspection regarding finished product. This is especially true for military and medical, which are starting to demand them.
Capers: Yes. Those are the top ones.
Johnson: As you move toward automation, isn’t there an increased need for test and inspection as a part of process control?
Capers: Yes. Maybe in larger shops, I would believe that. They go hand in hand. When you collect statistics on defects, you will start to see a trend that says, for example, we’ve got a lot of shorts and opens, meaning that our solder paste process is not tight. If you’re collecting statistics and really studying them, you will see trends in your processes. It’s part of the AS9100 too; you must collect your statistical data and review it every year.
Johnson: The trick is how to make it meaningful. Turning that not just into data but into intelligence and analysis seems to be where the gap is right now.
Capers: Yes. I would agree with that. You can collect data all day long. You can look at it and see you’re having issues, but unless you dig deep and ask why the issues in this particular area or with this particular defect are there, then all the data collection is kind of useless—but we do it anyway.
Johnson: From where you sit, have you seen any interesting work to turn that into usable intelligence?
Capers: We are currently using it for our internal records, and for our requirement of AS9100. If you dig deep, you could probably say something like, “Operator number 13 is screwing up left and right.” But is it a personnel issue? Is it a process issue? Is it a machine issue? What is it? At our size, we probably have the capability, but not the resources, to dig deep into that type of stuff.
Johnson: How do you get software tools to the smaller firms, which make up the bulk of the active companies in the U.S.?
Capers: The tools are not only the software; it’s capital equipment that helps ensures your processes are good. You could have every certification in the world: plaques, trophies, and all of this, for all the good work you do. But at the end of the day, it comes down to price, and everything else is expected. After putting money into AXI, ICT, AOI, flying probe and all those good things, it would be nice to be able to recoup that money. These days, though, it’s assumed that you will be doing all these processes.
Twenty years ago, maybe you could buy an AOI machine and be able to charge for that service. For ICT and flying probe test, we must charge because there’s a development cost involved with it. For flying probe testing, you must program the machine and debug the program to make sure it runs correctly. For ICT, of course, you must program the machine, but you also must procure a test fixture to put on that machine, a bed-of-nails test fixture. There are costs involved in that. In our little world, we must pass those through. For big production, I’m sure it’s just built into the price of “we’re going to build you a million boards and this is what it’s going to cost, and we’re going to guarantee everything.” It’s a different world.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the November 2021 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
AIM to Highlight NC259FPA Ultrafine No Clean Solder Paste at SMTA Space Coast Expo & Tech Forum
10/22/2024 | AIMAIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce its participation in the upcoming SMTA Space Coast Expo & Tech Forum taking place on November 14 at the Melbourne Auditorium in Melbourne, Florida.
AIM to Present on High Reliability and Highlight NC259FPA Ultrafine No Clean Solder Paste at SMTA South China Expo & Tech Forum
10/18/2024 | AIMAIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce its participation in the upcoming SMTA South China Expo & Tech Forum taking place November 6-7 at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center in Shenzhen, China.
All Flex Solutions Invests in Assembly Inspection Automation
10/17/2024 | All Flex SolutionsAll Flex has acquired an Omron VP9000 3D Solder Paste Inspection System and an Omron VT-S1080 3D Automatic Optical Inspection System for their flexible circuit assembly facility in Bloomington, Minnesota. These acquisitions are one part of All Flex Solutions’ four-year SMT Roadmap to expand the scale and capability of their assembly operations.
TopLine to Exhibit 'Drop-in Replacement' for BGA at Electronica
10/16/2024 | TopLineTopLine Corporation will exhibit its latest technology solutions at Electronica in Munich, Germany, November 12 – 15, 2024, in stand B4.428.
Indium Experts to Present at International Electronics Manufacturing Technology Conference
10/15/2024 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation is proud to announce its participation in the upcoming International Electronics Manufacturing Technology Conference (IEMT), taking place October 16-18 in Penang, Malaysia.