Qualitel Combines High-Speed SMT Manufacturing and Superior Quality with the latest 3-D AOI for each SMT Line
Qualitel invests in the fastest SMT equipment in our quest to meet ever tighter PCB assembly schedules for our customers. Speed is important—but we refuse to compromise on our commitment to accuracy and precision. We’re known for assembling mission critical products that won’t fail under the harshest conditions. Quality is in our name.
For high-speed production, Qualitel recently added four Panasonic NPM-W2 pick-and-place machines. We have eliminated the need to send high-volume SMT work offshore. These amazing machines together can accurately install up to 308,000 parts per hour. (Read more about the Panasonic NPM-W2s in our earlier blog post.)
Qualitel equipped the same production lines with the fastest inspection equipment. The only way to ensure our faster assembly lines maintain the accuracy and precision our customers demand, is with the most stringent quality controls at any speed.
Qualitel has installed the industry’s most advanced inspection equipment — Koh Young’s Zenith-Lite, 3D automated optical inspection (AOI) machines. These machines are specifically designed to analyze PCBs after they have passed through the reflow oven.
A central feature of Qualitel’s new AOI machines is a proprietary four-way light projection system. This is coupled with a 4 megapixel high-speed camera and generates a true three-dimensional (3D) view of the PCB surface. With this 3D view Qualitel can identify defects that cannot be visualized with a two-dimensional system, including board warpage, shadowing and specular problems, lifted or missing lead, lack of co-planarity, and poor solder joints.
If these defects occur they are flagged and directly communicated in real time to system operators, whereby the operators can monitor defects, analyze root causes, and apply changes to inspection programs in real time.
One of the most useful features of the new AOI machines is the revolutionary way they address PCB warpage. After system operators establish initial design and inspection parameters, the 3D imaging and warp compensation software can calculate any PCB warpage and separate that information from other board defects.
In other words, we can determine whether a board defect, such as a lack of co-planarity, is due to a misaligned part or the warpage itself. This ability to distinguish between defects reduces false calls and keeps the production process running at top speed, saving both time and money.
Schedule a tour to see Qualitel’s new Zenith Lite AOI systems in place in the new production lines. You’ll see why Qualitel is a market leader in customer service and technical perfection, providing PCBAs on time to customers who demand products that cannot fail under the most extreme conditions.