From ping-pong to perfection

Enhancing the art of inspection programming with Escape Tracker

It’s sometimes called the ping-pong effect: the back-and-forth task of adjusting 3D inspection models to eliminate false calls without increasing the risk of escapes. Thanks to a new automated programming assistant, all this work can now be put to better use. Every time you certify a real defect or false call, it remembers, constantly updating your inspection library based on real production data. The result is an inspection process that automatically moves closer to perfection every time it’s in use, saving programmers time, effort – and their most valuable resource of all – concentration.

19 JAN. 2023

00:00

NYHET

PCB ASSEMBLY

Automated perfection instead of the ping-pong effect

How Escape Tracker transforms the fine‑tuning of 3D inspection models

The so‑called ping‑pong effect describes the constant back‑and‑forth when adjusting 3D inspection models: tighten tolerances and pseudo‑defects increase; loosen them and new outliers appear. Every modification can introduce new side effects — a frustrating and time‑consuming process for programmers.

With the automated programming assistant Escape Tracker, this effort becomes productive. Each time a real defect or pseudo‑defect is certified, the system remembers it and continuously updates the entire inspection library based on real production data. The result is an inspection process that automatically moves closer to perfection with every use, saving programmers time, effort, and focus.

During fine‑tuning, Escape Tracker performs continuous background validation: evaluation images are captured automatically, modified parameters are checked against certified inspection data, and the library’s baseline is updated hundreds of times per second. What began as an ideal inspection model is gradually aligned with the reality of previously manufactured and inspected components.

A more comprehensive quality check

The Mycronic Escape Tracker represents the latest evolution of Mycronic’s industry-leading Library Pro: a powerful inspection library that stores and optimizes a unified database of every inspected product. The major advance with Escape Tracker is its ability to continuously perform non-regression control of the central library’s performance. This gives the software a comprehensive overview of previous production, making it possible to cross-check program settings across products, rather than solely against the current production batch as is common practice today.

Step 1: Once the program has been created, Escape Tracker checks that the latest adjustments made to each inspection model for each type of component will still detect the previously known true defects and will not generate any false calls. In this example, it appears that one true defect is potentially undetected, and five false calls may appear during production.

Step 2: Based on the information provided by Escape Tracker, the programmer makes the necessary corrections to the inspection model of the related component. Often it is a matter of adjusting tolerances.

Step 3: Once the corrections are made, Escape Tracker performs a new efficiency check of the inspection model against known real defects and potential false calls. In this example, the green check marks indicate that all potential issues have been fixed for that component family.

Beyond the golden board

This ability to cross-check a program for a particular component against all historical inspection data marks a significant advance in 3D inspection. In the past, a so-called “golden board” – an ideal finished board – might be used to check the system’s inspection settings. The only problem, of course, is that in the real world of product variations, changing component and PCB suppliers and physical limitations, the ideal mounted component never existed.

No silver bullet

To accommodate for production drift and other changes, many industries solved this problem with a “silver board”, a board with known defects used to periodically re-calibrate inspection settings. Over time, however, even these boards tend to gather dust, oxidation and increasing wear to grow less and less accurate with every use.

A new era of self-regulated inspection

Escape Tracker, together with the advanced software guidance of the MYWizard user interface, makes it possible to move 3D inspection beyond these limitations. By bringing the art of a programmers’ judgement together with the objective reality of every mounted and inspected component, the system automatically adapts to the natural variations of changing production conditions. Making inspection models more robust, programming more efficient and end products closer to perfection, every minute of every day.

Some examples of real defects stored in the system used by Escape Tracker to control the efficiency of a new program:

Frequently asked questions about Mycronic Escape Tracker

What problem does Escape Tracker solve?

Escape Tracker addresses the constant back‑and‑forth of adjusting 3D inspection tolerances to avoid pseudo defects without increasing the risk of escapes. It turns this traditionally frustrating fine‑tuning process into a productive, automated improvement cycle.

How does Escape Tracker improve inspection models over time?

The system continuously updates the inspection library based on certified real production data. Every time a true defect or pseudo defect is certified, Escape Tracker stores that information and adjusts the model accordingly, allowing the inspection process to move closer to perfection with each use.

Does Escape Tracker require additional programming steps?

No. Escape Tracker improves inspection models over time without requiring extra programming work. It performs background validation automatically during normal fine‑tuning.

What happens in the background while the programmer works?

Escape Tracker automatically captures evaluation images, checks modified parameters against certified inspection data, and updates the baseline of the entire inspection library hundreds of times per second. Every programming action becomes part of a continuous improvement loop.

How does Escape Tracker reduce pseudo defects and escapes?

By learning from every certified defect and pseudo defect, the system continuously adjusts the model to reflect real production conditions. This reduces the need for manual tolerance tweaking and helps minimize both false positives and missed defects.

What benefits does Escape Tracker offer to programmers?

Escape Tracker saves time, effort, and cognitive load by automating the most repetitive and error‑prone parts of inspection model tuning. Programmers no longer need to manually balance between pseudo defects and escapes.

How often does the system update the inspection library?

Escape Tracker updates the inspection library hundreds of times per second, ensuring that the model is always aligned with the latest certified production data.

What is the long‑term effect of using Escape Tracker?

Over time, the inspection model evolves from an idealized starting point into an accurate representation of real, previously manufactured and inspected components — automatically and continuously.

Discover more about Escape Tracker with MYPro 150X AOI