Nordson Test & Inspection has been recognised with the 2026 Best of West Award for its SonoFlex Acoustic System, an automated acoustic micro-imaging (AMI) inspection tool targeting small panel-based assemblies. The award is presented annually by SEMI Americas and Semiconductor Digest to products judged to be significantly advancing the electronics manufacturing supply chain.
The SonoFlex system addresses a persistent challenge in advanced semiconductor and panel-level packaging inspection: balancing throughput with defect detection sensitivity. According to Nordson, the system scans at twice the speed of legacy acoustic inspection platforms, a performance gain attributed to new pulser and transducer technology developed in-house. The system also operates across the widest frequency range yet achieved in a production environment, enabling inspection of a broad variety of panel materials and package types.
A key differentiator is the FlexCore software platform, developed from the ground up to work in conjunction with Nordson Intelligence AI Multi Gate Image Analysis (MGIA). This AI-assisted analytical layer is designed to accurately identify defects and isolate true void counts, reducing false calls that are a common limitation of conventional acoustic inspection in high-mix production environments — a particularly relevant concern for advanced packaging processes such as fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP) and 2.5D/3D integration, where delamination and voiding at die-attach or underfill interfaces are critical failure modes.
The modular architecture of the SonoFlex platform allows up to four units to be operated in parallel. Nordson states that this scalability can deliver throughput increases of up to 8x compared to a single-unit baseline, making the configuration relevant for high-volume production environments where overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is a primary metric.
Pete Singer, Editor-in-Chief of Semiconductor Digest, stated that the SonoFlex 'sets a new bar for acoustic inspection, combining faster throughput with the sensitivity and modularity fabs need for small panel-based assemblies.' The award was presented at Nordson Test & Inspection's booth at SEMICON West 2026 on 15 October 2026.
For the European electronics manufacturing market, acoustic inspection is an increasingly strategic capability as advanced packaging migrates from wafer-level to panel-level formats, driven by cost and scalability considerations. OSATs and IDMs operating panel-level lines in Europe are evaluating inspection platforms capable of keeping pace with tighter design rules and larger panel formats. Nordson's position in this segment, reinforced by the SEMICON West recognition, underlines the competitive pressure on established acoustic inspection suppliers to match both throughput and AI-assisted analysis capabilities.
Quelle: SEMICON Europa – https://www.semi.org/en/semi-press-release/nordson-sonoflex-acoustic-system-wins-2026-best-of-west-award
