PCB Assembly Quality Control FAQ
What quality control is used for PCB assembly?
PCB assembly quality control may include incoming material inspection, SPI, first article verification, AOI, X-Ray where required, THT inspection, programming verification, ICT, functional testing, final inspection, and outgoing quality control.
The applicable inspection and testing plan depends on the PCB design, product requirements, production quantity, and customer specifications.
Do you perform AOI inspection?
Yes.
AOI can be used to inspect visible SMT assembly conditions such as missing components, placement errors, polarity or orientation issues, tombstoning, bridging, and applicable visible solder-joint defects.
AOI does not directly inspect every hidden solder joint, so other inspection methods may be required for certain component packages.
Do you provide X-Ray inspection for BGA and QFN components?
Yes, where required by the PCB design or project requirements.
X-Ray inspection can be used to evaluate applicable hidden solder-joint conditions for BGA, QFN, LGA, and other bottom-terminated components.
Not every PCB assembly requires X-Ray inspection.
Do you perform functional testing?
Yes, according to the product and customer requirements.
Functional testing can include power-on verification, voltage or current measurement, communication interface testing, I/O verification, programming verification, and customer-defined functional tests.
Can you follow our own functional test procedure?
Yes.
Customer-provided test procedures, operating conditions, measurements, communication commands, programming requirements, and pass/fail criteria can be reviewed before production.
Where required, these requirements can be incorporated into the applicable manufacturing and test documentation.
Can you build a functional test fixture according to our test method?
Depending on the product and test requirements, yes.
We can evaluate test fixture development based on the customer's test procedure, test points, interfaces, required measurements, programming requirements, and pass/fail criteria.
Fixture development scope and applicable NRE costs are reviewed before implementation.
What happens if a PCB assembly fails inspection or testing?
The affected material can be identified and controlled while the issue is reviewed.
Depending on the issue, additional inspection, segregation, engineering review, rework, re-testing, root-cause investigation, corrective action, or customer review may be required.
Affected assemblies are not released solely because the visible defect has been repaired; applicable re-inspection or re-testing is performed before release.
Can you provide PCB assembly traceability?
Yes, according to the agreed project requirements.
Depending on the product, traceability may include PCB and BOM revision, production lot, component lot/date-code information where required, firmware revision, serial number, inspection records, functional test results, and rework information.
Traceability requirements should be identified during project preparation.
How do you control PCB and BOM revisions?
Production is based on the approved manufacturing information for the applicable product revision.
Gerber files, BOM, Pick & Place data, assembly drawings, firmware, test procedures, and other applicable documentation should correspond to the intended production revision.
Engineering changes are reviewed before implementation when they may affect manufacturing, materials, programming, testing, or existing work in progress.
Can you support customer-specific quality requirements?
Yes.
Customer-specific workmanship, inspection, testing, traceability, labeling, packaging, documentation, and approved component requirements can be reviewed before production.
These requirements can be incorporated into the applicable manufacturing and quality documentation where required.
Can you support IPC-A-610 requirements?
Yes.
PCB assembly workmanship and inspection requirements can be established according to applicable IPC-A-610 acceptance criteria and customer-specific requirements.
The required acceptance criteria should be identified before production so that the appropriate manufacturing and inspection requirements can be incorporated into the project.
What is IPC-7711/7721?
IPC-7711/7721 provides industry guidance and requirements related to rework, modification, and repair of electronic assemblies.
Where applicable, rework and repair activities can follow the applicable IPC-7711/7721 principles and the customer's project requirements.
Do you support ISO 13485 PCB assembly programs?
Our manufacturing operations are supported by an ISO 13485-certified quality management system.
Medical electronics projects are reviewed according to the applicable customer, product, documentation, manufacturing, testing, and regulatory requirements.
Specific project requirements should be identified during project evaluation rather than assumed solely from the ISO 13485 certification.
Is quality control different for prototype and production PCB assembly?
The fundamental quality principles remain similar, but the level of process control, documentation, traceability, testing, and production monitoring may change as the product moves from prototype to NPI, pilot production, and repeat manufacturing.
Prototype builds may focus more heavily on identifying design and manufacturing issues, while repeat production places greater emphasis on process consistency, yield, material control, revision control, traceability, and delivery performance.
