Teradyne rolls out ‘Optima 7350 Post-Solder Bottomside AOI System’

February 28, 2001–Anaheim, California–Teradyne Inc. has introduced its new Optima 7350 Post-Solder Bottomside AOI System. As the newest member of the company’s high-performance Optima 7000 series, the Optima 7350 is the industry’s only bottomside automated inspection system for full solder defect coverage.

The Optima 7350 provides high-throughput, full-coverage inspection, matching line beat rates regardless of PCB size or density. The system inspects the full spectrum of component and solder defects, including presence or absence of parts, part size, alignment and orientation, placement accuracy, and integrity of solder, to provide 100% defect coverage and extremely low false flag/accept rates

The Optima 7350 shares robust software and hardware technology with Teradyne’s highly successful Optima 7300 topside inspection system. On the 7350 model, this powerful technology inspects the PCB from the bottom in its native position, ideal for inspecting pre- and post-press insertion defects in compliant and very high density modular (VHDM) connectors, double-sided, reflowed PCBs, as well as pre- and post-wave inspection of through-hole components. Native bottomside inspection eliminates the need for the PCB flippers and avoids the costs and floorspace considerations associated with such equipment.

As PCBs become smaller and more densely configured, reliable bottomside inspection and full defect coverage make the Optima 7350 an ideal tool for quality assurance and process control. By employing the system at key process points, users can confirm factors such as component and pin alignment, thereby avoiding assembly errors prior to soldering, then inspect again after soldering to ensure solder-joint quality. Detecting and identifying defects at these points allows the Optima 7350 to improve downstream quality and yields while providing valuable process-control data.

High speed, flexibility, and ease-of-use make the Optima 7350 especially effective within the dynamic manufacturing environment of the EMS provider. One such manufacturer, Benchmark Electronics in Huntsville, AL, has placed an order for multiple Optima 7350 systems to complement the several Optima 7300 systems already in production. According to Rob Rice III, production engineering manager at Benchmark, “We’re counting on the reliable, high-throughput bottomside inspection of the Optima 7350 to give us the highest levels of quality assurance while reducing our rework and scrap. Teradyne continues to meet our challenging AOI requirements with innovative, imaginative designs.”

The Optima 7350’s bottomside approach also makes it well suited for multi-stage, high-density connector assembly. For through-hole connectors, the system can fully inspect each of several hundred pins for proper alignment at partial insertion, full insertion, and after soldering. This is also valuable for compliant connector applications, allowing manufacturers to ensure proper pin placement before the pins are driven through the PCB and the assembly can still be reworked.

“By providing 100% bottomside inspection without inverting the PCB, the Optima 7350 overcomes a roadblock to quality faced by manufacturers of double-sided PCBs,” says Iqbal Syed, product manager at Teradyne. “Manufacturers can eliminate costly production errors while improving the quality of their products, without impacting overall throughput.”

The Optima 7350 combines industry-leading image-capture, camera and lighting technologies to deliver the highest available throughput with 100% defect coverage, the lowest false-failure rate in the industry, fast programming and ramp-to-production, as well as consistent, reliable results from system to system. A patented configuration of vertical and angled high-speed cameras works with a proprietary system of structured LED illumination to support Teradyne’s TenPhase image-acquisition system, which captures 10 images of every field-of-view on the PCB with optimum lighting for each image.

Teradyne has leveraged the repeatability of the Optima 7350 to deliver CopyExact capability across multiple machines. Inspection programs can be transported between machines, lines, and locations with identical performance and results, eliminating program adjustment or reprogramming and ensuring fast production ramp for new systems.

North American pricing for Teradyne’s Optima 7350 is approximately $230,000. Prices outside North America will vary. Shipments of the system are scheduled to begin in May 2001.

POST A COMMENT

Easily post a comment below using your Linkedin, Twitter, Google or Facebook account. Comments won't automatically be posted to your social media accounts unless you select to share.