Automated Optical System Provides Accurate PCB Inspection

Affordable precision pc board inspection is within reach for small and mid-size contract manufacturers with the AOI 2020 portable automated optical inspection system, which is said to deliver the same high-quality performance as systems costing five times more. The system quickly and repetitively inspects and verifies component presence/absence, orientation/polarity, correct part, skew, and solder defects. Its variable resolution to 0.0015" delivers improved image quality and accepts up to 9" x 12" pc boards.The complete, ready-to-use inspection system weighs only 50 pounds and its compact size allows for portability and positioning anywhere the unit is needed. Board setup is fast and simple: using CAD data and a populated board, it will autotrain new pc boards for inspection. When CAD data is not available, a populated board can be used to quickly set up an inspection sequence. No programming is ever needed. All operations of the system are controlled by simple on-screen menus using a trackball.