In previous discussions, Workingbear introduced the “wave soldering” process, which was used in early day of PCBA soldering. SMT assembly, on the other hand, emerged later. Can wave soldering be used for Surface Mount Devices (SMDs) after SMT placement? Workingbear noticed that many people still seem confused about the relationship between wave soldering and SMDs. So, this article aims to explain the key process of making SMDs compatible with wave soldering.
AOI (Auto Optical Inspection) is an automated optical recognition system that has become widely used in the electronics industry for inspecting the quality of soldering, component placement accuracy and the presence of missing components on PCBA (Printed Circuit Board Assembly) production lines, replacing human visual inspection processes.
(Please note: The AOI mentioned in this article refers to 2D AOI. Nowadays, there are 3D AOIs available on the market that provide more detailed three-dimensional image inspection, improving the detection rate of AOI.)
Firstly, let’s clarify that Workingbear is not a metallurgy expert. The content of this article is based purely on personal experience and information gathered from the internet. If there are any errors, feel free to point them out for correction. However, Workingbear takes no responsibility for any consequences.
Have you ever noticed those tiny circles on PCBs and wondered why they’re there? They don’t seem to have any parts soldered onto them, and some don’t even have solder paste. Well, those small circles are called test points, and they play a crucial role in ensuring that the electronics on the PCB are working correctly during the assembly process.
For those who know about electronics, having test points on a PCB is common knowledge. However, for those with a background in mechanics or other fields, the term “test point” might be a bit confusing.
Do you know what ICT (In-Circuit Test) is? Please note that we are not talking about Information and Communication Technology (ICT) here. And what about MDA (Manufacturing Defect Analyzer)? If these tests are commonly implemented in PCB assembly manufacturing, what are their pros and cons? How do they differ from ATE (Automated Test Equipment)?
ICT is primarily used for the electrical testing of Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBA). Think of it as an advanced “multimeter” or an LCR meter. It allows us to test the electrical characteristics and check for open/short circuits of all components on the circuit board without removing them.
