NPI solutions for electronics

Test engineering solutions for PCB Assembly: accelerated test and inspection

SIMATIC IT Unicam Test Expert

Answers for industry.

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 Simatic IT for the electronics industry
Simatic IT Unicam Test Expert fully automates test engineering associated with new
product introduction processes for PCB Assembly. With more than 1,500 customer sites,
Simatic IT Unicam Test Expert is the most widely used solution of its kind for electronics
manufacturers.

Simatic IT Unicam Test Expert is a fully integrated Project manager

solution that allows electronics manufacturers to Simatic IT Unicam Test Expert divides the project
go from design to test and inspection in a matter of into hierarchically project, product (family) and
minutes or hours rather than days. job (revision). After selecting the purpose of the
project (for example, design for testability, full test
With its fast, user-programmable, nail/probe selection or inspection) and specifying an in-house or custom
routine and complementary interactive tools, library, Simatic IT Unicam Test Expert graphically
Simatic IT Unicam Test Expert offers complete flexibility displays the differences between the revisions of a
and control during fixture design and flying probe product.
selection.
Features
Simatic IT Unicam Test Expert eases access on dense
boards with a global probe offset tool. A nail advisor • Support of CAD from all major platforms, including
evaluates fixture cost. Automatic calibration box nets, vias and test points etc.
generation and interactive definition accelerate
calibration box placement for optical inspection • Program generation for 75 different ATE platforms
applications. including the leading ICT, AOI, Flying Probe and x-ray
machines
Simatic IT Unicam Test Expert reduces cycle times on
variants of the same board by managing attributes • Fully automated design for test offering design and
such as device types, values and tolerances as well as engineering teams upfront accessibility reports on
package and pad sizes/shapes. Simatic IT Unicam Test test coverage limitations
Expert automatically generates recipes for more than
75 ICT, flying probe testers, x-ray and AOI machines. • Automated fixture design including user-definable
rules for probe and nail selection including panelized
Process-oriented flowchart guides the automated boards
process
The flowchart contains all of the steps in the test • Library editor for modifying attributes for individual
inspection process, guiding the user from CAD and electrical devices, physical outlines and parts
BOM input, through probe selection and fixture design, allowing better accuracy on global probe offsets
to program generation. This ensures that the same,
tested procedures will be used repeatedly to reduce • Interactive viewer to cross reference schematic-to-
errors. board layout

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 Variant manager Probe selection/fixture design
Use the same fixture for many variants (or User-programmable profiles contain rules
versions) of one board. For a minor revision for automatic nail/probe selection on in-
of an existing board, Simatic IT Unicam circuit and flying probe testers, making
Test Expert defines the changes needed for it easy for test engineers to select probes
an existing test fixture. When used before and design fixtures for single or panelized
a family of boards is produced, Simatic IT boards in accordance with in-house
Unicam Test Expert automatically generates standards.
a universal fixture design that can be used
to test all product variants within that Some of the rules include:
family. Simatic IT Unicam Test Expert can
also display the differences between the • Priorities (for device classes, individual
variants and specify which attributes are parts, part pins, vias) number of probes
relevant to each variant. per net
• Assignment of a net to a specified tester
channel or bank
Library checker
• Use of test point numbering defined in
Simatic IT Unicam Test Expert streamlines
CAD
data entry by allowing users to check and
correct essential missing part attributes • Forcing of probes onto all or selected pins
listed in the BOM. Defined, optional and of a given device or part such as ASICs or
mandatory part attributes (electrical and PALs
physical units) are color-coded once the • Probing unused pins nail/probe sizes such
machine has been selected, streamlining as 100 mil, 75 mil and 50 mil and shapes
part data entry. like chisel, crown, tulip and spear
• Minimum clearance between probes of
the same and different sizes
Library editor
• Minimum probe to part body clearance
The Library Editor is used to add and modify
attributes for individual or selected electrical • Minimum probe to board edge clearance
devices, physical outlines and parts. For relative priority of different probe sizes
example, access problems can be eliminated (typically the larger the probe, the higher
by using a graphics editor to correct the priority in order to maximize contact
polygonal body limits and to fine-tune the and minimize fixture cost)
global probe offset on SMD lands or stagger • Tester channel limit
them on connectors. Also, complex devices • Wire/multi-point selection
can be split into simple equivalents to avoid
the unnecessary creation of test models.

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 Board accessibility report Nail retro-annotation
Simatic IT Unicam Test Expert’s recovery of the Simatic IT Unicam Test Expert graphically displays
full CAD data allows probes to be selected and the nails on the PCB layout and allows you to annotate
fixture designed before a single bare board has been nails back to the schematic. This is helpful for repair
manufactured. because it allows cross-probing of nails between the
PCB layout and the schematic viewer.
Simatic IT Unicam Test Expert generates a complete,
easy to follow accessibility report that can be fed
back to design if modifications are required. Simatic IT Unicam-View Expert for Test
The report states if no or not enough nail/probe Using the Simatic IT Unicam-View Expert for Test
locations were found on each net and indicates why. software, electronics manufacturing personnel and
customers of electronics manufacturers can view
Examples include: nodes on the net were boards in production. In particular, customers can
inaccessible due to solder mask; there are check that board design data has been correctly
insufficient probe/probe or probe/part body received and processed by the manufacturer before
or probe/board edge clearances; the tester channel boards go into production. Customers can search the
limit has been exceeded. database for parts, nets and nails.

Graphics links and search engines Simatic IT for Electronics

An automatic link between the accessibility report Simatic IT for Electronics is an end-to-end
and the CAD graphics makes it easy to view problem collaborative solution that enables the planning,
nets and decide on corrective action. Search engines design, analysis, optimization and operation of
for parts, nails, nail shapes, nets and pins facilitate manufacturing processes – letting users create
the checking of nail/probe selections. and share manufacturing information across the
enterprise and throughout the supply chain.

Interactive nail/probe editor Siemens solutions help manufacturers implement

When there are special requirements, an interactive effective manufacturing strategies – from sharing
editor can be used to add, move and delete nails/ product and process designs, to joint process
probes. An automatic checking routine can be planning and engineering by teams in distributed
enabled to verify that changes made using the editor locations – helping planners to make decisions
conform to the rules in the current test profile. Any such as where, how and with what resources to
nails/probes that do not conform to the rules are manufacture products.
flagged graphically.
Leading manufacturers around the world are
adopting Siemens solutions to expand revenue
Schematic viewer potential by accelerating product introductions,
Schematic diagrams are recovered in HP-GL/2 format reducing costs, shortening time-to-volume and
for use during repair and diagnostics applications. optimizing production execution.

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 Benefits:

• CAD/BOM recovery up to 60X faster

• Test fixture design and setup 20X faster
• Design for test (DFT) allows upfront debugging of marginal
design errors resulting in better process quality
• Test accessibility reports in minutes from job import
• Re-use of test methodologies for project variants reduces
time and costs associated with fixture design and equipment
programming
• Program mixed test and inspection equipment and technologies
on a single platform
• High flexibility in selecting probe strategies allows results in
more economical test fixtures

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 Get more information
www.siemens.com/mes-simaticit

The information provided in this brochure contains merely

general descriptions or characteristics of performance
Accelonix Ltd
which in case of actual use do not always apply as described
Unit2, McClintock Building or which may change as a result of further development
Granta Park, Great Abington of the products. An obligation to provide the respective
Cambridge, CB23 6GP characteristics shall only exist if expressly agreed in the
Tel: 01223 659 956 terms of contract.
Email: sales@accelonix.co.uk
All product designations may be trademarks or product
names of Siemens AG or supplier companies whose use by
www.siemens.com/mes-simaticit
third parties for their own purposes could violate the rights
of the owners.

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