Pushing Boundaries in Measuring Board Warpage

Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Akrometrix is a key player in metrology equipment. It focuses on accurately assessing warpage and strain in PCBs and PCBAs and prospers through continuing R&D and local sourcing. I recently met with Neil Hubble, president of Akrometrix, and Paul Handler, director of sales, for a tour of their Georgia facility. We discussed the growing challenge of quality measurement for advanced products and denser designs and the need for industry standardization.

As the demand for smaller and more powerful PCB and interconnect footprints grows, the need for robust quality control has become even more critical. This puts Akrometrix front and center in an industry where its service has, perhaps, been more quietly utilized and appreciated in the past.

Marcy LaRont: Gentlemen, it is great to be here and to tour your facility. Let’s start with some history of the company. What’s your core mission, and what problem do you solve for the industry?

Neil Hubble: We came out of Georgia Tech about 30 years ago. As an OEM, we're the industry leader in thermal warpage and strain technology. We build and provide service on a test and measurement tool that physically heats electronics components, mainly surface-mount, that can dynamically measure their shape and shape change as they are exposed to high temperatures, emulating what happens in a reflow oven.

LaRont: I know that you have some different techniques available to manufacturers that can be incorporated into one of Akrometrix’s machines. Paul, tell me about the technology behind this type of metrology.

To continue reading this interview, which originally appeared in the October 2025 edition of SMT007 Magazine, click here.