What is the general consensus on automated solder paste inspection?
In a previous life, when we implemented AOI equipment, we implemented it at the end of the SMT line; our reasoning was that our screen printers had adequate repeatability for our process, and that the bigger ROI for us was to have the AOI equipment at the end of the line to check placement, value, and polarity of components.
My current company specializes in short run prototype jobs...any where from 1 to 1000 pieces. Any volume, any board. We currently do not have a screen printer, instead pasting both pick/place and hand place jobs by hand. Repeatability is mostly indeterminate due to our processing, but conjecturally is at least good enough to keep rework to a minimum, and provide reliable soldering (at least based upon RMA requests and long-term testing reports from customers).
We've recently begun bidding on a design project for a customer, and one of their questions during the pre-bid survey was whether or not we had paste measurement capabilities. I tend to think that, for short-run prototypes at least, the over-head for 2-d paste inspection isn't cost effective (at least, the capital equipment isn't in my budget right now); but I figured I'd check on industry consensus regarding this process step.
So...what says the community? Required? Not required? Nice to have?
Thanks, ..rob
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