Manufacturers of advanced PCB assemblies equipment know that simultaneously producing cost-competitive products and meeting the quality expectations of customers are vital to their success. Driven by advancing board complexities and the desire to improve yields by effectively using real-time process information, manufacturers utilize the effectiveness of AOI (or automated optical inspection) PCB equipment and X-ray inspection technologies.
AOI PCB systems are essential in PCB production because they perform fast, repeatable, and accurate inspections, find and identify defects before in-circuit or final testing, reduce production costs, and improve quality. But AOI PCB systems can analyze only visible features. With the advent of BGAs, micro-BGAs, chip-scale packages (CSPs), flip chips and other hidden-connection devices, component and board manufacturers utilize X-ray systems to analyze the critical solder joints of these new-generation packages.
X-ray inspection is the best technology for identifying the PCB shorts, PCB voids, opens, misalignments and solder integrity of area-array chip packages.