Content area
Full text
As semiconductors continue to integrate more functions into a single device, it's increasingly important that the printed boards that hold these devices meet high quality and reliability levels. Visual inspection remains one of the best ways to ensure that printed boards meet quality levels before expensive parts are attached.
The inspectors who examine printed boards need to quickly interpret any irregularities, understanding the difference between aberrations that can impact performance and lifetimes and those that are merely cosmetic blemishes.
In April 2010, IPC released the H revision of its popular IPC-A-600 standard, Acceptability of Printed Boards, providing 95 new or updated photos and illustrations, for a total of 326 images, that inspectors can use for comparison to what they're seeing.
The new revision also provides new or expanded coverage on topics such as solder mask coverage, etchback, plated hole wall integrity, via fi ll, fl exible circuits, and more. The enhancements make it simpler for board manufacturers and customers to agree on the quality of boards.
"Adding a lot of pictures adds a great deal of clarifi cation, which reduces confusion at both our company and at our suppliers," said Vicka White, principal engineer at Honeywell Aerospace and chair of the IPC D-30 Rigid Printed Board Committee.
Having a ready source of photos for comparison has...