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Gardien's Kolmodin on Electrical Test
February 20, 2013 | Dan Beaulieu, D.B. Management GroupEstimated reading time: 7 minutes
Since 1986, Todd Kolmodin’s career has been focused on electrical test. He has worked in all aspects of the business, particularly dedicated to the quality and testing of PCBs. He is currently Gardien Group’s vice president of quality for North America. Dan Beaulieu recently sat down with Kolmodin to discuss a variety of subjects pertaining to the fast changing world of electrical test technology and to find out more about the paper he's presenting this week at IPC APEX EXPO 2013.
Dan Beaulieu: Todd, thanks for taking the time to talk with me today. Tell me about yourself. How long have you been with Gardien and what is your background?
Todd Kolmodin: Dan, first of all, thank you for the opportunity to chat. I joined the Gardien Group in 1998 after working in the electrical test (ET) industry since 1986. I graduated from ITT Technical Institute in 1986 with a degree in electrical engineering technology. I joined a company that year in the ET field and have been active ever since. I’ve witnessed great changes in technology over my time in the field and it continues to be challenging with accelerated changes happening in the last few years.
Beaulieu: I understand you'll be presenting at IPC APEX EXPO in a few weeks. What's the title of your presentation and what will it be about?
Kolmodin: This year I’m bringing to my colleagues information concerning HiPot testing and the definitions and options available to accomplish this requirement. HiPot--dielectric breakdown, insulation testing--has become a rather “fuzzy” term due to the years of older specification and somewhat lost definition. It's become confusing to newer OEM groups when trying to understand different tests required for their designs. I hope to bring a better understanding of the differences between standard continuity testing and HiPot/dielectric testing.
Beaulieu: Who will most benefit from attending the presentation?
Kolmodin: I think the most benefit will be to those in the OEM design field and planners or design for manufacturing groups in the PCB market. Understanding the difference between standard continuity testing and the strength of the insulation properties of dielectrics has become rather opaque in the last years. Specifications have aged and many new engineers and designers can only reference Jurassic specifications and key points of their original flavor or direction. Some acronyms have been used interchangeably and this causes confusion for planners and manufacturing groups.
Beaulieu: Can you elaborate?
Kolmodin: Well the delectric breakdown/HiPot requirement has become confusing for manufacturers when they receive the PO or procurement document from an OEM. Prints can be confusing, as the terms can be intermingled and cause confusion as to whether the continuity test calls for high voltage or is actually the command for dielectric testing. The terms “insulation” and “isolation” have become muddied over time even though they're totally different requirements. We, as an industry, need to recapture those terms and restate the correctness of their use when calling out electrical test requirements.
Beaulieu: What is the highlight of your presentation?
Kolmodin: I want to help clarify the difference between isolation and insulation testing of the bare PCB. I will also show current options for technology available to test for dielectric breakdown. It's no longer just two hands on a meter. We have come a long way in the industry, providing more expedient options for HiPot testing and a more hands-off automated option which guarantees results with less danger to the operator and the PCB.
Beaulieu: Are you seeing a growing demand for this?
Kolmodin: Although dielectric testing is nothing new there's been an increase in the requirement. OEMs continue to crunch their designs into smaller packages and the cores of the PCB are lessened. This increases the risk for breakdown. This can be more prominent in product that may have a duty for higher voltage such as power supplies and other designs that may have a tendency to produce a lot of heat. Thermal stress on a PCB can result in changes of the overall platform over time and cause a latent failure in the field.
Beaulieu: And you provide these services to PCB fab houses?
Kolmodin: Yes, at Gardien we strive to provide the most economical and guaranteed solutions for our customer’s requirements. We can provide options from the hands-on manual test to hands-off fixturing solutions to a fully-automated flying probe HiPot solution. We rely on our internal group of experts. We just don’t build a better mousetrap, we understand this has been done; but our group analyzes these attributes from industry predecessors to improve. We understand that we don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but we can make the process stronger, safer, and more economical for our customers.
Beaulieu: What special services do you offer?
Kolmodin: The Gardien Group is a “one stop shop” for any and all electrical test needs. Our team is versed in requirements of the electrical test theatre. From military testing, HiPot, large hybrid backplanes to consultation regarding interpreting the vast plethora of IPC and military specifications, we have your back. Our teams call weekly meetings to discuss changes in the industry and stay closely tied to the DLA and IPC task groups. Our team has seats on the IPC-9252A Task Group which drives the IPC specification regarding testing of printed circuits.
Beaulieu: What is your opinion of the state of the PCB industry in North America?
Kolmodin: We are finally recovering. I think with ITAR requirements the industry has realized that we definitely need to build here at home. The quick-turn business has improved here in the U.S. which does indicate a growth cycle is active. This is positive news for the market. However, many OEMs are still sitting on the fence with regard to military. We still have an unknown regarding how budgets and contracts will be affected. Consumer electronics and automotive demand is strong and this is giving the PCB market a good shot in the arm.
Beaulieu: How about your company? How are you doing in North America?
Kolmodin: As with most of the PCB industry, Gardien has felt the, shall we say, squeeze. As OEM competition intensifies we've had to adjust to market conditions. Our group is strong and we maintain our strength to bring the best solutions to our customer base. We are dynamic and we can adjust to market conditions and still provide the utmost quality assurance to our customer base.
Beaulieu: How are you doing globally?
Kolmodin: Gardien is a global company as you know. Our teams across the globe are synergistically connected. We work together. No one Gardien site is without the support of another. I am in contact with our teams all the time. Technology exchange, quality assurance, and power of know-how are passed between all of our sites and our equipment customer service organization.
Beaulieu: With things becoming more sophisticated, I see a time where the average shop is going to need a partner to handle new high-tech test requirements coming down the road. They just won’t be able to do it all themselves. Do you agree?
Kolmodin: I see this as well. The main constraint individual shops will have to combat is technology advancement. Component packages are shrinking, layers are increasing, and, to be honest, the test machines from the 80s and 90s are not going to be able to test these designs efficiently without multi-pass test, increasing cycle time. We feel these constraints as well, but we strive to stay ahead. We design fixtures with decreasing pin sizes allowing the probing of these small lands and pitches. We also utilize automated verification of the PCB when repeated compressions of the tester are not allowed, preventing damage to sensitive areas. We never quit working on solutions for the OEM market.
Beaulieu: Any final thoughts?
Kolmodin: Dan, it’s always a pleasure sitting down with you. These are challenging times for the OEM market to get product to consumers. Late deliveries not only mean a loss of market share, but also a huge potential loss in revenue. Quality assurance has to play a big part in getting product to market. Gardien stands behind customers' products and our global team helps get a product to market with quality.
Beaulieu: Well said. Thanks again for talking with me today and I look forward to attending your presentation Thursday, February 21 at 9:00 a.m. I’m sure it'll be great.