Description: Automated optical inspection (AOI) is an automated visual inspection of printed circuit boards (PCBs) or individual components (such as LCDs, transistors, etc.). A camera autonomously scans the device under test for both catastrophic failure (such as a missing component) and quality defects (such as incorrect fillet size or shape or component skew). It is commonly used in the manufacturing process because it is a non-contact test method. It is implemented at many stages through the manufacturing process including bare board inspection, solder paste inspection (SPI), pre-reflow and post-reflow, as well as other stages.

By default, AOI is immediately after SMT Placement, though it may be physically performed after Reflow or after Manual Assembly operations. If necessary, customization can be performed in the VPE to move the AOI operation. The impact to labor should be negligible.

Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) cycle time is the time to load the PCBA into the machine, clamp the PCBA, check the fiducials, move the camera over the PCBA, and unload the PCBA from the machine. This model assumes that the time the camera requires to change direction during the scanning process is negligible.

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