Kinali and ATX: Joining Forces for Smarter Testing
To meet these challenges, Kinali and ATX have joined forces. By combining the Test-it-off automation platform from Kinali with ATX’s advanced testing fixtures featuring Automatic Opening and Closing technologies electronically as well as pneumatically (AOC E/P), the two companies are bringing a new generation of intelligent, autonomous PCBA testing. Their solutions fully support the principles of Industry 4.0 and make the vision of a fully automated, dark factory production environment increasingly achievable.
Traditional ICT and FCT testers remain essential, but their manual operation can become a bottleneck in High-Mix production. Test-it-off transforms existing testers into automated workstations by connecting robots, cameras, conveyors, and factory IT systems through one software platform. Every step of the process is synchronized and traceable, from loading the board to recording the test result in the MES or ERP system.
Parallel Testing: Maximizing Productivity in Every Cycle
The true performance advantage lies in parallelism. As ATX’s automated fixtures close and open on their own, the AUBO collaborative robot is already retrieving the next PCBA for testing. With two fixtures operating within a single cell, the robot alternates between them, maintaining a continuous flow of operations. Instead of waiting for one test cycle to finish, the robot and fixtures work concurrently, maximizing uptime and ensuring every second of the testing cycle is used effectively, resulting in significantly higher productivity within the same footprint. Combined with its integrated material buffer, the system can operate unattended for six hours or more, supporting fully autonomous overnight or weekend testing. For manufacturers, this translates directly into faster ROI, higher tester utilization, and significant labor savings.
Test-it-off is designed specifically for High-Mix, Low-Volume environments where frequent changeovers are part of daily life. A product change takes less than ten minutes, while introducing a new PCBA type can be completed in about one hour. The process is no-code, allowing anyone to do it with ease. Fixtures can be prepared on mobile trolleys while the station continues running, and the operator simply follows on-screen instructions to swap the fixture, gripper, and PCBPlacer fingers. This approach allows one automated workstation to handle dozens of product types with minimal interruption. For many manufacturers, this level of flexibility is as important as speed. It means they can respond quickly to customer demand and production changes without compromising quality or throughput.
Beyond its mechanical precision, the Test-it-off platform has been developed with full Industry 4.0 connectivity in mind. Test data are transmitted automatically to higher-level systems for real-time traceability. Barcode or DMX code scanning ensures that every board is logged individually, while remotely accessible dashboards display live statistics, yield information, and batch completion forecasts. Engineers can monitor performance and system status from any connected device, whether on the factory floor or off site. Open API connectivity makes it simple to integrate the automation layer with existing MES or ERP systems, extending the life of legacy testers rather than replacing them. ATX’s experience in fixture design further simplifies mechanical and electrical integration and guarantees accuracy and repeatability in the test process.
From Efficiency to Autonomy: Benefits for Manufacturers
The strength of the collaboration between Kinali and ATX lies in their complementary expertise. Kinali’s Test-it-off platform automates the handling and process control of PCBA testing through robotics, software integration, and Industry 4.0 connectivity. ATX contributes decades of experience in precision test fixture engineering for ICT and FCT applications, ensuring mechanical accuracy and consistent test results, now combined with the AOC technologies.
Each company delivers an independent solution that addresses a different stage of the testing process, yet together they form a highly efficient combination. Test-it-off provides the automation layer that moves boards between test steps and manages data exchange with factory systems, while ATX’s automatically closing and opening fixtures allow continuous testing with high precision. Their integration enables robots and fixtures to work in parallel, reducing idle time and increasing throughput within the same production space.
Manufacturers gain higher tester utilization, faster changeovers, and complete traceability while making better use of existing testing equipment. The combined use of Test-it-off and ATX fixtures creates a scalable environment suitable for both High-Mix, Low-Volume and higher-volume production.
As the industry looks ahead to Productronica 2025, testing is becoming autonomous, flexible, and data-driven. The cooperation between Kinali and ATX demonstrates how automation and precision testing can work hand in hand to create efficient, connected, and sustainable production testing systems.
When used together, these cutting-edge technologies bring manufacturers significant gains in flexibility, quality, and efficiency, helping them move closer to the fully automated factory of the future. (eve)
productronica:
ATX: A1.326
Kinali: A1.434
