US-Turkey Cooperative Research: Computer-Aided Knowledge-Based Process Planning for Surface Mount Rework

Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville TN

Investigators

Abstract

0215760 Fidan Description: This award is for support of a cooperative project by Professor Ismail Fidan, Department of Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering at Tennessee Technical University, Cookeville, Tennessee and Dr. Serdar Tumkor, Mechanical Engineering Department at Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey. They plan to develop an interactive knowledge based expert interface system of circuit board defects. The trend to high pin-count high-density packaging in surface mount assembly has highlighted inherent difficulties in the assembly line of these very fine pitch devices. A variety of defects is still common in printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) technology requiring rework. Increasing product complexity, decreasing component size, and using double sided boards have made rework more difficult and the economic reworking of PCBAs is one of the main problems facing PCB manufacturers. PCBA manufacturing has been relatively improved with fully automated, accurate assembly machines and the use of robots but it has been shown that the outcomes of the automated rework line have not produced a high enough level of the reliable yield percentage. The objective of this award is to make a contribution towards this surface mount rework. With the development of this knowledge-based system, the rework will be removed from the PCBA line, and PCBA process parameters, which cause joint level reliability problems, will be managed online with the help of the developed system. Scope: The expert interface system for electronic boards that the investigators plan to develop may be a cost-effective solution for detecting and correcting flaws in electronics manufacturers. The potential contributions into "computer-aided process planning for surface mount rework" may be a significant addition to the electronics manufacturing field by minimizing the number of the defects and waste of the electronics printed wiring boards. The developed system and its implementations may also be used in the senior and graduate level courses in industrial automation and in computer integrated manufacturing graduate courses. Funds for this project are provided by the Office of International Science and Engineering and the Division of Design, Manufacturing, and Industrial Innovation.