It’s Only Common Sense: Pricing PCBs? It’s All in Their Heads
Punching Out: Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Buyers for PCB/EMS Shops
Driving Innovation: Mastering Panel Warpage
Revolutionizing PCB Testing: RoBAT's Journey from S1 to SCARA
January 7, 2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 1 minute
From the early days of simple continuity testers to the advanced SCARA machines, RoBAT's evolution in time-domain reflectometer (TDR) and test technology is a testament to the company's commitment to excellence and adaptation in a rapidly changing industry. In this discussion, RoBAT’s Bruce Nockton discusses the journey, challenges, and importance of automating testing solutions, and highlights how RoBAT has become a frontrunner in delivering high-precision testing equipment, setting new standards for the industry.
Marcy LaRont: Bruce, I am struck by what appears to be a culture of continuous innovation at RoBAT. From your first S1 machine to today’s suite of SCARA machines, what strikes you most about that journey and where you find yourselves today?
Bruce Nockton: Looking back, it seems like a long journey from our early S1 machines, which weren’t much more than continuity testers, to the latest TDR machines, but I think the most striking thing for me is how quickly we have had to adapt/develop our test equipment to keep pace with and try to stay ahead of PCB technology. As I mentioned when Pete Starkey visited our facility, we did not initially plan to develop a machine to carry out a fully automatic TDR test of high-speed PCBs.
For many years, RoBAT developed machines for testing assembled backplanes from shorts/continuity/AOI, then X-ray, and more recently, TDR. It was the test results from these machines that really surprised us. Whilst our assembly house customers were happy with the faults we were finding that were created in the process of assembling the PCB, the majority of failures the machines found were caused during the manufacturing process of the PCB. It was at this point we started to explore what high-speed TDR test equipment was available for bare PCBs, only to find it was very limited.
To continue reading this article, which originally appeared in the December 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
Driving Innovation: Mastering Panel Warpage
09/23/2025 | Simon Khesin -- Column: Driving InnovationDuring the complex and multi-step process of PCB fabrication, a panel's flatness is constantly at risk. A host of factors can introduce warpage, bending, and unevenness, presenting a fundamental challenge to achieving high-precision results. This deformation (sometimes referred to as “bow and twist”), even on a microscopic scale, can lead to critical defects during subsequent stages, such as component surface mounting (e.g., tombstoning, solder opens) and the PCB's long-term functional reliability.
Technica USA Announces New Strategic Partnership with I.T.C. Intercircuit Production GmbH
06/24/2025 | Technica USATechnica USA is pleased to announce a new distribution and representative agreement with I.T.C. Intercircuit Production GmbH, a globally recognized manufacturer of advanced equipment for the PCB manufacturing industry.
Smart Automation: The Power of Data Integration in Electronics Manufacturing
06/24/2025 | Josh Casper -- Column: Smart AutomationAs EMS companies adopt automation, machine data collection and integration are among the biggest challenges. It’s now commonplace for equipment to collect and output vast amounts of data, sometimes more than a manufacturer knows what to do with. While many OEM equipment vendors offer full-line solutions, most EMS companies still take a vendor-agnostic approach, selecting the equipment companies that best serve their needs rather than a single-vendor solution.
Sierra Circuits Boosts High Precision PCB Manufacturing with Schmoll Technology
06/16/2025 | Schmoll MaschinenSierra Circuits has seen increased success in production of multilayer HDI boards and high-speed signal architectures through the integration of a range of Schmoll Maschinen systems. The company’s current setup includes four MXY-6 drilling machines, two LM2 routing models, and a semi-automatic Optiflex II innerlayer punch.
UHDI Fundamentals: UHDI Drives Unique IoT Innovation—Smart Homes
06/03/2025 | Anaya Vardya, American Standard CircuitsThe combination of UHDI's high-bandwidth capabilities and IoT's real-time data processing can lead to more efficient, immersive, and smarter IoT systems. This convergence of two revolutionary technologies is enabling quantum advancements in some very “unconventional” applications.