Automated optical inspection for PCBA
Date Section Blog
The goal of any PCBA (Printed Circuit Board Assembly) manufacturer is to deliver the highest quality end products with zero defects. This objective requires a well-defined quality program, where visual inspection is one of the most crucial steps. For over a decade, multiple machine builders have been working on the automation of this process.
AOI systems in low-volume and high-mix PCBA
There are countless different AOI (Automated Optical Inspection) systems on the market, but they all have one common problem: setup time. While this is less of an issue for high-volume manufacturing – because there is enough time to properly calibrate the machine – it becomes significant in low-volume and high-mix PCBA production, where up to two hours of AOI machine configuration and calibration can significantly reduce the total profit margin.
Robovision has developed a camera-based automated visual inspection approach that cuts the setup time from two hours to less than five minutes.
Speeding setup time of Automated Optical Inspection
The only inputs the software needs are a Gerber format file and photos of a golden PCBA. Then, using advanced computer vision technology, we are able to detect the most common quality issues such as:
- Wrong/missing components or polarity
- Insufficient contact (rotation/ skewing)
- Bridges
- Cold joints / Insufficient wetting
- Solder balls