APEX: Panelists tout test and inspection
By Rick Nelson, Editor in Chief -- Test & Measurement World, 5/1/2009 2:00:00 AM
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Industry executives scrutinized the evolving role of PCB (printed-circuit board) test and inspection during the Test and Inspection Summit held April 1 as part of IPC APEX Expo 2009 in Las Vegas. Building on the 2008 Test and Inspection Summit, participants commented on test challenges and the technologies that are emerging to deal with them, including electrical test, optical inspection, x-ray inspection, and boundary-scan test.
David Buhrkuhl, president of SPEA America, kicked off the discussion, citing cost of test as a key concern. “At APEX this year, we are introducing [the SPEA 4040 Multimode] flying-probe low-cost tester, knowing that cost control this year is more critical than ever.”
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Peter van den Eijnden, president of JTAG Technologies, presented boundary scan as a way to control costs. “With boundary scan, you don't need as much in-circuit test. And boundary-scan equipment is far less expensive than in-circuit test.”
Mark Harding, director of sales for North America at Digitaltest, which provides flying-probe and other board-test systems, said his firm partners with JTAG Technologies to integrate boundary scan. He sees a continuing role for in-circuit test, noting, “In-circuit test won't go away, though many say that it is fading. In a high-mix, low-volume environment, in-circuit remains a useful test.”
Jack Rozwat, general manager of SST Americas Field Operations at Agilent Technologies, concurred with the need for boundary scan, saying, “People are reducing budget amounts set aside for test. In electrical test, built-in testability, such as boundary scan, is necessary. And we should take advantage of any type of validation test that can be built into silicon.” On the APEX exhibit floor, Agilent highlighted its work with Aster Technologies to measure the test coverage afforded by electrical test, boundary-scan, and inspection techniques.
Rozwat's firm recently exited the inspection business, citing, in part, the high cost of x-ray systems. When asked if x-ray is too expensive, Carsten Salewski, president and CEO of Viscom, countered with, “In fact, the real question is: What is the cost of failure?” He added, “The more you know about the process of electronics manufacturing, the better you can know what types of test fit. To do it right, rather than doing it again, is the goal. DFT [design for test] moves the process during the beginning.”
Phil Vere, managing director for Bond Test at Dage Precision Industries, which makes x-ray and bond-testing systems, agreed, saying, “Designing a product to be tested should be an integral part of NPI [new product introduction]. Virtual simulation models aren't enough, though. You need to have test strategies ready for products early on.”
Buhrkuhl concluded, “As the panel said last year, there's no one system that solves all problems...if you need a critical electronics product, let's say a pacemaker, you probably want all types of tests, including vision, functional, and everything else available here from all the panelists.”
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Read an edited transcript of the panel discussion and a summary of the 2008 summit. |
ECT presents 2-D spring pins
Everett Charles Technologies Contact Products Group presented its next-generation patented spring-probe technology, the Z-Axis Interconnect Pin, or ZIP. The ZIP's 2-D design features sliding planar contact surfaces, maximizing surface area for reliable contact. The 2-D geometry allows the company to employ efficient reel-to-reel fabrication and assembly processes to control costs. www.ectinfo.com.
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