Application of X-ray inspection equipment in SMT production line

In SMT production lines, electronic components are getting smaller and solder joints are getting denser, with many issues invisible to eyes or ordinary equipment. X-ray inspection equipment act as "X-ray vision," capable of penetrating components and circuit boards to resolve these hidden quality challenges. They are primarily used in three critical stages:

1. Hidden solder joint inspection

In SMT components like BGA, QFP, and CSP, solder joints are concealed beneath the device's base or between pins, invisible to eyes. X-ray technology penetrates component casings to clearly reveal these "hidden solder joints," inspecting issues such as poor soldering (inadequate bonding), bridging (adjacent solder joints sticking together), and voids (air bubbles within the solder that impair conductivity).

2. Component defect troubleshooting

During production, components may be "installed incorrectly" or "installed in reverse," or the components may have internal damage (such as cracked chips or internal short circuits in capacitors). X-ray imaging can quickly inspect "misplaced or reversed components" through contrast imaging. It can also penetrate the component casing to check for hidden internal damage.

3.PCB board internal inspection

Many SMT PCB boards are multi-layered, and short circuits, open circuits, or blocked vias (small holes connecting different layers) may occur between layers. These hidden issues can't be inspected by traditional testing methods. However, X-ray technology can penetrate the PCB to reveal internal wiring and via conditions, allowing for early inspection and elimination of potential hazards.

Seamark AXI9000 high-speed CT X-ray automatic inspection equipment inspection effect

The advantages of X-ray inspection equipment

1. Non-destructive inspection

Traditional inspection may require disassembling components or damaging the circuit board, while X-ray is like a hospital X-ray, which can see the inside of the product without disassembling it, and the product can still be used normally after inspection, which is especially suitable for rapid inspection on the production line.

2. High inspection accuracy

It can inspect very small problems, such as solder joint cracks thinner than a hair, component offsets, and even small voids in the solder joints. This effectively prevents products from being released from the factory with "surface qualification and internal hidden dangers", improving the reliability of finished products.

3. Automatic and efficient, suitable for batch production

Modern X-ray equipment can automatically scan and analyze a circuit board in minutes without manual inspection, and can also generate reports automatically. For mass production factories, this saves labor, quickly identifies problems and reduces rework costs.

4. Make up for the "blind spots" of traditional inspection

While conventional optical inspection can only examine surface features, X-ray technology penetrates multiple layers of circuit boards and metal shielding enclosures to reveal hidden solder joints and wiring. For instance, traditional methods cannot inspect internal line fractures in multilayer circuit boards, whereas X-ray technology clearly exposes these issues at a glance, effectively solving the longstanding challenge of "If you can't see it, you can't inspect it."

Seamark provides whole-line inspection solutions for SMT:

X-ray inspection equipment is an ideal solution for SMT production lines. It effectively addresses challenges in inspecting hidden solder joints and tiny components while enabling automation and data-driven optimization of manufacturing processes without damaging products. For electronics manufacturers pursuing high quality and efficiency, this technology acts as a "quality gatekeeper" that leaves no room for invisible defects to hide. As such, it has become an indispensable helper in modern SMT production.