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10 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2020 Feature by Joel Scutchfield and Brent Fischthal KOH YOUNG AMERICA Automated 3D solder paste inspection (SPI) and automated optical inspection (AOI) sys- tems have become an integral part of the printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) pro- cess. These systems are increasingly important for electronics manufacturers because they help ensure high-quality production results. With board complexity increasing, inspection technology becomes even more critical. While most manufacturers base quality decisions on a "good-bad" comparison of reference images, variables like surface finish, board condition, and component proximity can easily influence these image-based decisions. Data generated from 3D measurement sys- tems, however, supplies meaningful insights about the process and can help manufactur- ers eliminate the root cause of a defect. As such, manufacturers must trust the data from the system and use that data to help trans- form, monitor, and control the PCBA process. Yet, for these systems to make the leap from inspection to process control—and ultimately to automated process optimization—the data must be reliable, repeatable, and relatable. In this competitive world, manufacturers place challenging demands on process solu- tions. They want to monitor and adapt the pro- cess to achieve zero defects by accessing all the data anytime, anywhere. What's more, manu- facturers want process optimization. However, this has been difficult to achieve for 2D, 2.5D, and quasi "true 3D" systems that cannot reli- ably offer accurate information by providing real true 3D data. It is also impossible for these systems to accurately measure and quantify shape, coplanarity, solder amount. To overcome these deficiencies and chal- lenges, a true 3D system measures every aspect of the component and solder joint per the IPC-610 standard, while generating a signif- Using True 3D Inspection Data as a Process Control Tool in the Smart Factory