Escatec invests in quality control

Escatec has just installed a Nikon XTV160 2.5D X-Ray inspection system as part of its continual upgrade programme. This EUR 150'000 installation is used for inspecting solder joint quality of PCBA for hidden interconnections and features, like BGA balls, QFN interconnections or bond wires. “Electronics continue to shrink,” said Dr. Martin Muendlein, Engineering Manager at Escatec Switzerland, “increasing the need for sophisticated techniques to ensure that every solder joint is perfect. Visual inspection is increasingly impossible as more and more components are stacked on one another with the solder joints only detectable by using X-rays. This new X-ray machine will enable us to inspect hidden solder joints with magnifications up to 2400 times and an image resolution of up to 1micron, so that we are ready to meet the increasing demand for X-ray inspection.”