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Quality and defect-free printed circuit boards (PCBs) are important for the proper functioning of any electronic device. Although PCB manufacturing is automated to a large extent, some of these boards may have manufacturing defects. If left unattended, these manufacturing defects not only lead to device failure but also product recalls and waste of money and time. To avoid these, PCBs are tested at each phase of manufacturing using different techniques. Functional testing (FCT) is the type of PCB testing conducted in the last stage of manufacturing after visual and AOI inspections are completed. It offers insights on the quality of the PCB and helps identify manufacturing defects such as missing components, shorts, opens, incorrect component placements, and so on. Creative Hi-Tech provides various types of PCB inspection and testing services including PCB functional testing.
Functional testing is performed on assembled PCBs and it proceeds in the following way:
The computer connected to test points is used for functional testing.
It uses software known as firmware, which allows our production experts to perform functional testing comprehensively.
Testing also utilizes instruments such as input/output PCBs, communication ports, and digital multimeters.
The firmware communicates with these external instruments and it works in combination with the fixture that interfaces with the PCB under test.
Generally, this testing is performed according to the test procedures and specifications set by the test engineer.
This testing helps detect functional failures, wrong component values, and failure of other parameters.
PCB functional testing is provided by many other PCB manufacturers; however, we believe the following capabilities have worked in our favor.
All the PCB assembly testing is performed in-house at our well-equipped facility at Schaumberg, Illinois. We use automated testers for detecting dysfunctional components. We use a bed of nails PCB fixtures, test stands, and rack and bench-top instruments at various stages of functional testing. We utilize software such as National Instruments LabVIEW, Microsoft Visual Studio, and so on.
We conduct in-depth functional testing on PCBs to identify defects such as opens, shorts, defective components, thermo-mechanical issues, PCB contamination issues such as metallization, corrosion, degradation, and so on.
Functional testing provided by us helps enrich the quality of the PCBs that have already passed the flying probe testing and ICT testing. The testing simulates or emulates the operational environment of the PCB and assures correct functionality.
As we employ advanced techniques for functional testing, all the errors are rectified before the PCB is shipped outside the facility. This helps reduce product complaints. Also, our customers agree that this has helped them save on time and effort required to test the PCBs.
Attention to detail with a focus on quality is at the core of everything that we do. This has helped us become one of the leading PCB assembly service providers in the US, and we take pride in its customer base featuring some of the leading OEMs across aerospace and satellite, military, wireless, medical, telecommunication, and industrial electronics industries. Creative Hi-Tech also specializes in in-circuit testing, X-ray inspection, and other types of PCB assembly testing services. You can call us at 224-653-4000, or email at sales@creativehitech.com for more information on our PCB assembly testing capabilities. We will get back to you in one business day.