Book Reviews

At this point in time there is no other reference source as practical, useful and easy to use as this guide. David’s concept in producing this book was to be non-commercial, heavily image based and a standard that does not really exist in the industry. I have to say that David has succeeded in producing a great reference not only in the content but also in the quality, look and feel of the pages.

This booklet provides x-ray images that can be used as a teaching aid and reference guide for engineers and production staff undertaking x-ray inspection of printed circuit boards (PCBs). The booklet is produced in an A5 format to make it easy to use on the shop floor, it’s nearly a pocket book for your overall.

Each of the common terminations is covered along with standard optical images as a reference to joints that may not be familiar to all members. Inspection criteria is provides for BGA, CCBGA, LGA, PIHR, CCGA, CLCC, Flip Chip, J & Gull wing, basically everything you need. The aim is to indicate acceptable and unacceptable solder joints and the examples shown are typical of the joints produced during today’s printed circuit board assembly process. We also provide examples of some common process defects that may be encountered during routine inspection.

Before presenting the images, in order to provide a better understanding of x-ray inspection and x-ray system operation, there is a simple overview of x-ray theory together with some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on inspection. Tips are provided to get the best images you’re system can provide. This is followed by a list of technical papers on x-ray, systems and their application in printed circuit board assembly.

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