Inspection
Thomas Instrumentation provides top quality control inspection. We have an X-Ray machine and an Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) machine. We also visually inspect 100% of the product leaving our facility.
X-Ray Inspection Machine
We use this system to inspect components with solder joints that aren’t easily seen such as BGAs. It allows us to see through the actual chip and ensure all solder joints are complete. We use this information to verify our solder paste and oven profiles during a manufacturing run. Typically, we’ll inspect the first 3 boards and then periodically check boards as the day progresses. The machine saves all images taken, so we can always go back and review the data. This gives customers with small boards and/or more difficult components a high confidence in the quality of their final products.
Automated Optical Inspection Machine (AOI)
We typically use this system when we have very large order quantities and/or very small components. It’s meant to reduce the amount of visual inspection necessary by identifying boards that have issues. Any board that fails the AOI process is labeled for our technicians to review before testing. Since we usually run boards through the AOI after the oven, we can use it to refine the current production process.
Tagarno FHD Trend Digital Microscope
We have two of these microscope stations that are attached to large monitors at our facility. One is in the SMT Line room for quick inspections and touch-ups during production. The other is used by the Technical Department for any modification, rework, or repairs that may need to be done. The systems have lots of magnification and a full HD/1080p image quality, so we’ve found lots of uses for them.
Mantis & Lynx Vision Systems
These are our original stereo vision systems manufactured by Vision Engineering. They have long working distances and variable magnification. Our technicians have used these systems for many years to inspect and perform modifications, rework, or repairs to our products.
Visual Inspection
Our technical department only performs thorough inspection on completed batches of hardware and cabling that they receive from the assembly department. This ensures the product is being reviewed at a state where no changes should be needed for the product. Our experienced technical team looks for any surface mount problems, human errors, and defective parts. Some of the issues our team looks for include bad solder joints, missing parts, lifted components, and part polarity issues. If any problems are found, they are fixed prior to the testing phase.
The inspection and testing step is just another part of the process we have developed over the years to ensure that your product is as reliable as possible. The fewer issues and/or failures that make it to the end-user, the better our customer’s success becomes. This step is how some clients are able to offer exceptional warranties to their end-users. Obviously, the inspection and testing process is optional, but we highly recommended you take advantage of it to increase the overall reliability of your product.