Teradyne Introduces Post-Solder Bottomside Automated Optical Inspection, AOI System.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ANAHEIM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2001

Industry's First Solder Inspection System for Bottomside

Assembly Offers 100 Percent Defect Coverage

Teradyne Inc. (NYSE:TER) has introduced its new Optima 7350 Post-Solder Bottomside AOI System at Etronix 2001.

As the newest member of the company's high-performance Optima 7000(TM) series, the Optima 7350 is the industry's only bottomside automated inspection system for full solder defect coverage.

The Optima 7350 provides high-throughput, full-coverage inspection, matching line beat rates regardless of PCB size or density. The system inspects the full spectrum of component and solder defects, including presence or absence of parts, part size, alignment and orientation, placement accuracy and integrity of solder, to provide 100 percent defect coverage and extremely low false flag/accept rates

The Optima 7350 shares robust software and hardware technology with Teradyne's highly successful Optima 7300 topside inspection system. On the 7350 model, this powerful technology inspects the PCB from the bottom in its native position, ideal for inspecting pre- and post-press insertion defects in compliant and VHDM (Very High Density Modular) connectors, double-sided, reflowed PCBs, as well as pre- and post-wave inspection of through-hole components. Native bottomside inspection eliminates the need for the PCB flippers and avoids the costs and floorspace considerations associated with such equipment.

As PCBs continue to become smaller and more densely configured, reliable bottomside inspection and full defect coverage make the Optima 7350 an ideal tool for quality assurance and process control. By employing the system at key process points, users can confirm factors such as component and pin alignment, thereby avoiding assembly errors prior to soldering, then inspect again after soldering to assure solder-joint quality. Detecting and identifying defects at these points allows the Optima 7350 to improve downstream quality and yields while providing valuable process-control data.

High speed, flexibility and ease-of-use make the Optima 7350 especially effective within the dynamic manufacturing environment of the EMS provider. One such manufacturer, Benchmark Electronics in Huntsville, Ala., has placed an order for multiple Optima 7350 systems to complement the several Optima 7300 systems already in production. According to Rob Rice III, production engineering manager at Benchmark, "We're counting on the reliable, high-throughput bottomside inspection of the Optima 7350 to give us the highest levels of quality assurance while reducing our rework and scrap. Teradyne continues to meet our challenging AOI requirements with innovative, imaginative designs."

The Optima 7350's unique, bottomside approach also makes it well suited for multi-stage, high-density connector assembly. For through-hole connectors, the system can fully inspect each of several hundred pins for proper alignment at partial insertion, full insertion and after soldering. This is also valuable for compliant connector applications, allowing manufacturers to ensure proper pin placement before the pins are driven through the PCB and the assembly can still be reworked.

"By providing 100 percent bottomside inspection without inverting the PCB, the Optima 7350 overcomes a roadblock to quality faced by manufacturers of double-sided PCBs," said Iqbal Syed, product manager at Teradyne. He added, "Manufacturers can eliminate costly production errors while improving the quality of their products, without impacting overall throughput."

The Optima 7350 combines industry-leading image-capture, camera and lighting technologies to deliver the highest available throughput with 100 percent defect coverage, the lowest false-failure rate in the industry, fast programming and ramp-to-production, as well as consistent, reliable results from system to system. A patented configuration of vertical and angled high-speed cameras works with a proprietary system of structured LED illumination to support Teradyne's TenPhase(TM) image-acquisition system, which captures 10 images of every field-of-view on the PCB with optimum lighting for each image.

Teradyne has leveraged the repeatability of the Optima 7350 to deliver CopyExact(TM) capability across multiple machines. Inspection programs can be transported between machines, lines and locations with identical performance and results, eliminating program adjustment or reprogramming and ensuring fast production ramp for new systems.

Pricing and Availability

North American pricing for Teradyne's Optima 7350 is approximately $230,000. Prices outside North America will vary. Shipments of the system are scheduled to begin in May 2001.

About Teradyne

Teradyne (NYSE:TER) is the world's largest supplier of automatic test equipment and high performance interconnection systems for the electronics, telecommunications and Internet industries. 2000 sales were $3.0 billion and there are currently more than 10,000 Teradyne employees worldwide. Teradyne products are used to test semiconductors, circuit assemblies, telephone lines and broadband networks. Teradyne's backplane assemblies and high-density connectors are used in the communications and computing systems central to the Internet infrastructure. More than 70% of the company's business is driven by Internet growth.

The Assembly Test Division, located in North Reading, Massachusetts and Walnut Creek, Calif., serves circuit-board test customers with comprehensive capabilities in test and inspection. These test instruments and systems are used in commercial environments and in military/aerospace applications where reliability, time-to-market, and in-line process test are key to success. Teradyne's World Wide Web address is www.teradyne.com.

Photos and high-resolution digital images are available upon request.

Optima 7000(TM) Series and CopyExact(TM) are trademarks of Teradyne Inc. Other product names are trademarks of their respective owners.