Beyond Design: AI-driven Inverse Stackup Optimization
Global PCB Connections: Following DFM Rules Leads to Better Boards
Elementary Mr. Watson: How to Reinvent Your Professional Journey
All Flex Solutions Invests in Assembly Inspection Automation
October 17, 2024 | All Flex SolutionsEstimated reading time: 1 minute
All 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.
The VP9000 3D Solder Paste Inspection System reviews the solder paste deposit directly after printing, and solder prior to component placement. The VT-S1080 3D Automatic Optical Inspection System (AOI) reviews the reflowed solder deposit after assembly of components to the board. The VT-S1080 can also inspect slightly underneath the components to get a more complete picture of the reflowed solder filet.
The two systems work together to provide continuous closed loop data communication to optimize the solder paste printing operation for continuous, real time process improvement during manufacturing. The two machines work together to provide the ideal solder filet for assembly, providing quantitative inspection that conforms to international standards.
Both systems use advanced vision systems to accurately measure solder features, eliminating image noise such as component shadows, solder reflections and warpage in the PCB’s themselves.
These two additions will help optimize our solder printing profiles to match the components, and their surface mount lands, moving us to zero defects in our assembly operation. Assembling flexible circuits, flexible heaters and rigid flex circuits can present challenges. The boards are not always flat and planar and can often move quite a bit prior to, during and after assembly. This technology will improve our manufacturing consistency and yields in assembly.
The assembly side of the business has grown over the years, and so too has the complexity of today’s electronic assemblies, creating an environment where continuous improvement is critical for high manufacturing yields.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Book Excerpt: The Printed Circuit Assembler’s Guide to... Low-Temperature Soldering, Vol. 2, Chapter 5
12/23/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamChapter 5 introduces the advantages of using low-temperature soldering for through-hole components, including cost efficiency, reliability improvement, and reduced warpage. Also covered: the evaluation of different fluxes and the performance of HRL3 in wave soldering and selective soldering processes.
Overview of Soldering Systems With Vacuum
12/18/2024 | Dr. Paul Wild, Rehm Thermal Systems GmbHWhen soldering electronic assemblies, the focus of the vacuum application is on the removal of volatile substances from the solder joints and the associated reduction of pore formation. Particularly in the thermal management of power electronics components, pores can cause so-called hotspots with higher temperatures due to their poor heat conduction. These hotspots can lead to overheating of the components on the one hand and to thermally induced destruction of the solder structure on the other.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
12/13/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007This week, Peter Tranitz discusses the upcoming Pan-European Electronics Design Conference, set for Jan. 29-30 in Vienna, Austria. Pete Starkey brings us a review of the most recent EIPC Technical Snapshot webinar, which featured a global PCB maker update by Dr. Hayao Nakahara. Don't miss our interview with Manfred Huschka, who explains how companies can begin their own China Plus One plan. Stan Farnsworth breaks down photonic soldering and discusses its use in soldering materials that are not typically compatible. I also enjoyed Dan Beaulieu’s discussion on the value of consistency, and why just showing up for work is half the battle, especially in an inconsistent, evolving industry like ours.
Advancing Photonic Soldering
12/11/2024 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineStan Farnsworth, director of customer satisfaction at PulseForge, discusses the advancements in photonic soldering that highlight its energy efficiency and versatility. Over the past two years, the company has refined its applications for flexible substrates and energy reduction, finding that photonic soldering allows the processing of materials that typically aren’t thermally compatible and offers significant energy savings compared to traditional methods.
Indium Introduces New ROL0 and Halogen-free Flux-cored Wire
12/11/2024 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation announced the global availability of CW-807RS, a new high-reliability, halide- and halogen-free flux-cored wire that improves wetting speeds and cycle times for electronics assembly and robot soldering applications.