Turin (Italy)

July 04, 2023

SPEA for MEC: Flying Probe Tester to avoid failure escapes from production process

Alessio Cartella, Sales Director of MEC, talks on the advantages of comprehensive automatic testing techniques

 

Nowadays, testing is playing a significant role in electronics to verify the proper devices functioning. However, diagnosing faults can be complex and may require several test runs to ensure a free-of-defect production. Using reliable automatic test equipment, capable of distinguishing the origin of faults, can effectively overcome complexity while improving production efficiency. 

To achieve this important goal, a leading Italian electronic boards manufacturer, MEC, turned to SPEA automatic test equipment. 

MEC has been a dynamic Italian producer and assembler of electronic boards since the early 80s.

Since its founding, it has been serving many industries, including Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Telecommunications, and more. Playing a major role in designing performing and efficient electronic solutions, MEC includes the ICT Department which is at the heart of its day-to-day PCB testing activity.

 

The absence of comprehensive automatic testing techniques can harm production

 

Although automated PCB assembly processes routinely manufacture circuit boards without any concerns, there is always a chance for a defect or other problems to occur.

To guard against this, MEC uses a combination of inspection and test processes to verify that their circuit boards have been assembled correctly and work within designated parameters.

“Quality issues impact the production line, generating efficiency losses and increased operating costs to re-test nonconforming products” – commented Alessio Cartella, Sales Director at MEC – “Catching defective parts is essential but it is not the only end goal at MEC. We aim to optimize the manufacturing process so that first-time yield rates are as high as they can be and rework costs as low as possible. Relying only on end-of-line testing will not do that”. 

The end-of-line test ensures that each board does what it’s expected to do based on a Good/Not-Good test but it fails to account for parameter variabilities, such as resistance, capacitance, and missing or wrong components placements that may cause problems at the customers’ sites. 

“It takes a lot of research to find out why defects happen and then, even more, to determine how they happened. Especially if this assessment is left to the final test operators, it inevitably ends up with guesswork, which is inefficient, ineffective, and can even introduce other issues to the production line “ – explains Alessio – “Having automatic test equipment capable of acquiring comprehensive in-circuit measurement values and that checks them automatically against stored parameters, without problematic guesswork, is definitely bringing more reliability and efficiency to our testing process”. 

 

Flying Probe Tester meets constant demand for higher quality and flexibility

 

More than a functional tester and capable of dealing with miniaturized and high-density board assemblies while executing ICT, boundary scans, optical test, laser measurements, and more, flying probe testers achieve the highest fault coverage enhancing product quality.

The SPEA flying probe testers have met MEC expectations in terms of higher quality and flexibility. 

“Since adding, in 2007, the SPEA flying probe tester to our testing department, we have been able to identify components that were more subject to failures, optimizing the production process as well” – commented Alessio – “We have a mid-volume production with some product mix. Being able to change electronic boards design and not attracting additional costs, for example for a test fixture, make the difference. The shortage of electronic components forced us and our customers to review the design of electronic circuits for alternative components and we had to make modifications to avoid production delays. With the flying probe tester, we had the flexibility to test the modifications and overcome the difficulties associated with long procurement times, without putting additional burden on corporate cash for dedicated fixtures.

SPEA flying probe testers enhance the advantages of flexibility combining a comprehensive range of testing tools with dual-side flying probing. This results in a fast turnaround time on new board development at a lower cost. Adding a machine that offers the highest level of capability greatly improves manufacturers’ ability to get customer products to market faster and with zero defects.