Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1424540
18 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2021 spection. We have partnerships with some of the larger AOI companies, SPI companies like Mirtec. We also have some X-ray partnerships with Creative Electron and Dage, which allows us to offer solutions in that spectrum of tests and inspection. We see many EMS providers, though, having more of a role in that level of in- spection rather than outsourcing partnerships. Let's face it, it is a more intimate part of your manufacturing process where you're looking at solder paste and the component placement on the board before you get into the electrical test and even functional test. Matties: Exactly. at's something you're not going to outsource because it's happening in real time. Horner: Yes. at's a big piece of setting up your test and inspection strategy. If you don't have the right tools or people in place, you're going to be paying for it in post-assembly processes. And whether you're electrically or functionally testing it, that can be quite expensive. Matties: If they don't have those in the process, then your service becomes more of a sorting device, good vs. bad, because at that point, it's just too late to do anything. Horner: e last thing you want to have is a large bone pile where you run the risk of los- ing inventory of product because it's behind in revisions, because it sat too long. So, you run the risk of a higher dog bone rate of assem- blies. Matties: Do you see AI becoming a more cen- tral role in test and inspection? Horner: It's coming, but it's not here yet. ere are companies putting effort into that predic- tive and real time feedback, looking for trends at earlier stages with the Industry 4.0 model. With the IPC pushing on that also, it's coming. I think we're seeing it more on the inspection side. Electrical test is coming, but it's not quite here yet. Matties: How important is simulation in your testing strategy? Horner: On functional tests, it's probably more important because it's a roadmap. So, with that part of functionality incorporated into the in- circuit tests and some flying probe, you need to know what you're looking for when you test it. e simulation will give you a good roadmap to see what is really expected of that test, es- pecially if you're simulating a board and you're looking at where could it possibly heat up or where certain fallout could happen on the per- formance of a particular function of a board. at's huge. e inspection not so much, be- cause it's more of an observance, but the elec- trical, functional, and some of the manufac- turing process tests. Some flying probing en- croaches on that functional test. I see it more so in the ICT bed-of-nails; it's ICT plus. Somebody says, "Oh, they're spend- ing money toward a fixture." ey say it like it's a bad word. "I'm going to spend $10,000 for this fixture. Can we make these measure- ments?" Well, now you're starting to encroach on some functionality, which is nice because now you're not putting all your eggs in one basket where you're doing a custom bench top, or a rack, a type of functional test, or a system level tests. You're able to do some of that at the earlier stages of the board assembly process where you're doing it at an ICT, and you're able to have a high level of confidence that as you take it off the ICT, you go over to the next process or next test level; first, you're not testing for the same thing twice; second, it was cheaper to do it at ICT than it was to try to incorporate it into a more expensive rack, a more expensive bench test, or more of a man- ual test. If you're building hundreds and thousands of boards, obviously automation comes into that. Your costs could be up front with automation,