atg Luther & Maelzer releases the A8a
A new generation of automated highs speed flying probe PCB testers
The new A8a test system combines the flexibility of flying probe testers with high throughput. The A8a provides significant cost advantages compared to fixture testers for small and medium batches and fully meets the requirements in its main application field: The electrical test of HDI products for smart phones, tablet and PC motherboards.
The A8a ensures best productivity, most efficient operation and best test quality and accuracy. It is equipped with eight test heads and four cameras for optical alignment. The A8a is able to test pad sizes down to 35 micron. Testing HDI products for smart phones, tablet and PC motherboards up to a test area of 18.0” x 12.0” on the A8a, it also eliminates limitations of test point density or fine-pitch contacts.
The A8a features embedded component test or a 4-wire Kelvin measurement with an accuracy of +/- 0,025 mΩ.
The A8a is provided with a separate good and bad board stacker. The bad boards can be optionally labeled by a 2D-Code. The 2D-code indicates the reference between the boards and the corresponding fault file. This way handling failures by an operator are eliminated.
The A8a is prepared for lights out operation. With the feeder capacity of 390 mm it is possible to test 650 boards with a thickness of 0.6 mm at one time. This capacity guarantees an operator-free test over the whole night shift.
To fully meet the speed expectations the key feature of the A8a is a new dual shuttle system, which reduces the product exchange time to less than 4 seconds in automation mode. In combination with the fast test speed of up to 140 measurements/second the A8a will give customers a competitive test solution for batches up to 5000 boards. A typical cycle time of a 4-up smart phone board is about 2 minutes.
Peter Brandt, Sales Manager Europe and Japan, explains: “The main advantage of the A8a for PCB producers is the significant cost savings compared to a fixture tester. The high costs of dedicated fixtures, which can range from $10-30K per fixture, justify the electrical test with a high speed flying probe system.”
