-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueComing to Terms With AI
In this issue, we examine the profound effect artificial intelligence and machine learning are having on manufacturing and business processes. We follow technology, innovation, and money as automation becomes the new key indicator of growth in our industry.
Box Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
VJ Electronix: Automating the X-ray Inspection Process
May 4, 2022 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Brennan Caissie shares the benefits of a new inspection tool that can be used on a variety of boards, with an automated system that takes the pressure off the manufacturing floor operators and can provide feedback all the way to the design process.
Nolan Johnson: Brennan, can you explain what you do as an applications engineer?
Brennan Caissie: Yes. I interact with customers, working with them to find their needs, translate that back to our engineering group and come up with solutions for customer applications. VJ Electronix specializes in X-ray inspection, X-ray counting for components, and rework machines.
Johnson: You have some news coming out of VJE about some new products. Could you fill us in?
Caissie: Sure. We have a new product coming out called the Apogee 90, which is a 90-kiloVolt PCB inspection machine. The Apogee 90 is primarily aimed at customers generating consumer electronics, medical components, products with smaller and lighter boards. This machine is going to have some software capabilities that are new for us. There’s BGA analysis, for example. We also have some automated filters and automated inspection routines. We can tilt the detector in the machine to get angled images. There are quite a few new features we are bringing to this machine.
Johnson: Angled images? In that regard, are you starting to rely on more than just 2D contrast for identification? Are you starting to use a little bit of a 3D angle at this?
Caissie: That’s right. It’s not quite 3D, but more than a top-down 2D image. We can tilt the detector in the machine up to 45 degrees so we can get an angled image so you can see the top and bottom of structures like vias, to see exactly where the solder is placed in three dimensions.
Johnson: What’s the advantage to these angled images?
Caissie: In boards where you have multiple layers, it is sometimes helpful to look inside through-holes and vias just to see if the solder is completely filling those areas with no voids in the solder.
Johnson: The additional angles certainly help you get a more complete picture of what’s going on there.
Caissie: That’s right. You can also use that feature to look around some tall components that might be blocking your view. You can angle the detector to see around those types of components as well.
Johnson: You have some capabilities within the Apogee to handle some different types of boards. What makes that challenging? Why does that require you to do something different?
Caissie: We have a 90-kiloVolt system, which is good for smaller, thinner boards. When you get into the larger boards with multiple layers, it does get a little more difficult for that X-ray to penetrate all the way through. We have a 130-kiloVolt version coming that will be more appropriate for those types of applications.
Johnson: Because of the board type, you need to optimize. One system is not going to work for every board thickness.
Caissie: That’s right. We typically use the higher power system for applications like server boards and automotive components. Those thicker boards are going to require more power to penetrate through those boards to see all the different layers.
This interview originally appeared in the May issue of SMT007 Magazine. Click here to continue reading.
Suggested Items
Indium Experts to Present on High-Temperature, Lead-Free Solder Paste and High Reliability Liquid Metal Alloys Poster at ECTC
05/16/2024 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation Research Associate Kyle Aserian will deliver a presentation at the 74th Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) on May 31, in Denver, Colorado.
Indium Experts to Present at Electronics in Harsh Environments SMTA Conference
05/13/2024 | Indium Corporationndium Corporation Technical Manager for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, Karthik Vijay, will deliver a technical presentation and Indium Corporation Senior Technologist, Dr. Ronald Lasky, will deliver both a workshop and technical presentation at the Electronics in Harsh Environments SMTA Conference on May 14-16 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Connect the Dots: Designing for Reality—The Pre-Manufacturing Process
05/08/2024 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsI have been working with Nolan Johnson on a podcast series about designing PCBs for the reality of manufacturing. By sharing lessons learned over a long career in the PCB industry, we hope to shorten learning curves and help designers produce better boards with less hassle and rework. Episode 2 deals with the electronic pre-manufacturing process. Moving from CAD (computer-aided design) to CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) is a key step in PCB manufacturing. CAM turns digital designs into instructions that machines can use to actually build the PCB.
AIM Solder Signs Shinil Fl Ltd. as New Distributor for Korea
05/08/2024 | AIM SolderAIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce a new distribution partnership with Shinil Fl Ltd., a prominent supplier of technological solutions in the SMT and semiconductor sectors.
Indium Corporation to Showcase HIA Materials at ECTC
05/07/2024 | Indium CorporationAs an industry leader in innovative materials solutions for semiconductor packaging and assembly, Indium Corporation® will feature its advanced products designed to meet the evolving challenges of heterogeneous integration and assembly (HIA) and fine-pitch system-in-package (SiP) applications at the 74th Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), May 28‒31, in Denver, Colorado.