3D Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) for PCB Assembly Introduction

The highest demand used in quality management of electronic printed circuit boards (PCBs) and PCB assembly is automatic optical inspections and automated optical inspections (in short, AOI) (PCBA). AOI inspects the electronic assemblies such as PCBs mechanical visual inspection to ensure that the components of PCBs are in the right place and the contacts are correct.

Automated optical inspection (AOI) is an intelligent visual inspection of the production of the printed circuit board, where all catastrophic failures (such as broken components) and quality faults can be scanned automatically by a sensor.

It is widely used in the production phase because it is a way of testing without touch. It ensures the multi-layer circuit boards provide a high degree of durability.

For the following various applications, it is essential:

• Infringements of line spacing
• Violation of spacing
• Copper excess
• The shortage of pad
• Short circuits
• high frequency

What does AOI inspect?

AOI is a primary method used to build and test electronic printed circuit boards and PCBs for automatic or automatic optical inspection. Automated optical inspection, AOI allows quick and precise assessment of electronic assemblies and, especially, pcb assembly to ensure that the standard of goods is good and that the object is appropriately and without processing defects.

What is the need for AOI inspection?

Current circuits are much more complex than boards were a few years back, notwithstanding the significant changes that have been developed. With the advent of surface mounting technologies and more size decreases, boards are exceptionally lightweight. Even comparatively ordinary panels have millions of fused joints, and most issues are observed.

This growth in board difficulty also implies that manual examination is currently not a feasible choice. Even if the solution was approved, the inspectors quickly fatigued it, and poor and wrong design was easily overlooked. With great demand, high-quality goods on the market now require very simple, very stable, and fast.

To ensure that the product quality continues to be good, methods are required. AOI is an indispensable instrument within the context of an advanced electronic test plan, ensuring that the expense is held to the lowest possible levels by identifying faults at an early stage of manufacturing.

Benefits over manual visual inspection

PCB devices switch to ultra-thin, lightweight, higher densities, and exemplary size components. The part assembly width of the circuit board has increased, the width and distance of the Printed Circuit Board -line and the pad are decreasing and reaching the micro-level. The manual process of visual examination cannot be achieved. Furthermore, people seem to be tired and emotionally affected, according to the textbook. Inspection equipment is more stable, repeatable, and precise when it comes to machine vision.

Manual visual examination is a vital part of our BES operation. All new boards, either we order from a new supplier or a well-experienced BES company, are visually inspected by us. From solder masks to solder joints, we test all on the floor. Shipping packaging is also evaluated. When we develop our projects, manual visual testing is also helpful throughout the development, from designing to large-scale production. It was the first phase in our identification and repetition of design or manufacturing problems.

• The usual general information SMT operator will fit well for quick and easy manual visual inspection.
• Manual visual inspection with high flexibility;
• The original costs are minimal, and only the initial Labour costs are spent, and high expenses are not available;
• Preparation is fast.

How can time save done from the visual inspection process?

Visual inspection proves to be a game-changer, with many apps in almost every domain. The company is now moving into manufacturing and production, enabling them to use the power of profound learning and thus have quicker, safer, and superior automation.

• More quickly

CPU speeds, as calculated in FLOPs and even accurate measurements, result in observations and conclusions, which are done incredibly quickly.

•  Accurate

An automated machine can standardize the measurement of absolute measurements.

• Trustworthy

The machine is impartial and programmable as required and without doubt following instructions. It is undoubtedly a result of this technological transition that is moving global producers into different production and productivity levels.

Final Thoughts

AOI is a vital factor in ensuring the accuracy of your completed electronics items is defective and accurate. It gives a shorter timeframe, more efficiencies, and lower prices, which would have increased if reworking was required.

The AOI process provides reliable monitoring and resulting information which enables improved quality control procedures management and the correction of potential issues. The algorithms will monitor the successful and defective PC Board components and record them. Efficiency is also improved from the point of view of process control, organizational integrity, and reporting.

The controls provide search, identification, and measurements or diagnosis for the outgoing product condition. Inspection is an operation. Tasks of supervision have typically been assigned to people. Efforts to simplify industrial inspections to eliminate mistakes and reduce monotony have encountered technical constraints and cost factors of deployment. A prototyping model is an occasional compromise. Reviews have released new study status on manual, hybrid, and automatic inspection.

Perhaps the most critical inspection process is the visual inspection of the parts made. Draw the section and equate the area with the painting visually. For units with several functions, this is particularly relevant. Anything may go wrong, and one of the several production cycles.

During AOI, optical inspection algorithms usually use visual techniques to ensure defects on written platforms. They can identify a range of material removals, such as nodules, scratches, and marks, as well as known dimension faults, such as open circuits, shorts, and solder integrity. They will also spot faulty components, missing components, and parts that have been misplaced. All system is designed to monitor tests conducted by manual operators can be carried out much quicker and more reliably.

How can We (PNC ONLINE) help you in 3D Automatic Optical Inspection?

At PNC, you will get your design checked from two (2) Mirtec MV-6 OMNI machines which itself is high-speed/high-performance 3D AOI MACHINE FIFTEEN MEGAPIXEL CoaXPress Camera Technology. It has an advanced eight-phase Color Lighting System Ten Micron / Pixel Precision Telecentric Compound Lens. It is designed with an Integrated Ten Mega Pixel SIDE-VIEWER® Camera System Precision Closed Loop AC Servo Drive Motor System which is extremely simple to program and operate. It also has 3D Co-Planarity Inspection – Gull Wing Device with an example as shown below:

We follow all the system parameters and are set up to meet IPC inspection requirements. Get your Automatic Optical Inspection done for your 3D design at PNC. Contact us at sales@pnconline.com

Written by Sam Sangani

Sam Sangani is the President & CEO of PNC Inc., a Nutley, NJ based Printed Circuit Board manufacturer. Sam graduated from L. D. Engineering College with a BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He also continued his education and graduated from Steven’s Institute of Technology where he acquired a Master’s degree in Computer Science.

After completion of his BS, Sam worked as a QC Manager, for Xerox, Romania and London. He was responsible for the Quality Control of Cable and Wire Harness imports from Romania. After completing his Master’s Degree, he worked as a Senior Programmer with IBM, Tucson, Arizona. Sam was responsible for leading the Mainframe System Programming Team.

In 1997, Sam acquired PNC INC., a Nutley, NJ based PC Board fabrication Shop. From 1997-2013, Sam has made tremendous improvements and changes within PNC INC., as he added many new Products and Technologies in PNC’s portfolio. With his proven track record and leadership, PNC has never had an unprofitable year and has continued its growth yearly since 1997.

His current responsibilities are Strategic Planning, Corporate Management, New Business Ventures, Sales & Marketing, Trade Shows, Professional Services and leading productive teams to achieve peak potential. He has also utilized Lean Management techniques which have built a foundation for PNC’s high-paced growth. Sam also enjoys real-estate investing, web design & SEO, trading stocks, options, futures and Forex markets.