X-ray Inspection Software Reduces PCB Cycle Times By 50 Percent

Saki Corporation has announced the qualification of new software that is now available to reduce cycle time by up to 50% on its 3Xi-M110 inline 3D-AXI system for printed circuit board inspection. The 3Xi-M110 delivers high-accuracy volumetric inspection at the industry’s fastest speed with this new software.

Today there is a rising demand for automated X-ray inspection of entire printed circuit boards that increasingly feature higher densities of devices with package profiles such as BGA and µBGA. This results from the growing integration of electronic functionality at component level in electronic assemblies designed for market sectors where reliability is of particular importance, for instance automotive products.

Saki’s 3Xi-M110 has halved the cycle time, thanks to a new software X-ray imaging mode and optimized control and motor speed. This software upgrade enables Saki’s 3Xi-M110 to meet the most demanding needs for automated inline X-ray inspection of entire boards, delivering high-speed 3D volumetric inspection yet maintaining the industry-leading inspection accuracy for which it is renowned.

Norihiro Koike, President and CEO of Saki Corporation said: “The 3Xi-M110 uses Saki’s proprietary Planar CT technology to detect solder joint defects and microstructure abnormalities in high-density printed circuit boards and does so with industry-leading accuracy. Now Saki’s newly developed software has halved the cycle time of the system to offer substantial throughput benefits. We are confident that it will quickly become the system of choice for many more customers. Saki will continue to provide high-quality inspection solutions to help our customers further improve their productivity and product quality.”

Saki’s automated X-ray inspection systems deploys unique Planar CT technology to provide high-speed and high-accuracy solutions for ‘Real 3D’ Volumetric Inspection. The system is able to clearly identify voids in the solder of BGAs mounted on boards and non-wetting shapes such as Head In Pillow caused by non-wetting of solder, as well as detecting defective parts.