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.
Suggested Items
OSI Systems Receives $47 Million Services Order for Security Inspection Systems
05/30/2025 | BUSINESS WIREOSI Systems, Inc. announced that its Security division received a $47 million order from a U.S. based customer to provide ongoing maintenance service for its installed base of Rapiscan® inspection systems that are utilized for screening baggage, cargo and vehicles.
SMTA Releases Final Batch of Training Resources Donated by Bob Willis
05/29/2025 | SMTAThe Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA) announces the release of several more webinars, poster sets, and photo libraries to conclude a generous donation from renowned industry expert Bob Willis.
CIMS to Exhibit at JPCA Show 2025
05/28/2025 | CIMSCIMS is excited to announce our participation at JPCA 2025 in Tokyo, Japan! Join us from June 4-6.
Smart Automation: AI—Revolutionizing Inspection in Electronics Manufacturing
05/27/2025 | Josh Casper -- Column: Smart AutomationArtificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a staple in our personal and professional lives. In electronics manufacturing, integrating AI to combat common inefficiencies and to contextualize data will open new doors into how we supplement our traditional processes. In some specific areas of the electronics manufacturing process, integration of AI on the factory floor is already having a tremendous effect. One such area is PCBA inspection, particularly 3D automated optical inspection (AOI) systems.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
05/23/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007In the electronics manufacturing industry, the global PCB market is estimated to reach $86.5 billion by 2029, a 5.9% annual growth, per IPC’s Global Market Forecast, and the global new cycle is still being dominated by U.S. news. This week, we are talking about the status of the CHIPS Act and what the new tax and incentives bill does and does not include. We also take a minute for some marketing wisdom to shed light in a challenging and noisy market environment.