» TEST & QUALITY
» TEST & QUALITY ASSURANCE Open interfaces and the integration of all components of the SMT line make it possible to identify root causes or faults across the entire line Source: ASM Autonomous process improvements Having fully automatic, autonomous process optimization as the last step of automation means that the system recognizes trends that may violate the process window and can evaluate countermeasures based on this data. The ProcessExpert can thus automatically change and optimize printing parameters to keep the process stable long before misprints occur. As part of this capability, the system also controls the understencil cleaning process. Instead of cleaning at fixed intervals, as is common today, it bases the cleaning cycles on the actual contamination. The expert system software achieves this by The ASM DFM HealthCheck uses Gerber data to generate virtual prints with the planned stencil design to ensure a reliable printing process already during the design phase. Source: ASM splitting the measurements made by the SPI into segments and saving the respective printing results with the associated process and printing parameters in a database along with the data received via IPC- CFX from the placement machines and the end-ofline AOI system. This way, the system learns from each individual printing operation and builds an ever more extensive and detailed process knowledge-base – 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Even the best expert cannot keep track of all measurements and criteria around the clock and assess them within an acceptable timeframe. The system, on the other hand, overlooks or forgets no detail and optimizes the printing process based on all current as well as all historical SPI data. Advanced optimization potential The fact that comprehensive data for the entire line is now available results in even more ways to make production more efficient and productive. One module of the ProcessExpert, for example, is the Quality Viewer, a tool for error analysis and root cause identification across the entire SMT line. It correlates process data from DEK printers, the ProcessLens, Siplace placement machines and third-party AOI systems and displays them in easy-to-understand charts. In this way, root causes of errors can be identified with great precision by examining dependencies between the individual process steps. This is only made possible by the open communication across the line and the collection and merging of data – something which closed-loop systems cannot do. 44 EPP Europe » 11 | 2021
The ASM ProcessLens can be gradually expanded from an SPI system to a fully automatic printing process optimizer that incorporates data from the entire line Source: ASM Another example is the simulation of prints when the stencil is still in the design phase. The DFM HealthCheck module requires only the stencil’s Gerber data along with information about the printing environment, printing parameters, process parameters and options to run virtual prints and check whether a reliable printing process is possible. It bases its analysis on the collected historical data from the line as well as lots of additional process data from another ASM database. The results are then displayed in graphical and tabular formats. If stable printing is not possible for the whole board or individual areas, it displays color codes and proposes changes or recommends redesigning the whole board. By ensuring a stable stencil and process design before a stencil is even ordered, the DFM HealthCheck prevents unproductive test prints and expensive line stops. CONTACTING EXPERTS Betting on the future Automation across and beyond the SMT line cannot be achieved without the capability of hardware and software solutions to communicate with each other in a non-proprietary manner. That’s why it is critically important to ensure already during the investment planning stage that the systems can exchange information via powerful open interfaces and standards. In this way, you can successfully automate your operations step-by-step at your individual pace and scale while leaving plenty of room for future developments. www.asm-smt.com EPP Europe » 11 | 2021 45
