Complex LowVolumeElectronics Simulation TooltoImprove Yield andReliability

Assembly ofPrinted Circuit Boards (PCB)inlowvolumes andahigh-mix requires alevel ofmanual intervention during product manufacture, whichleads topoorfirst timeyield and increased production costs. Failures atthecomponent-level andfailures thatstemfromnon-component causes(i.e. system-level), suchasdefects indesign andmanufacturing, canaccount forthis pooryield. Thesefactors havenotbeen incorporated inprediction models duetothefact that systemfailure causesare not drivenby well-characterised deterministic processes. A simulation andanalysis support toolbeing developed that isbasedonasuite ofinteracting modular components withwelldefined functionalities and interfaces ispresented inthis paper. TheCLOVES(Complex Low VolumeElectronics Simulation) toolenables the characterisation anddynamic simulation ofcomplete design; manufacturing andbusiness processes (throughout theentire product life cycle) intermsoftheir propensity tocreate defects that could causeproduct failure. Details ofthis system andhowitisbeingdeveloped tofulfill changing business needsispresented inthis paper. Usinghistorical dataand knowledge ofprevious printed circuit assemblies (PCA) design specifications andmanufacturing experiences, defect andyield results canbeeffectively stored andre-applied for future problem solving. Forexample, pastPCA design specifications canbeusedatdesign stage toamenddesigns or define process options tooptimise theproduct yield and service reliability.