Solder paste inspection: process control for defect reduction

Abstract

As quality control for SMT electronics assembly shifts from final inspection/final test to production line monitoring and process control, there is a greater emphasis on post-print solder paste inspection as a means of reducing the number of defects appearing on finished boards. Automatic post-print inspection systems provide operators with the continuous information required to implement in-line continuous process control, identifying out-of-spec trends so that printing problems can be corrected before defective boards are produced.