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3D Inspection has Quaint Beginnings
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
By Michelle M. Boisvert, SMT
Nestled in the quaint village of Tring in Hertfordshire, England, U.K., is a company that has positioned itself for growth in the electronics manufacturing industry - with roots in industrial inspection equipment. In 1986, Roger Hadland started the X-Tek Group in a garage, like other inventive companies. The company grew rapidly, eventually expanding to a larger facility outside of Tring’s downtown because the narrow streets couldn’t accommodate delivery trucks. X-Tek first sold one of its large X-ray system with a microfocus tube to an automobile manufacturer wanting to detect small features such with castings. A good percentage of X-Tek’s business is in this market, with the remainder addressing electronics and C.T. metrology.
X-Tek’s line of manual and semi-automated X-ray inspection systems for electronics manufacturing includes the Linx; Compact; Hawk; Harrier; Orbita; and the Revolution. The Hawk, Harrier, and Revolution can also be supplied with optional C.T. for use in failure analysis labs. The Revolution provides up to 6000× magnification and sharp digital X-ray images. The system was designed for high-volume BGA, microBGA, multilayer board, and PCB solder inspection.
X-Tek’s father-and-son team, Roger and Nick Hadland, have been involved in C.T. for about 15 years. Now the company has international reach with more than 100 employees. Recently, there have been developments in C.T. “It was a slow process at first, but now you can accumulate a 3D image in less than five minutes,” said Nick Hadland, Global Electronics sales manager, who moved to the U.S. about 10 years ago to head the North American offices. “C.T. has fundamental rules that not everyone understands,” he added. “Sample size is key for high-resolution C.T.”
On the Revolution, microfocus C.T. produces high-resolution 3D images of samples. After completing a C.T. scan, the sample can be viewed from any angle, “sliced” in any direction, features measured, and animated. The system also enables 75° oblique viewing to look under BGA joints. Using Inspect-X software, data can be analyzed and shared in a summarized report online.
X-Tek’s electronics inspection systems operate on five mechanical axes; six when CT is added. “One benefit to the Hawk, Harrier, and Revolution is that C.T. can be an after-sales addition,” said Roger Hadland, and takes about half a day to install. X-Tek believes its combined high-voltage generator and open-tube X-ray sources reduce servicing costs and increase reliability, lowering overall cost of ownership. “CT is a popular feature on systems,” said Nick. “We feel that we have good added value for customers.”
Since its inception, X-Tek has remained flexible. “We have an edge because we consider what the customer wants, consider what is needed, and then provide it,” said Nick. Much of the current R&D work at X-Tek encompasses specialized software features that are responses to customer requests.