Try a system made by Vision Engineering, which uses a camera and lenses to view different sides of a component with a very slick system. CA Number is 714-974-6966, CT number is 860-355-3776. I've uses the system $35K and it is great for visual inspection ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________ Subject: Assisted visual inspection of fine-pitch solder connections Author: [log in to unmask] at _internetcc Date: 12/6/96 9:14 AM I was recently asked to help evaluate two systems designed to assist in visual inspection of solder connections on board assemblies. Both use a TV camera and automatic X-Y positioning. The latter is important help an inspector identify a particular connection of a fine-pitch component that may have fifty or more connections on a side. One, made by Omron, uses a patented arrangement of three concentric ring lights, each of a different color. The colored reflection pattern allows interpretation of the fillet contour. The other, made by I Systems, uses a motor-driven mirror to allow inspecting connections from any angle, although the TV camera remains oriented to look straight down. I found things I liked and things I didn't like about each system, and I got to wondering whether there might be other commercially available systems not a whole lot more expensive than these two (say ~ $50K), which we should evaluate as well. In particular, I find that a TV camera results in a poorer image quality than conventional optics, and would recommend just using a microscope, looking at connections at a variety of orientations, if it weren't for three difficulties with fine-pitch parts: identifying the pin number, holding the assembly still enough to interpret what's there, and getting a good view of heel fillets. Of course, we could try to get our customer to change our acceptance requirements so that a connection that looks OK to the camera is OK, but we're not sure we could do that. Also, it may not be necessary to identify the exact pin number but only to report the approximate location to help the rework operator to find it. Comments? Gordon Davy Northrop Grumman ESSD Baltimore, MD *************************************************************************** * TechNet mail list is provided as a service by IPC using SmartList v3.05 * *************************************************************************** * To unsubscribe from this list at any time, send a message to: * * [log in to unmask] with <subject: unsubscribe> and no text. * *************************************************************************** * If you are having a problem with the IPC TechNet forum please contact * * Dmitriy Sklyar at 847-509-9700 ext. 311 or email at [log in to unmask] * *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** * TechNet mail list is provided as a service by IPC using SmartList v3.05 * *************************************************************************** * To unsubscribe from this list at any time, send a message to: * * [log in to unmask] with <subject: unsubscribe> and no text. * *************************************************************************** * If you are having a problem with the IPC TechNet forum please contact * * Dmitriy Sklyar at 847-509-9700 ext. 311 or email at [log in to unmask] * ***************************************************************************