Manufacturing defects on assembly lines can creep into products at any point
in the production process, necessitating expensive repair and rework,
and giving rise to the dreaded "hidden factory."

Infrared (IR) technology is helping the manufacturer reduce rework
and repair time and recover costly waste.

One obstacle in transforming defects in quality into shippable products lies in the failure analysis and disposition process itself. While the IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries has done an excellent job in developing rework and repair methods together with workmanship standards
(IPC-7711/21 and IPC-610A), the critical steps of diagnosing the problem remain unresolved.

Troubleshooting printed circuit board assemblies (PCBA) is not the easiest part of manufacturing. All too often, it becomes prohibitively complex and time consuming, resulting in large, costly scrappage and return material authorization (RMA) inventories. Inadequate or excessively lengthy troubleshooting procedures can prove very costly. This is particularly true when accounting for the cost of dissatisfied customers who are experiencing significant field returns.