Viscom AG, a manufacturer of high-quality inspection systems, announced the adoption of the Valor Process Preparation technology from Mentor, a Siemens business, for its vVision SPI and AOI systems. Recognized for providing 3D optical and X-ray inspection systems for electronics manufacturing, the company is seeing important benefits in using this additional tool.
One of the more challenging tasks of operating AOI machines is the creation of robust inspection algorithms for new and non-standard parts that have not been inspected on previous boards. Even for medium-sized boards, it can take some additional time to create a program with new parts. And for large designs, this additional effort can be significant. The combination of the company’s SPI/AOI systems and the software creates a solution for this challenge.
The rules-driven auto-generation capability of Valor Process Preparation can create the regions of interest that the company’s machine needs to apply the optimum inspection algorithms. This data is usually created manually, which may delay the introduction of new parts. The Valor Parts Library (VPL) comprises shape geometries based on manufacturing part numbers (MPNs) from a central database.
The inspection content can also be provided from the SMT placement libraries. All shapes are kept in a neutral format that can then be generated into machine-specific shapes using the Valor auto-generate feature. This also includes those of ASM, Fuji, Juki, Panasonic, and Yamaha, providing the company’s vVision machine with a rich data set of PCB footprint and component package information. This significantly reduces the time to create inspection templates for new parts.
“Our proven Valor Process Preparation product will enhance the yield and productivity of Viscom’s customers, so we are honored that our technology is being utilized in their AOI and SPI systems,” stated Dan Hoz, general manager of the Valor Division. “We expect that customers using Viscom’s machines will realize immediate productivity gains to meet competitive first-to-market goals.”
“The Valor tool and its package library are invaluable for further speeding up managing new parts,” stated Detlef Beer, senior manager of product engineering. “Our initial test results show that using Valor Process Preparation will reduce time on the machine to help our customers manufacture their electronics products with improved speed and efficiency.”
