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80 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2018 If you want to be well placed for the future, you have to live a digital and connected life. This applies to virtually all sectors in the professional environment—but it plays a central role in the electronics industry. With - out a doubt, the machinery is an important resource. They must be able to think for themselves and optimize processes. Yet, the people behind the machines are important, too. Without them, the factories would fall silent. That is why it is vital that the systems are easy to operate. The use of an automated X-ray inspection (AXI) system by Goepel elec - tronic in Limtronik GmbH's smart factory demonstrates how intelligent machines can be operated in a simple way to make good use of this interconnectedness. Based in Limburg, Germany, EMS firm Limtronik has a total of three SMD assembly lines, one of which is a prototyping line. The two main lines are each equipped with power- ful pick-and-place machines capable of handling up to 10 feeder modules, and a solder paste inspection (SPI) and an automatic optical inspec- tion (AOI) machines. As is typi- cal among EMS providers, product diversity varies greatly: individual assemblies and prototypes are every bit as much a part of day-to-day business as high-volume production runs. The complexity of the assem- blies is likewise vastly different. Assembly Testing and QA Using Automated X-ray Outstanding quality is vital to be able to survive the fierce competition between contract manufacturers. Customers from the security technology, automotive, and medical technology sectors require almost 100% test coverage. Thanks to inspection systems in the assembly line and electrical testing in the test bay (in-circuit test, function test and JTAG/ boundary scan), Limtronik is well positioned. To check the quality of solder joints especially in BGAs and QFNs, Limtronik installed Goepel electronic's X Line·3D Series 100 AXI system in 2010 to achieve full-surface 3D X-ray imag- ing within the cycle time. After several years AXI 4.0 in a Smart Factory Environment Article by Matthias Müller and Andreas Türk GOEPEL ELECTRONIC GMBH Figure 1: Verification station for viewing detected faults: BGA with void.