Patty's Perspective: Delving into Test and Inspection

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I’ve always been a wet processing person, if not always in a PCB shop, at least at heart. My undergraduate degree is in chemistry and I cut my teeth working on electroless copper processes (just a metaphor, mind you!). Testing, testing and more testing in R&D can be sooo boring and repetitive. I’ve done my fair share of cross-sections and titrations and the myriad other tests required, as well as a fair amount of time peering into a microscope.

When I got into a real PCB shop and worked on all the wet processes, the quick test-on-theline approach appealed to me. I continually wondered at the inspectors who could sit hour after hour and inspect finished product, and the lab personnel who could happily test the same bath over and over day after day.

So it was with trepidation that I approached our topic this month. What was there to talk about but the latest, greatest AOI and electrical test equipment? Ah, but there is so much more to this topic. What about all the other testing that goes on to ensure great product? And so we’re off and running with one heck of a lineup for you and it isn’t all about fancy test/inspect equipment.

That being said, we do start out with a great little article by Orbotech’s Micha Perlman, in which he discusses the latest abilities of AOI equipment.

Click here to read the full column.

 

Editor's Note: This column originally appeared in the July 2016 issue of The PCB Magazine

06/29/2022 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007

Örebro, Sweden on June 15 brought a bright and early start to Day 2 of the EIPC Summer Conference for those who had enjoyed the previous evening’s networking dinner, but had resisted the temptation to over-indulge or to carry on their long-awaited catch-up conversations with old friends into the small hours. All but a few were in their seats for 9 a.m., awake and attentive for Session 4 of the conference, on the theme of new process technologies, moderated by Martyn Gaudion, CEO of Polar Instruments.

06/28/2022 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007

At last, a live EIPC conference and this time in the Swedish city of Örebro, “where history and contemporary culture converge,” a pleasant and convenient location for an event that included a privileged visit to the Ericsson facility in Kumla. Around 100 delegates made the journey and the Örebro Scandic Grand Hotel was an excellent conference venue for the June 14-15 conference.

06/21/2022 | I-Connect007 Editorial Team

We asked columnist Michael Carano to discuss the latest innovations in plating equipment and chemicals, as well as some of the drivers in this segment, and the biggest challenges and opportunities he sees in plating today. As Michael points out, despite all of the technological advances in this industry, process engineers still need a solid understanding of Faraday’s Law and Ohm’s Law to successfully plate PCBs.