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Agilent's Cover-Extend Technology combines ICT and boundary scan to increase coverage on limited-access testing.
(April 2, 2008) LAS VEGAS — Test-and-inspection is a key segment of functional, successful SMT operations. At this year's IPC Printed Circuits Expo/APEX/Designers Summit exhibits, inspection-and-test equipment providers are displaying new solutions to deal with miniaturized components, leadless and BGA packages, and RoHS/anti-RoHS screening requirements.
Agilent Technologies has many Americas debuts going on at Booth 1735, including the ×6000, a large system that debuted via satellite to the Americas months before; Cover-Extend, a technology that combines the company's VTEP in-circuit test (ICT) capabilities with boundary scan to provide more test coverage with fewer test access points; and the i1000, a low-cost ICT system designed for high-volume manufacturing with basic ICT needs. The company's solder paste inspection (SPI) line also is showing new software for upgraded test coverage before a board takes the plunge to reflow. Agilent features the sj5000, again, new to the Americas, with "lead ringer" technology to detect lifted leads. See all the machines at Booth 1735.
Agilent's partner in ICT, Everett Charles Technologies, sees EMS providers, contract manufacturers (CMs), OEMs, and testing houses as needing products and services. The company has evolved its spring probe technology to fit the needs of complex, dense PCBs, and has evolved its structure to provide turnkey programs to help these companies. This includes migrating plating compositions to new formulae tailored to lead-free testing, where the PCB traces and solder joints require different chemistries than tin/lead. Stop by Booth 1383 to see an 8-head fixtureless flying prober in action. The company also has a 16-head version that probes on both sides of the board.
XRF screening is a growing area of test, taking place at incoming inventory screenings through failure analysis operations. At Booth 1563, RMD Instruments is demonstrating several handheld XRF testers that include benchtop mounts for faster inspection throughput. Parts per million (ppm) data on a full spectrum of metals and elements can not only help manufacturers determine if their lead-free assembly truly is RoHS-compliant, they also allow military, medical, and other exempt high-reliability sectors to ensure lead-free parts do not end up on tin/lead assemblies. Screening is fast enough to be demonstrated during a few seconds, with data read-out on the handheld unit.
Inspection equipment provider Dage Precision Industries, a business of Nordson Corporation, is promoting its Quick View computerized tomography (CT) capabilities at the show. Quick View generates a CT model of a component or assembly in about 4 minutes, as compared to the 20-minute timeframe of more detailed CT. The idea is to allow engineers to have a cursory view of the entire assembly, then, after identifying an area of concern, perform the detailed CT scan and begin analyzing the defect. Quick View CT will continue to get faster, said Paul Walter, managing director. This spills over into detailed CT, as inspection equipment manufacturers learn techniques to lower speeds in that arena through Quick View research. Dage will perform Quick View CT scanning on a customer's sample part throughout the show, so bring an assembly to Booth 1632 for a demonstration.
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Paul Walter, Dage, shows us the company's enhanced X-ray inspection capabilities.
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