August, 2018 Continued from previous page


facturing initiative to eliminate or reduce out- sourcing, expanding the use of robotics and imple- menting state-of-the-art production equipment. Perhaps most importantly, we have a motivated workforce of more than 1,500 employees.” Between its two manufacturing facilities, Whelen has a to- tal of 800,000 ft2 (74,322m2) of space.


Video Camera Inspection Until recently, handheld magnifiers were


used for first-piece inspection for each run in Whe- len’s high-volume, low-mix production environ- ment. After the PCB is printed with solder paste, components are placed with automated equipment and the populated board is reflow soldered. First panels of each production run are inspected to ver- ify components and correct polarity, orientation, position, and placement accuracy, be- fore the soldering process. The boards undergo AOI after soldering. “The smallest part we had on


the boards was an 0402 (1005 metric) leaded chip, and these were easy to inspect with a handheld magnifier,” says Blundon. “We then introduced and started building a new product that uses an 0402 leadless diode — basically one by one-half millimeter in size — which is not so easy to in- spect with a handheld magnifier.” In fact, this was nearly an impos-


sible task with the magnifiers. There were four etched characters on the top of each component that needed to be read for verification, plus the polarity. The company needed a better way to inspect the components, including higher magnification, as well as im- proved image quality and lighting. After looking carefully at a num-


ber of different prospective suppliers, Whelen’s engineers settled on the IN- SPECTIS F30s with ring light and x/y rail system. The team liked the simplicity of the unit. It was easy for operators to learn to use and had few buttons. “We really liked that it could be


mounted inline, rather than having to use it at a separate offline station,” says Blundon. “We were inspecting the parts right as they moved through the line, and we didn’t have to offload or disturb them.” The x/y stand made maneuvering the system easy. The new inspection system was a huge leap forward from the hand- held approach that the company had been taking. The INSPECTIS F30s brings ex-


ceptional capabilities and advantages to digital microscopy for SMT elec- tronics assembly, including full HD, 1080p 60 FPS HDMI output, 30:1 zoom optics with autofocus, and a generous practical working distance. Objects under inspection are ren- dered sharp, clear and large. Its 56x screen magnification on a 24 in. (61 cm) monitor, for example, can be in- creased up to 200x with auxiliary lenses. While the digital camera sys- tem is designed for performance even in poor light, the F30s units at Whe- len are equipped with the HD-024-B ring light, providing powerful ad- justable illumination. This light in- corporates eight high-power white LED lamps for various incident light applications, offering homogenous, daylight-white lighting. Accessories include an attachable polarizer/ana- lyzer filter set for removing glare and a diffuser filter for extra smooth and soft illumination.


Seamless Integration The initial trials and subse-


quent incorporation into the produc- tion line worked so well that rather


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than just inspecting critical areas and certain com- ponents, the camera system is now used to inspect


Page 19 Whelen Engineering Improves Fine-Feature Inspection


the entire PCB. This is due in part to the system’s large field of view (FOV). “It’s easier to use and details are much easier


to discern, such as the laser etchings on a number of parts, due to the power illumination attributes of the system’s ring light. For these very tiny parts and minuscule details, adequate, controllable lighting is very important. We didn’t have that be- fore,” says Blundon. Blundon adds that the company’s inspection


The inspection system is designed to be used inline.


procedure is much faster overall. “We can use a video capture linked to a Windows computer to simply grab an image right from the system, and then use it for verification, training and more,” he says. “It’s a lot easier and more practical than try- ing to take a cellphone picture of the screen, and on top of that we have a printable, shareable, high-


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