NEWS RELEASE: Promex moves to 100% automated PCB inspection to accommodate the smallest, most complex medical electronics
- New automated 3D inspection technology provides 100% inspection of rigid and flexible PCB assemblies for medical and other high-reliability applications
- Detects manufacturing variation as component density rises and tolerances tighten
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Promex Industries Inc. announces the expansion of its automated surface mount technology (SMT) manufacturing and inspection capabilities, with the addition of a Koh Young Zenith Alpha 3D Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) System. Promex has now automated 100 percent of its inspection of rigid and flexible PCBs and assemblies. The enhancement adds another level of process control for increasingly dense and complex electronics used in medical devices and other high-reliability applications.
The newly incorporated inspection automation uses three-dimensional optical imaging to inspect component placement and solder-joint quality, identifying conditions such as missing or misaligned components, polarity errors, tombstoning, solder defects, and foreign object debris (FOD). The system also validates component case information to verify that the correct parts are loaded onto the board.
As medical devices become smaller and incorporate more electronics into increasingly constrained form factors, with increased uses of flexible circuitry, PCB assemblies are becoming denser and more complex to manufacture. Modern medical device designs make consistent inspection more challenging while increasing the importance of detecting assembly variations before they become downstream reliability or yield issues. Automated 3D inspection provides manufacturers with additional process data and repeatability as products move from development into higher-volume production.
Promex integrates the AOI system into multiple points in the SMT process, including verification of pick-and-place operations before reflow and final inspection after reflow.
“As medical devices and other reliability-essential products become smaller and more electronically sophisticated, the margin for assembly variation becomes increasingly narrow,” said Dave Fromm, president of Promex Industries Inc. “Moving to automated 3D inspection of all of our rigid and flexible PCB assemblies gives us another way to identify production risks early and generate the process data needed to maintain consistency as devices progress through development into production.”
The new AOI capability complements Promex’s recently added Koh Young Aspire 3 Automated Solder Paste Inspection system and existing Yamaha pick-and-place equipment. Together, the technologies allow Promex to inspect and collect process information at multiple stages of PCB assembly, from solder paste deposition through component placement and post-reflow inspection.
“Inspection also becomes more valuable as we accumulate production data,” Fromm added. “As volumes increase for a particular board design, machine-learning algorithms help us refine the inspection process and establish design-specific criteria beyond standard acceptance requirements. For medical and other high-reliability products, that gives us another tool for understanding and controlling the manufacturing process.”
For medical-device OEMs, identifying variation earlier in the process can be particularly important as devices combine increasingly sophisticated electronics with tight dimensional and performance requirements. Automated inspection reduces defects progressing into later, more costly stages of device assembly while supporting consistent, repeatable process control.
About Promex Industries Inc.
Promex Industries, Inc. specializes in advanced design, packaging and assembly services for key subsystems used in a wide range of applications, such as optical, photonics, diagnostics, life sciences, medical and MEMS devices. The company is skilled at heterogeneous integration of tiny components with unique functionality and complex, custom or detailed assembly requirements. Founded in 1975, Silicon Valley-based Promex provides design-for-manufacturing services coupled with materials science expertise and broad assembly capabilities for small- to mid-volume onshore production. Services provided in the company’s Class 100/Class 1000 cleanrooms include RoHS-optimized SMT, wafer thinning, dicing, die bonding, wire bonding, flip chip, and combining microelectronic and non-microelectronic components. Promex is ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 9001:2015 certified, IPC certified and ITAR registered. https://promex-ind.com/.
The opinions expressed in this news release are the author’s only and do not necessarily reflect those of Medical Design & Outsourcing or its employees.
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