A highlight of version 6.7 of Pilot AOI is the ability to create and optimise test programmes with a digital twin. It is not even necessary to have a real assembled board available. The project was made possible by the cooperation with Siemens Digital Industry Software and the use of the Valor Data Prep Express tool for importing CAD and manufacturing data. The full support of this format in Pilot AOI in conjunction with the so-called Magicclick function makes it possible to obtain additional information on the respective components of the assembly. This data on the actual component geometry, including heights, as well as information on the individual pin and solder joint position, allows AOI inspection programmes to be automatically created and optimised even without a real assembled PCB.

Digital twin by means of ODB++ from Siemens

This function of the AOI software is a big step towards automatically created and ready-to-use test programmes using the digital twin of an electronic assembly. The creation of the digital twin for AOI programme generation is based on Siemens' ODB++ process language. ODB++ Process is a solution for the open exchange of process engineering information between machines and processes. It contains all the essential elements from the layout data, including detailed definitions of the components as well as advanced descriptions of the production requirements, for example alternative designs, screen printing data, machine support pins or specifications for the placement sequence.

80 per cent time saving with digital twin

Oren Manor, Director of Electronics Manufacturing Business Development at Siemens Digital Industries Software, says: "Working with Göpel Electronic has been very rewarding and the results are really impressive. Defining parameters in an AOI programme is accelerated by about 80 per cent by using the digital twin method."