An error overlooked in the first article is repeated on every PCB of the batch. During inspection, EFA SmartSuite shows everything you need directly in the image: assembly plan, orientation, value and part number – and no component is forgotten.
augmented realityassembly plan directly on the image
AOI with AIpresence, orientation, marking
Where time is lost ..
6 typical hurdles – each one costs line time or lets errors slip through.
First articles with the four-eyes principle
One person searches for the component on the PCB, the other leafs through the documents – often for hours, while the line waits for approval.
Errors beyond your control
Incorrectly taped or mislabelled components only become apparent on the PCB. That is why the first PCB must be inspected in full after a restart, too.
Small batches without AOI
For small batches, AOI programming and false calls are not worth it – inspection is then done by hand and without proof.
Manual assembly
Even if the first PCB is correct, the second may already be faulty. With repetitive manual tasks, humans are inferior to machines.
Components without marking
For many components, only a measurement shows whether they really have the specified value – with several hundred components, this delays approval.
Proof for customers and audits
Handwritten inspection reports are incomplete. At the next customer audit at the latest, there is no proof that every component was inspected.
How EFA SmartSuite helps ..
6 inspection methods in one application – from first article to conformal coating inspection.
New: EFA AOI with AI – for every inspection
For first article inspection, setup checks, small batch inspection and manual assembly – also for prototypes and spot checks – EFA AOI inspects automatically:
PresenceMissing components are detected automatically.
OrientationPolarity, offset and rotation are checked automatically.
MarkingComponent markings are read and checked by OCR – EFA keeps learning.
Colour bandsThe colour bands of resistors are checked automatically.
Check the high-resolution full image of the first PCB against the customer data – with one operator instead of the four-eyes principle
Augmented reality: assembly plan and component orientation lie directly on the image; value, part number and assembly note appear in a tooltip
Part number view: all components of a part number at a glance and assessed with one click – the effort depends on the part numbers, not on the number of components
Guided process: no component is forgotten, every inspection is documented
Integrated into first article inspection: measured values are transferred directly and checked automatically
Every measured value documented, inspection report included
Conformal coating inspection
See instead of estimating
Images under UV light: the fluorescent conformal coating becomes visible
Check that all specified areas are covered and that there are no splashes on areas not to be coated
Comparison with the coating plan via augmented reality or with a golden board
Define your own inspection segments, for example only the coated areas
Automatic UV coating inspection on request
This is just a selection – in production, too, EFA SmartSuite supports you with many more helpers. We will be happy to show you →
The image for it: EFA Picture
The microscopic full image of the entire PCB at up to 5,000 dpi – with the desktop unit at the workstation or the inline unit directly in the line, for SMT and THT, optionally as an HDR image with significantly fewer shadows. EFA Capture controls the unit, EFA Stitch combines the individual images – and every image goes directly to EFA SmartSuite.
With this system, the time spent on revisions and first article inspections has demonstrably been reduced by up to 80 %. As a result, production has not only gained valuable production time, but also safeguards product quality through a fixed, predefined process.
Roland HolderriedAOI Systems Technician · Sensor-Technik Wiedemann
This guided inspection gives us the certainty that the inspector has looked at and assessed every component. No element can be forgotten.
Reto LempenProduction Engineer, Test & Final Assembly · CCS Schweiz AG
As we insist on an initial inspection before SMD soldering, we now also use the EFA inspection system specifically at that point, so that consequential errors can be ruled out in advance. In addition, this type of inspection reduces the downtime of our production lines.
Waltraud AumüllerManaging Director · Fercad Elektronik
Another advantage of EFA is that we store the very high-quality photos in SAP, which archives the release process and makes it traceable.
Klaus GassenHead of Production · Katek GmbH
The EFA inline solution won us over with its automatic image capture. This lets us inspect batch sizes from 0 to 1,000 with EFA Inspection without any problems.
Marco SchönefeldManaging Director · proServ electronic
