Printed circuit board (PCB) testing is essential during all phases of production, including design/layout, fabrication, and assembly. We offer a wide variety of PCB testing and inspection services for both bare board fabrication and assembled PCBs, including:
• Bare board PCB test and Netlist/functional test to check for continuity after a board is manufactured to avoid major problems downstream.
• Design for Manufacturing (DFM) test to check for shorts or opens before board fabrication.
PCB Test Methods
We use various PCB test methods to ensure the highest quality and the best outcome for your products:
• Visual inspection: It’s a manual testing method during which our experienced inspectors determine if a board is acceptable.
• Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI): It uses a vision system to capture an image of the circuit. Errors are deleted by comparing this image to an expected image and a set of design rules.
• TDR impedance test: It helps ensure proper signal function to prevent performance and reliability issues.
• Military PCB Inspection Group A: It covers visual and dimensional standards, microsection, chemical resistance, physical changes, and electrical issues.
• Military PCB Inspection Group B: It includes all group A items plus rework simulation, moisture and insulation resistance, dielectric withstanding voltage, resistance to solvents, surface peel strength, and ionic contamination test. It must be conducted by an outside laboratory recognized by the Department of Defense.
• Microsection inspection: It examines the integrity of through-holes, laminate system, solder joint interfaces, and other structures in and on the PCB.
• Electrical test: Continuity testing checks for continuous paths and interconnections between pads, traces, and through holes. Isolation testing determines if networks or traces are separated or isolated from each other.
• Hi potential testing: It’s strongly recommended for high voltage circuit boards to verify proper isolation between areas on the PCB.
Assembled PCB Tests
• Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI): It can be incorporated into the production line right after soldering to catch problems early in the production process.
• PCB X-ray testing: It’s used when pads of solder joints or leadless components aren’t visible to the microscope or naked eye, which is common for BGA and LGA footprints.
• Flying probe test: It involves using pogo-pin-based probes to inject and monitor signals via test pins on the boards.
• Functional test: It tests the final functionality of the product and provides the go/no-go decision on finished PCBs.
• Manual/visual testing: It helps quickly eliminate cosmetic defects and obvious process defects. It’s commonly used when volumes and complexity are low.
Contact us to learn more about our PCB testing capabilities.