Flexible X-ray system for 2D & 3D micro-focus AXI

This equipment is used for high-resolution, non-destructive X-ray inspections of electronics board assemblies and devices. The targets in particular are objects of the telecommunications and automotive electronics industry, as well as aerospace technology, security and medical devices. For ASSCON, the Y.Cougar is the ideal solution for real-time, micro-focus X-ray procedures, from the manually provided inspection of single objects to the fully automated inspection of higher volumes resulting from large-scale production. ASSCON applies this instrument for the analysis of electronics products of its customer base in order to evaluate the voiding of hidden board solder joints, and at the same time for the precise determination of the optimum process parameters for the respective vacuum soldering processes in ASSCON vapor phase systems.

“YXLON, a leading global supplier of X-ray equipment, and ASSCON, a leading vapor-phase soldering system expert, are providing their customers with an efficient gateway to highly sophisticated technologies and products. As many of the customers do not have their own X-ray machines, we can, in this unique way, offer them the great opportunity to deliver their electronics devices and parts to us for analysis and evaluation.” Axel Wolff, ASSCON’s global sales manager, further explains: “We are two leading machine suppliers now in the advantageous position to analyze our customers’ products and to provide guidance for them when using today’s challenging technologies. With our mutual outstanding capabilities and expertise, namely high-level vapor phase soldering under vacuum and advanced X-ray inspection, we have built for our customers an affordable and easy-to-use foundation to evaluate and assure the requirements for long-lasting and reliable quality solder joints with extremely low voiding of <1%. And this task can be applied as early as in the client’s product definition and design stage, as well as in the prototyping of their board assemblies and electronics devices.”

Large field of applications

Due to its high degree of flexibility, ASSCON can adapt the Y.Cougar system to the continually changing requirements of the sophisticated inspection objects. The range of the different configuration options fully covers all useful application areas, from failure analysis to R&D right up to the inspection of volume production. The application of the system focuses on the following regions: diverse two-dimensional verification procedures and then, of course, the demanding three-dimensional micro-focus computer tomography of printed circuit board assemblies, IC packages and hidden interconnections, electronic modules, sensors, micro-systems, molded components, medical devices, wafer-level chip-scale packages (WLCSPs), micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS), optical and opto-electronic parts, cables, connectors, special plastic pieces and much more. 

The inspection area of the Y.Cougar is defined with 310mm x 310mm; objects of up to 550mm x 440mm can be accommodated, and minor details in the range of <500nm can be recognized. Helpful job functions such as click&center, frame&zoom, click&fly and grid inspection are available at the push of a button and therefore simplify and speed-up detailed inspection tasks. Once the job has started, the very first image is provided by the machine within just a few seconds.