PCB inspection plays a vital part in the PCB manufacturing industry. Faults in PCBs become a reason for distress to the manufacturing companies as products get negative reviews, and many products come back from the customers’ end because of faults. Companies have to bear losses because of this and to stay safe from such damages, and companies build up an expert PCB inspecting team. PCB inspecting teams carry out fault detection operations among both products and manufacturing processes. In a high volume PCB manufacturing company, financial concerns are more prominent, so active PCB inspecting is very important here as faulty products can cause a substantial financial hit to the companies.
Methods of PCB Inspecting
There are various PCB inspecting concepts that companies follow. Companies rely on methods that are suitable for their work. One of the standard processes is manual inspecting. In this method, companies employ inspectors who inspect every circuit board and manufacturing process to find faults and errors. This process needs more workforce, and results are not as perfect as that from machines.
Another method is the Automated Optical Inspection (AOI). Here, companies use optical system technology. The system takes pictures of the PCBs and manufacturing processes. The system also has some images which the system uses as a standard of product quality and process. The optical system compares the images of the manufactured products and the ongoing process with the standard illustrations. The optical system provides an inspecting result based on this comparison, and this method is a popular inspecting method.
Another method is the Automated X-Ray Inspection (AXI). This operation is a costly method. This technology is useful when PCBs have higher density, and there’s IC mounting technology. In such cases, every soldering joint may not be visible. This technology can view through chips to detect the solder joints.
PCB Inspection Techniques in Manufacturing
PCB inspecting is an essential task in manufacturing. Inspecting persons carry out fault and error detection operations. There are QC (Quality Control) and QA (Quality Assurance) teams for these responsibilities in a factory. Faulty products go for further servicing, and in case of any fault in the manufacturing process, inspecting and production teams take steps to modify the process. As an example, as per instruction from the inspecting team, the production team can rearrange the workforce or change machine setups.
PCB inspection is essential for ensuring product quality and effective process. Providing a high-quality product to the customers depends significantly on effective product inspecting. That’s why companies should never compromise with product inspecting and testing.