For manufacturers of electronic printed-circuit–board assemblies (PCBAs) that support end products in infrastructure, medical, aerospace, and other industries, tolerating even the slightest defect is not an option. These companies must therefore invest heavily in the most advanced, reliable, and efficient quality control systems that the automation industry can offer. To address these challenges, Worthington Assembly embarked upon an intensive project to identify and team up with the right technology and solutions partner for its inspection needs.
Worthington Assembly needed a new partnership that would help it find the right inspection capabilities to test products, improve quality, and better understand processes. The South Deerfield, Massachusetts–based company had reached a tipping point in the process of expanding its business and customer base. In order to meet growing demand while maintaining quality standards, it needed to invest in more capable 3D automated optical inspection (AOI) equipment. An additional challenge was incorporating 3D solder paste inspection (SPI) equipment into the process for the first time.
Worthington Assembly, founded in 1974, is known for delivering high-quality products, including PCBAs. The company prides itself on fast turnaround times for small-volume prototype and production runs of highly complex designs.
As the company has enhanced its capability from handling simple work to accommodate complicated customer demands, Worthington Assembly has achieved rapid business growth. Along with that growth, the firm faced common issues of finding, hiring, and training highly skilled inspectors to help maintain a fast and effective inspection process.
The firm had been using a 2D AOI machine, which was incapable of meeting its manufacturing and inspection needs. Like many manufacturers, Worthington Assembly also had challenges with some equipment suppliers, including a lack of innovation, broken promises, poor communication, and unreliable engineering support. Worthington Assembly needed to avoid a repeat of these experiences and overcome roadblocks.
Picking a new inspection-solution partner involved weighing not only technology and capabilities but also support teams. Worthington Assembly needed support from knowledgeable experts to overcome growing pains due to the learning curve associated with introducing new technology.
Worthington Assembly chose industrial automation solutions provider Omron Automation Americas—for 3D SPI and 3D AOI.
Worthington Assembly recognized that its existing 2D AOI technology had severe inspection limitations, such as a lack of any real ability to catch potential defects on critical ball-grid–array devices. The firm was relying completely on inspectors to catch defects—leading to the release of some defective products.
3D SPI is ideal technology to prevent such incidents.
Worthington Assembly implemented the Omron VP5200-V 3D SPI system first, as it was seen as an easier, lower-risk application for the purpose of evaluating the inspection partner’s technology and culture.
Initial results that demonstrated the ROI of the SPI system were excellent, and Worthington Assembly could tell right away that the types of defects they had experienced post-reflow were no longer related to their stencil printing operation.
Worthington Assembly then took on the 3D AOI project.
Omron 3D AOI is designed to improve inspection capability and performance stability versus legacy 2D and color-based systems. It enhances defect detection of difficult issues like solder wetting, lifted lead, and component coplanarity while collecting valuable measurement and image data to further improve the process and prevent defects from reoccurring. Applying a 3D-based, IPC-correlated approach to component and solder joint inspection with quantifiable measurement thresholds is the best means to improve the quality assurance and process control of assembled PCBs.
Omron implemented the VT-S730 3D AOI system to address Worthington Assembly’s post-reflow inspection requirements. The VT-S730 integrates Omron’s advanced 3D color-highlight illumination with true 3D, DLP imaging technology and five optical cameras to achieve 100% inspection coverage of every part and every solder joint. Omron hardware delivers reliable operation, and Omron’s unique and sophisticated inspection capabilities ensure that products are built to high-quality standards and perform as designed.
Worthington Assembly’s evaluation process included running every product through the new 3D AOI, existing 2D AOI, and a manual QC process to determine effectiveness. After many weeks of putting the VT-S730 to test, not a single defect escape was identified.
Worthington Assembly then introduced and trained a second programmer, who was able to achieve the same results and without any impact to effectiveness.
Worthington Assembly has effectively reduced post-reflow defects by incorporating 3D SPI to improve and stabilize the print process and ensure that any print issues were due to human error and not the automated printing process. The manufacturer is continuing with its desired internal process of 100% 3D AOI inspection with occasional QC sampling. With an understanding of how to successfully utilize 3D AOI, Worthington Assembly has gained confidence in its new technology, inspection process, and the quality of its deliverable product.
3D SPI also significantly improved the time it takes to train new personnel on printing boards. Previously, they needed to teach employees how to both print and inspect boards, but now they only need to show them how to load programs and let the machines automate the rest of the process.
Brad Ward is a technical manager at Omron.
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