Ensuring Perfection
The Art of Quality Control in Electronics Manufacturing

In a technology-centric world, the devices we engineer and rely upon transcend mere products; they are remarkable and reliable instruments of precision engineering. Whether it's a pocket-sized smartphone or a sophisticated, life-critical medical instrument, the quality of electronics becomes the linchpin of these engineering endeavors. Behind the scenes, a choreography of advanced technology, relentless innovation, and rigorous quality management orchestrates a harmonious symphony, ensuring that these electronic devices meet and even surpass the highest benchmarks of performance and reliability.

Quality management (QM) in electronics manufacturing is a comprehensive process that entails overseeing and optimizing each stage of production to guarantee that the final product aligns with or surpasses the established quality standards. This meticulous approach isn't merely a best practice; it's an absolute necessity in an industry where even the slightest deviations can have far-reaching consequences, potentially resulting in significant setbacks and catastrophic failures.

Quality management comprises four key steps: Quality Planning, where goals and standards (ISO, IPC, etc.) are established; Quality Control, focusing on real-time monitoring and error detection; Quality Assurance, a proactive approach to prevent defects; and Quality Improvement, a continuous process of enhancing operations, products, or services based on data analysis and feedback, ensuring ongoing excellence in quality. These four interrelated steps collectively form a robust quality management framework, allowing organizations to maintain high standards, meet customer expectations, and adapt to changing market conditions. This article will however focus on step #2: Quality Control.

In our industry, quality control normally encompasses both material & process control, in addition to traceability… because traceability alone, without corresponding action, holds limited value for PCBA manufacturers. Within Cogiscan, these systems are intricately woven together within our TTC Platform, (TTC stands for Track, Trace, and Control). Our solution, tailored exclusively for electronics manufacturing, boasts a longstanding leadership position in the industry. Comprised of a seamlessly integrated applications/modules, our TTC Platform ensures absolute reliability and synergy for quality control during PCBA production. Here’s a quick overview of some of these modules:

Machine Control

• Setup Validation: Thoroughly validates every aspect of the SMT machine setup process, including components, tooling, consumables, program/recipe, as well as machine settings and parameters. Online or Offline. Learn more
• Maintenance Control: Offers valuable time and cost savings by proactively preventing unforeseen machine downtime. It encompasses features such as time-based and threshold-based maintenance, along with alerting mechanisms and reporting. Learn more

Material Control

• Inventory Management: Delivers real-time inventory tracking, providing precise insights into the location, quantity, and status of all materials within the factory. It continuously monitors labeled materials, generates unique IDs for individual items, and seamlessly integrates with external systems like ERP, MOM, and MES. Learn more
• Kitting Control: Offers a seamless workflow by verifying material availability before production, automatically reserves materials for assigned kits, prevents the inadvertent use of unauthorized materials, and confirms the necessary components are ready for job completion. Learn more
• Route Control: Establishes clear and valid production routing for each product, ensuring that every PCBA adheres to the prescribed sequence of production operations as defined in the routing. It is also equipped to issue immediate alarms whenever a product deviates from its designated operation route. Learn more
• MSD Control: Provides precise real-time tracking of individual trays and reels containing Moisture Sensitive Devices (MSDs), including accurate monitoring of their remaining floor life. It seamlessly tracks reels and trays as they move through every stage of the PCB assembly process, providing real-time status updates and pinpointing their physical location along the assembly line, within dry cabinets, re-sealed dry bags, and ovens. Learn more

Traceability

• Fast and precise product, material, and process traceability solution with up to level 4 Traceability for Electronics Manufacturing, Cogiscan's Traceability application details comprehensive reporting of the production process. This invaluable tool provides manufacturers with the information necessary to demonstrate why customers can rely on the unwavering quality and reliability of your products. Learn more

Curious to see how all these modules work together in an electronics manufacturing environment? Explore this case study we did in partnership with one of our high-mix mid-volume clients, Saline Lectronics.