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PCBA Test: Enabling the Right Management Practice
June 18, 2014 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
The electronics manufacturing industry, though a very mature industry with robust surface mount technology, is constantly evolving as the industry faces new challenges--both technology-driven and people- or process-related. These changes impact how test is done by each manufacturer. This article reviews the challenges and recommends key strategies for both OEMs and contract electronics manufacturers (CMs).
One of the big changes taking place is outsourcing of PCBA test strategy and test development by many OEMs to CMs, and using final functional test as the key quality gatekeeper. Many OEMs are also considering eliminating PCBA-level functional test to reduce their costs. This outsourcing process has resulted in OEMs quickly losing their test development resources and capabilities. OEMs now expect CMs to take responsibility of all PCBA test challenges and quality.
From a technology point of view, the drive to smaller products is fuelling the trend toward more integration with package-on-package (PoP), system-on-a-chip (SoCs), complex high-speed connectors, and on-board high-speed memory devices being deployed on modern PCBA designs. All of these increase the complexity of tests and often test points may not be available due to the compact PCBA footprint.
Simultaneously, increasing labor costs are driving more automation trends with the deployment of both robots and inline methods. A recent review of these new process changes at a key OEM with their CMs revealed a number of challenges and expectations: Availability and knowledge of advanced PCBA test
Many CMs have relied on OEMs to direct the test strategy and may not have all the necessary skill sets and expertise to understand test requirements. Some CMs and OEMs may further outsource to third-party programming houses that may or may not have all the needed technological know-how as well. Some of these test technologies include advanced boundary scan, Cover-Extend, embedded test and advanced vectorless test. Read the full article here.Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the May 2014 issue of SMT Magazine.