Gary Goldberg, President & CEO, PROMATION

Many manufacturers are finding that to improve quality output, they need to incorporate a post-production inspection system. Three such technologies are available with the first being an automated optical inspection system (AOI), the second being X-ray, and the third being an in-line test cell.

After selecting the technology that best fits the manufacturer’s process, the only remaining decision is to define the process flow for PASS/FAIL disposition, repair/rework, and reintroduction of the reworked product into the line.

The purpose of this article is to share some of the most common manufacturing options for handling product post inspection/test, and considerations for sorting the product after inspection/test as it relates to the desired process flow, based upon disposition status.

Considerations
***image5***Manufacturers deploying inspection or quality test systems need to consider how implementing such processes might affect overall line flow, cycle times, floor space requirements, and operator interface (cost/time). The selected equipment also must be capable of providing SMEMA interface, as well as PASS/FAIL communication (generally across pins 5 & 6 within the SMEMA cable) to sorting equipment.

Process Considerations

In-line workstation with sorting capability

A variety of either semi-automated or fully automated solutions are available, with each having a different personnel requirement (batch or dedicated). These solutions may include:

• In-line work station with PASS/FAIL sorting / operator walk up upon alarm
• In-line magazine station with PASS/FAIL sorting / used for offline batch rework
• In-line 90° turn and sort with work station or accumulation / Operator stationed
• In-line inspection station for high-volume, multi PCB buffering and PCB reintroduction
• In-line rework loop through the use of sorting shuttles / reintroduces rework for inspection.

Conclusion
The ability to plan how suspect production will be handled is a key factor when considering the overall inspection sorting package. For low- to mid-volume shops or for paste inspection systems, the simple in-line workstation solution may work best. For higher volume shops or final inspection, the production manager may want to select either a continuous flow rework loop or magazine batch process for secondary inspection/repair. Finally, keep in mind that each solution has different demands of floor personnel that should be considered.