|
 

Pocket
Guide to Excellent V-Scoring
FAQ
(8)
Process
Inspection
Practical
and Effective V-Score Process Inspection
Since v-scoring occurs
virtually at the end of the bare board manufacturing process, after most
of the cost and value have been added to it, In-Process Inspection of
v-scoring is critical to the success of the V-Scored Product, Board
Manufacturer and the Assembler/User.
Outlined below are 3 very simple steps (with a 4th suggestion to
examine all of the information outlined in our FAQ’s) that should be
taken to effectively eliminate the most common problems encountered in the
production of v-scored boards. Use
them as a guide in developing your own inspection process.
-
INSPECTION
OF THE PRESENCE OF A V-SCORE LINE - For
whatever reason, sometimes v-scored lines turn up missing on the
panel. This, of course, is a catastrophe if not caught before the
assembly process. A simple way to check for such missed lines is to
place a 'dog bone' type test circuit at each end of the score line as shown
below. During electrical test, the circuit will be checked. It
should be "Open" to signify the presence of the v-score
line. This is a simple and basic, fool-proof way to eliminate the
damage that can occur as a result of a missing v-score line.
- INSPECTION
OF THE PLACEMENT ACCURACY OF A V-SCORE LINE - Placement
accuracy in the X & Y Axes is very easily monitored by placing a
pattern of a set of two square pads approximately 0.040” apart from
each other so that the score line will pass directly through the center
of the space between them as shown below.
This is similar to the dog-bone technique above, actually, both
of these techniques can be combined with a combination bog-bone/square
pattern as shown. The key here is to be able to use a simple eye-loupe (either
with or without a reticle) to quickly and accurately quantify the
accuracy of each v-score line to each individual board in the pattern. During the manufacturing process, the cycling of the panel
through heat and humidity cycles will almost always yield a panel that,
at V-Score, will have (most usually) shrunk.
As a result, the v-score lines tend to deviate from the expected
position (based on the image) in a linear and progressive fashion in
relationship to their distance from the tooling holes used to tool the
panel to the V-Score Machine. Again,
this technique will help you identify very quickly and accurately, the
changes that must be made to the setup, ensuring quality and adherence
to the customer specification. Note: this technique and the one outlined in #1 above, can be combined
by placing a buss- bar between these two square pads, effectively
creating one pattern for both test purposes.
- INSPECTION
OF THE WEB THICKNESS OF A V-SCORE LINE - The web thickness of a v-score line is extremely
important to the overall producability and usability of the PCB.
If the web is too thick, it will be too hard to snap (frequently
causing component damage). If
the web is too thin, it may be too flimsy for the assembly process.
As a result, close and frequent inspection of the web is a must.
AccuSystems Corporation offers a variety of web checking devices
that can help to very quickly and accurately inspect the web thickness
by using a direct, non-destructive technique with digital readout
accuracy.
|
|
Link
to 3100-VSC Link
to 3112-VSC Link
to 3100-VSD. |
The
gauges are used as shown below to get a sampling of the web thickness on
a panel. It is best to take
at least three readings on a panel in different locations, so as to
generate a good approximation of the average web thickness, and it’s
rough standard deviation. Although
no global standards have been set yet, an average web thickness falling
in the range of the target dimension +/- 0.002” is acceptable.
The standard deviation should be no more than 0.00075”.
|
 |
- FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING TARGET WEB
THICKNESS' AND OTHER V-SCORING FAQ'S -- CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR
ADDITIONAL FAQ'S
|