Agilent Technologies Doubles Throughput with New 5DX Series 3 X-ray Inspection System
The new Agilent 5DX Series 3 is designed to meet the high-speed manufacturing rates required for high-volume, high-technology consumer products such as cellular phones and notebook computers.
"Consumers are snapping up communications and other electronics devices at a rapid clip, so manufacturers are under tremendous pressure to reduce time-to-market and time-to-volume while ensuring product reliability," says Kamran Firooz, general manager of Agilent's Manufacturing Test Division. "The new 5DX, which doubles the throughput of the fastest automated x-ray system currently on the market, clearly is the right test to address these needs and more."
The improvements in throughput realized with the Series 3 are due to a combination of significant technology enhancements. These include enhanced image acquisition and analysis, improved board handling, dynamic motion-damping software, and faster stage speeds. Plus, for smaller boards, a dual-panel loading capability has been added to maximize throughput.
Leading manufacturers have identified surface mount connectors as a primary source of difficult-to-identify solder faults. In order to meet this need, new, easy-to-use algorithms for testing surface mount connectors are being released with the Series 3. These algorithms increase test coverage while reducing the learning curve for programmers.
The Agilent 5DX Series 3 automated x-ray inspection system is expected to ship June 2000. The 5DX Series 3 Model 5100 is priced at $364,000.
Edited by Jim Lardear