VT-WIN II automated inspection at Matra Electronique

Omron AOI is not just for the high volume manufacturers, but also suited to low volume production as confirmed in extracts from a recent article on Matra Electronique, France. Matra Electronique (MEL) is an electronics manufacturer of high technology defence systems. In parallel to this activity, MEL manufactures for customers in different areas such as aeronautics, space, medical and oil exploration. “Our mission is the delivery of reliable electronic equipment” says Eric Simler, Technical Manager at Matra Electronique.

Before investing in the Omron VT-WIN II AOI machine, manual inspection took longer than production, and was nor repeatable. In order to reduce the inspection time and the variability of human inspection, Matra Electronique looked for ways to do this inspection automatically, although the biggest challenge was to be convinced that AOI could bring somehing positive to the existing way of working. 

MEL started investigating AOI system in 2002 and quickly orientated their choice to the VT-WIN II from Omron as it was the system which could best fit their process. Competitors' systems were not able to analyse solder joins based on quality criteria at Matra Electronique, so some homan inspection would have remained. Omron with its unique colour highlight technology was the best solution 

In June 2003, MEL decided to purchase Omron AOI. The VT-WIN II was going to change the ways and ideas of many people. The inspection time was reduced and the inspection itself became more reliable and repetitive. Those who did not believe in AOI admitted that the idea of a better inspection system for a better process efficiency was the right one. "The VT-WIN II quickly became an important element of our process" says Benoit Fromentin, process engineer and AOI specialist at Matra Electronique.

After 5 years, over 1,100 programs have been developed for the inspection of production batches as small as 5 PCBs to several hundreds  PCBs. Quality control at MEL is extremely strict and confirmed by Eric Simler who stated that "today this machine [VT-WIN II] is considered as an essential part of our quality system which is very much appreciated by our customers".

From Omron's perspective, the Matra Electronique case is not unique and Omron are currently seeing strong growth in this market sector. Quality control is the deriving force for our customers, enabling them to deliver product to the high standards necessary for mission critical applications.