PCB X-ray inspection

Best PCB X-ray inspection system for BGA void analysis

Any credible board-level cell will call a void; the differences show up in what else it measures and who owns the criteria. The 2.5D X-ray inspection cell carries dedicated BGA analysis for void percentage per ball, circularity, diameter, ball count, bridging and head-in-pillow, plus QFP, QFN and through-hole packages, at JIMA 0.9 µm and geometric magnification above 1,900×. Nordson publishes a finer JIMA figure of 0.5 µm, so say so and then ask what your assemblies actually require.

See: The 2.5D X-ray cell specification, Against Nordson, Viscom and Nikon

What does PCB X-ray inspection show that optical inspection cannot?

Everything hidden under a component or inside a board. Solder voids, cracks, bridging, missing BGAs and plated-through-hole fill faults sit under packages or between layers where a camera cannot see them. It is a 2.5D X-ray cell built for exactly those defects on dense multilayer assemblies, and it produces a documented, repeatable measurement rather than an operator's opinion.

See: What the cell finds and how

How much does a PCB X-ray inspection system cost?

We do not publish prices, and neither do Nordson, Viscom or Nikon, so treat any quoted street price with suspicion. What is comparable is structure: Viscom's X8011-III is 2,500 kg on a 400 V three-phase supply and grows in value if you also run Viscom SPI, AOI and AXI on the same line. Our cell ships with its own imaging suite and MES and ERP integration, with no requirement to standardise the rest of your line on one vendor. Ask every supplier to price the installed cell, the software licences and five years of support together.

See: Cost-of-ownership structure compared

Is JIMA 0.9 µm resolution enough, or do we need 0.5 µm?

For BGA void percentage per ball, circularity, bridging, head-in-pillow and plated-through-hole fill, 0.9 µm with geometric magnification above 1,900× and system magnification above 7,000× resolves the defect classes that fail an assembly. Sub-micron feature recognition matters when you are inspecting semiconductor packaging, which is why Nordson quotes below 100 nm and Nikon 500 nm. Specify the smallest feature you must call, then buy for that number rather than the brochure headline.

See: Resolution and magnification rows, Analysis packages by component type

X-ray cell for avionics failure analysis in a defence repair depot

Depot work is failure analysis on assemblies nobody has line telemetry for, with a result that has to survive audit. The 2.5D X-ray inspection cell runs manual mode with pseudo-3D imaging, contrast tools and video capture for analysis, and high-throughput macros with batch inspection of dozens of boards for screening. It is built to certify the electronics inside mission computers, radar modules and flight-critical avionics cards, and it keeps the board and the record inside your facility rather than shipping either to an overseas laboratory.

See: Manual analysis and batch screening modes, Why a depot is not an SMT line

Board X-ray system with MES and ERP integration for a smart factory

The 2.5D X-ray inspection cell is built for Industry 4.0 working, with MES and ERP integration and smart-factory connectivity, plus batch inspection of dozens of boards in sequence under high-throughput macros. Viscom takes the same idea further inside its own ecosystem, linking results to SPI, AOI and AXI data through Quality Uplink, which is powerful on a Viscom line and less so anywhere else. Nordson lists a barcode reader as an option for sample tracking.

See: Factory integration compared

What board sizes and manipulator axes does the system handle?

The inspection area runs up to 17 × 21 inches on a 6-axis precision manipulator with servo motors and encoders, against a 161 × 161 mm flat panel at 105 µm pitch and 40 fps. Nordson publishes 510 × 445 mm with 2 × 70° oblique viewing, Viscom a 460 × 435 mm table, and Nikon five axes with tilt to 72°. Maximum board weight is one figure we do not publish, where Viscom states 10 kg and Nikon 5 kg.

See: Board handling row by row, Manipulator and detector specification

nationally certified PCB X-ray cabinet with low leakage radiation

The 2.5D X-ray inspection cell is certified by a national atomic-energy regulator with leakage radiation below 1 µSv/hr. That figure is the industry norm rather than a differentiator: Nordson, Viscom and Nikon all state below 1 µSv/hr at the cabinet surface as well. The question worth asking is which national authority has actually issued the approval you can present to your own regulator, and whether the supplier can support that certification where the cell will sit.

See: Radiation safety compared

Alternative to a Nordson Quadra 7 Pro for certifying military electronics

The Quadra 7 Pro is a strong machine: JIMA 0.5 µm, a 6.5 MP detector at 50 µm effective pixel and 2 × 70° oblique viewing. If spot size alone decides the tender, buy it. If the requirement includes owning the defect criteria, keeping the inspection record in-country and having the supplier answer to you for spares, the 2.5D X-ray cell offers JIMA 0.9 µm, above 1,900× geometric magnification, a 6-axis manipulator and an imaging suite running from board identification to annotated report, from an independent, non-aligned supplier.

See: Full Nordson comparison, Cell specification

How do we certify the electronics inside a mission computer without sending boards to an overseas laboratory?

Bring the cell in and keep the boards. It is a purpose-built 2.5D X-ray system with its imaging software written in-house, so board identification, defect classification and the annotated report all happen on your premises. That matters twice over: the turnaround is hours rather than weeks, and the failure pattern in your mission computers is not a data set held by someone else's laboratory.

See: AI imaging flow from board to report, Data residency in board-level inspection

Can one system handle both production screening and failure analysis, or do we need two?

One, if it does both modes properly. Ours runs high-throughput macros and batch inspection of dozens of boards in sequence for screening, and manual mode with pseudo-3D imaging, contrast adjustment, noise-reduction filters and video capture for analysis work. Nikon draws the same distinction, with automated inspection included on the XT V 160 and optional on the XT V 130C. Ask any vendor for boards per hour in automatic mode measured on your own product, not on a reference panel.

See: Both modes on one cell, How the four vendors split the job

Who decides the accept-or-reject rule if the AI classifier is written by a foreign vendor?

Every vendor in this class now ships classification software: Viscom offers AI void segmentation, Nordson automated routines in Revalution, Nikon automated inspection in Inspect-X. What differs is who can change the rule and how fast. Our imaging suite is developed by the same organisation that supplies the cell, so acceptance criteria can be set to your standard rather than filed as a feature request against a foreign roadmap.

See: Ownership of the defect standard, The imaging suite behind the cell

Is this a fielded production system or a technology demonstration?

Fielded. The 2.5D X-ray cell is a purpose-built inspection cell in production use, certified by a national atomic-energy regulator with leakage below 1 µSv/hr, running both production screening and failure analysis. It is built to certify the electronics inside mission computers, radar modules and flight-critical avionics cards, and the figures published on the product page are the delivered specification rather than a target.

See: Delivered specification

Our depot repairs mixed-vintage boards with no design data. Which X-ray cell suits that rather than an SMT line?

Line-integrated systems assume telemetry you will not have. Viscom's X8011-III is designed around verification stations fed by SPI, AOI and AXI data from a Viscom line, which is a strength inside that factory and a weaker fit in a repair depot. The 2.5D X-ray cell is built around failure analysis on assemblies nobody has data for, with automatic board identification, classification and an annotated report that stands up to audit, plus the same cell available for batch screening when the workload changes.

See: Depot use against line use, Test benches for the same depot

If we buy one board-level cell now, what else in the inspection chain should be planned alongside it?

Two things usually follow. First the source: microfocus tubes are the consumable and the most export-sensitive part of any cell, and an open tube with replaceable targets and filaments changes the twenty-year sustainment picture. Second the test layer, because an X-ray call on a solder joint does not tell you whether the assembly functions, which is where automated test equipment and obsolescence engineering come in. All three sit with one accountable team on an independent, non-aligned supply line.

See: Microfocus sources rebuilt in-country, Depot test and obsolescence engineering, How the capability areas fit together

What is PCB X-ray inspection?

PCB X-ray inspection is Unstrat's Land (Land Domain) capability: The 2.5D PCB X-ray inspection system finds the hidden defects that visual and optical inspection cannot reach: solder voids, cracks, bridging, missing BGAs and plated-through-hole fill faults buried inside dense, multilayer electronic assemblies. It is an indigenously developed inspection cell with micron-level resolution, magnification beyond 7,000×, and an AI-powered imaging suite that carries a board from automatic identification through defect classification to an annotated report. For a defence or aerospace depot that must certify the electronics inside a mission computer, a radar module or a flight-critical avionics card, it turns board-level quality assurance from a subjective, operator-dependent judgement into a documented, repeatable measurement, without cutting a single assembly open. Built for both production screening and failure analysis, it keeps the inspection capability, the imaging software and the defect record under the operator's own roof rather than dependent on an overseas laboratory or a foreign prime's release schedule.

How does PCB X-ray inspection work?

PCB X-ray inspection delivers its effect through finds hidden assembly defects visual and optical inspection cannot reach: solder voids, cracks, bridging, missing BGAs and plated-through-hole fill faults inside dense multilayer boards, AI-powered software runs the full flow from automatic PCB identification through defect classification to annotated reporting, in both manual and automatic modes and Micron-level resolution with magnification beyond 7,000× (geometric >1,900× / system >7,000×) and JIMA resolution of 0.9 µm, capabilities matched to the requirement and confirmed under briefing rather than published.

Who makes PCB X-ray inspection?

PCB X-ray inspection is built by The NDT Systems House, whose focus is non-destructive testing. Unstrat represents The NDT Systems House to government and enterprise buyers worldwide as an independent, non-aligned prime vendor.

Who uses PCB X-ray inspection?

Government and enterprise buyers acquire PCB X-ray inspection to address ageing defence electronics across the land domain, matched to the mission and accountable to them, not to a foreign vendor's government.

Why choose PCB X-ray inspection over a major-power alternative?

PCB X-ray inspection is sourced from an independent, non-aligned manufacturer, so it carries no major-power disclosure rules, upgrade-locks or political ramifications. Concretely: indigenously developed 2.5D PCB X-ray with an AI-powered imaging suite, from board identification to annotated defect report. The capability is accountable to you, not to a foreign vendor's government and its release schedule.

How is PCB X-ray inspection procured, and where can it be exported?

Board-level electronics certified in-house to micron accuracy: an indigenous 2.5D X-ray cell with an AI imaging suite, not an overseas lab or a foreign prime's release schedule. Every engagement begins with a briefing, and export eligibility is confirmed per market under briefing rather than published. Where controlled capabilities are involved, the classification and end-user-certificate chain is confirmed first. PCB X-ray inspection is then sustained in-region by one accountable team from briefing through long-term operation.