What Koh Young presented somewhat hidden in the back of their booth at APEX to selected customers and the trade press (but no picture taking was allowed) only, some called a bunker-buster: Whereas virtually all other AOI systems employ black-and-white 2D imaging to detect defects, the new Koh Young system uses a radical approach. The 3D technology which allowed the Korean company to become market leader in solder paste inspection (SPI) within a few years, is mainly the base for the new 3D AOI system. But instead of the 4-way projection used in SPI, the AOI system uses 8-way projection boosted by a colour coded 3-layer-technologyThis gives better failure decision opportunities to the system, thus, make it able to measure and make decisions according to IPC regulations.
Koh Young combines 2D and 3D imaging to do what most AOI systems cannot do – sense height of objects in the Z-axis. This gives a lot of advantages compared to standard 2D systems: It effectively prevents what are known as ‘escapes’ and cuts down dramatically on false calls, able to sense tombstoned components, lifted pads, leads, and components, upside-down components, and so forth. According to Koh Young´s CEO and spiritus rector Dr. Kwangill Koh, the inner workings of the system are a radical departure from what’s currently being offered in automated optical inspection. Responsible R&R group leader Jeff Lee called it „a revolution in AOI, which is obviously necessary.“
The machine presented in Las Vegas was definitely more than a prototype, although it obviously comes right out of the R&D department. It does not have a name yet. The as well still missing housing around the sensor head gave the few who where invited behind the curtain a good insight in the hardware design. The machine will be available to the market by fall. At the productronica fair in Munich it will be ready to be ordered.
EPPE434
Share:
