Top camera inspection and side camera

Manjunath

The top camera will be used for probably 90-95% of your inspection needs. However, without side cameras that 5-10% of uninspected parts can be a real pain to manually verify.

What you need to figure out is what is your product to inspect? Is it very simple parts or are there parts that will be hidded from a top down camera? Then you need to decide what is your future path of products. What works today may not work tomorrow.

Then need to decide if you are High Mix/Low Volume or Low Mix/High Volume. (Programming time and complexity)

Then where do you want to put system? Pre or Post reflow. Some systems are advertised as Post or Pre. I personally would not want to be "stuck" with one or the other. You may find later on what you chose to start with is not optimal and need to change where system is.

Next choice is price range and service.

Then after these questions are answered you should have a matrix of a few systems that fit all or most of the paramters. Ask the AOI provider for references that you can contact.

If possible ask to eval a system at your facility? (not always possible but preferable.)

If not then take a set of good boards and bad boards and have the provider program them and then see how long this takes and what defects are caught when inspecting them.

Now to answer your question of Top vs. Side. Because the cost of cameras and computing power continues to drop providers will continually upgrade their systems to give maximum value. It is always better to have more and not need it then to have less and need more.

reply »