Automatic Optical Inspection
Automated Optical Inspection, also called Automatic Optical Inspection, abbreviated as AOI, is well responsible for quality control in terms of both Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication and PCB Assembly.
AOI system will identify the following types of unacceptable deviations:
Wrong components
Twisted/turned components
“Tombstoning” (where the component is situated like a tombstone)
Wrong text on chips (week code, etc.)
Wrong color shades
Some of these mistakes is what is termed “false errors” where AOI system iteratively learns new approved week codes, texts, etc.., So the system gets better and better the more we use it.
The data and information we get from the AOI system, is used for multiple purposes in our production process:
General debugging Statistics analysis for our internal quality control. Input to improve the processes in SMT production (eg. attention on specific types of components in the automatic assembly) Optimization of the stencils used for applying solder paste (eg. reduction of solder paste on specific solder pads) Increases our traceability in the production (all PCBAs will be scanned and the data from the AOI system are stored on our servers).
This information will also be available to our customers, so they also have the opportunity to optimize their design according to our “Design for manufacturing” philosophy.
All PCBAs are registered in our system. Defective boards will be sent to a separate repair station, where the operator will see the specific error on the inspected board on the screen of the repair station. Correction of the defective board will be very efficient and can be performed in parallel with ongoing production. Once the defective board has been fixed it will once again be checked in AOI system, before it can proceed to the next process in the production.
