FEAT


ATURE


CONTRACT MANUFACTURING THE IMPORTANCE OF INSPECTION


from stock, against details which include the part number, format ie reel, strip, tube, etc. The packaging of moisture sensitive components is checked to ensure it has remained airtight and that the ‘count-down’ label contains the correct information. SMT and PTH jobs y and held by stores


until required by manufact are kitted separatel


3. S il required by manufact uring.


3. SURFACE MOUNT ASSEMBLY T he components are loaded onto feeders and t hen into carts held waiting for the job to go onto the SMT line. At this stage the feeders are checked by quality assurance to verify the correct component is loaded.


LY


Circuit Solutions (Cambridge) Ltd offers a broad range of electronic manufacturing services to its diverse customer base – from conventional assembly, surface mount assembly, through to full turnkey including box build and test


T heir in-depth knowledge and


experience along wit h cutt ing edge equipment are a good match for their high technology customers with the challenging and complex assemblies.


QUALIT QUALITY ASSURANCE


heir own certified IPC and J-STD trainer, ensures operators are fully trained to the latest industry standards. The approvals achieved are IPC-610 and IPC-620 along with production staff trained to IPC-J-STD-001 and IPC7711/7721 rework and modification. Also, Circuit Solutions is fully compliant with ESD Controls Program to IEC61340-5-2 in all manufacturing areas from goods in through to despatch. These standards supported by a det ailed and robust quality management system ensue their ISO 9001-2015 accreditat ion is maintained.


Quality of manufacture is key to Circuit Solutions success and in helping to achieve this has been the focus on inspection. Circuit Solutions are proud of their history of quality. Employing their own certified IPC and J-ST


INSPECT ONTIION


Over recent years, inspection has become more challenging with t he advancement of more complex circuit designs and miniaturisation of components. Circuit


36 MAY 2020 | ELECTRONICS


Solutions carries out inspection on all assemblies at each stage of manufacture as they are fully aware of the importance of ‘Right First Time’.


Circuit Solutions have in depth inspection procedures for all stages of manufacture from receipt of components through to despatch of the finished product. These stag es are identified as follows:


1. Receipt of Components. 2. Kitting for Production. 3. Surface Mount Assembly. 4. Conventional Assembly.


6. Box Build. 5. Test.


1. R 1. RECEIPT OF COMPONENTS


As part of the Goods Received procedure for component s, checks are carried out against the purchase orders and includes the description, t he part codes, the quantit ies, and how they are packed. For resistors and capacitors, the values along with tolerances are checked and verified before being placed into stock for use.


2. KITTING FOR PRODUCTIO N 2. K


A ‘Works Order Picking List’ is generated for each customer job from Circuit Solutions ERP system. Every component on the list is checked as it is ‘picked’


Photo 1: X-Ray inspection


After building the first board or panel, the ‘first article inspection’ process is carried out by quality assurance. This process entails cross checking the original customer BOM with the Circuit Solutions BOM, the Gerber placement files, and the first board or panel assembled. The process can take several hours but ensures that the job will be built correctly, thereby avoiding reworking errors on all the remaining boards.


Any faults found are resolved


and corrections made to BOMs and programmes, (this will often involve communication with the customer), before the OK is given to start t he full manufacturing run.


Once the First Article Inspection is


complete, the AOI programme is created and debugged. Where boards contain BGA devices, X-ray inspection is carried out on the first panel to inspect the solder quality on boards that have hidden connections. See photo 1. This will include BGAs, QFNs and specific connectors. If the panel passes for both the AOI I and X-ray inspect ion, the manufacture continues, if not, corrective action is carried out.


and X-ray inspect


T he AOI systems will then continue inspecting every component for correct orientation, correct part number, quality of the solder fillet including solder shorts and open circuits. See Photo 2. Boards are taken from the SMT lines and inspected in real time, as they exit the reflow ovens. Any line placement problems are immediately


problems are immediately resolved by Circuit Solutions engineering team. The AOI output file for every board or panel inspected is stored on a dedicated server network, accessible to the rework team via simply scanning the unique bar code on each board. Reworked boards are run through the AOI a second time until they pass. St ored images of each


/ ELECTRONICS


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