I SYSTEMS, Inc.

Inspector Subjectivity causes the inspection operation to vary operator to operator. Perhaps, this is due to the fact that each inspector handles the parts differently and views the components at different angles. Some inspectors see some things while others see different things. An inspection system which allows the inspectors to handle the parts identically and view the components at the same angles will close the gap on subjectivity.

"If every inspector is looking at the same picture in the same way the inspection analysis will be similar."

Repeatability is the key to insuring the inspection process. As the day progresses one inspector looks at a lot of product. How can you be sure that each part has been inspected exactly the same as the last? If the repeatability of the inspection process varies so will the inspection results. An inspection system which insures repeatability will help insure the process as a whole.

"The goal of inspection is to assure that ALL outgoing product meets the workmanship standards"

I SYSTEMS' believes that our cost effective inspection systems directly address the three factors which hamper the manual inspection process the most.

The Cost of Automating the Inspection Process.

Automatic inspection is costly, the initial cost of the equipment can range from $250,000 to $750,000 depending on the type of system. Automated systems require higher grade operators and costly annual maintenance contracts.

The trend in manufacturing is toward smaller lot sizes with a larger mix of product, all to be provided at a lower cost. The above scenario translates into more dollars for inspection using automated systems. As lot size decreases, setup time increases, system idle time increases and overall throughput decreases. High cost automated systems can add significant cost to your products.

When cost justifying Automatic Inspection don't forget to look at verification time, the level of operator required to operate sophisticated automatic systems (usually requires a dedicated engineer), the cost of idle time due to setup and the fixed cost of the equipment.

In many cases automated inspection is price prohibitive for the small and mid-sized Contract Manufacturers and Prototype houses. Larger corporations are becoming more cost conscious and are striving to be more competitive. Semi-Automatic inspection is a tool affordable to everyone and can provide exceptional results at a small fraction of the cost.

Is Automated Inspection the Answer? Will Automation Eliminate the Need for Manual Inspection?

There is no black box which you can put your Electronic Assembly into and the system will tell you if it is good or bad with 100% certainty. Automated systems have come a long way and can be effective tools. However, inspection results must be verified by human inspectors to insure that the defects found in fact are real and to audit the system so that the system does not pass bad product. This brings us full circle, in order to verify your automatic inspection process you must have inspection equipment which insures the manual verification process.

All automated systems output defect data and X, Y location of the defect (typically 10-50 locations/board). Your process must have a verification station which can bring you to defective locations quickly or automatically. Much time can be wasted by trying to find defect locations using an X, Y grid system. Worse than that a defect found by the automatic equipment could easily be overlooked.

Automated systems will find defects but generally do a poor job of classifying them. A good verification station will allow you to re-classify defects on the fly into terminology used at your factory.

A good verification process can truly enhance your automated inspection system and provide substantial labor savings.

I SYSTEMS' Semi-Automatic Inspection System provides all the capabilities to improve your verification process and interface to your automated inspection equipment.

It is our opinion that:

"There is no piece of automated inspection equipment with the decision making capability of a human. Give Humans the tools that are required to do the job properly and the results will be astonishing."

Dr. Deming performed a demonstration at his seminars. He took volunteers from the audience, blindfolded them and then put a jar of red and white marbles in front of them. He told the volunteers to select only the red marbles from the jar. You can guess the outcome. Manual inspection gets a bad rap for being inconsistent. Many of the inspection tools in use (magnifiers, eyeloupes, etc. ) don't allow the inspector to be consistent, much less get consistency among a group of inspectors.

"I SYSTEMS is dedicated to providing affordable inspection solutions which help companies become more competitive."