• Gather Materials
• Engineering
• QC Engineering Audit
• Fixturing
• Debug
• Final QC
• Ship
• Installation
• Support

To start the process, we need the following items at minimum:

CAD and/or Gerber data 

We have translation paths for most major CAD systems. Gerber data is not a substitute for CAD, but we can work with it if CAD is not available. Translation from Gerber is labor intensive and, on complex boards, will add to the job cost and lead-time.

Schematics and Assembly Drawing

Either hard-copy or machine readable in Gerber, DXF, PDF, HPGL, or PostScript. We greatly prefer searchable PDF for schematics. If we don’t get a searchable schematic on a large job, it may increase cost.

Bill Of Materials

A machine readable BOM is preferred. If there are multiple stuffing versions of the board, either the stuffing differences should be noted, or a different BOM for each version should be provided.

FAB drawing

Required if tooling data is not included in CAD data, or if the board is panelized. If panelized, a panel drawing must be supplied that shows board positions and panel tooling locations referenced to a common coordinate system.

Test Specification (if any)

We are happy happy to work with your test specification or we will supply one for you. We keep general specification for both fixture and software on file for each customer so our output is customized to our clients’ requirements.

Sample Board

To exit the engineering phase and get released to fixturing, we must have a physical sample of the board to be tested. A working sample of the board is not necessary until the debug phase. If a true gold card doesn’t exist, we can work from multiple production samples. 

This is the design phase. Here, we take your input data and design the test. We devise the test strategy, translate the data, enter the BOM information, develop new library tests and design the test fixture.

Before we release the design to fixturing, we perform a peer audit. Here, an engineer looks over the job to verify that the job is complete and error free. The purpose of this step is to avoid costly errors and (even more important) delays. We always strive to do it right the first time.

ICT Engineering is not in the fixture business. There are many good fixture vendors out there, and we don’t feel we have anything to add to what they can do. We have working relationships with several vendors, and we will be happy to work with your favorite vendor, or steer you toward a vendor we know will do a great job for you.

During the debug stage, we first check the work of the fixture vendor to make sure the product they shipped meets or exceeds our requirements. At this point, we start working with the tests we designed at the engineering stage on the known good board the customer provides. We always work toward getting maximum coverage with as stable a test as possible. All IPG generated tests are debugged, even those that IPG comments. The tests that will not stabilize are commented and documented. All digital tests are debugged, with real, meaningful vectors against every part.

Every job that we ship goes through a final audit procedure. We check to verify that we completed everything specified in the statement of work. We verify and document test coverage. We perform a 30 pass board grading run on parametric tests, looking for test stability to ensure ease of test portability. All this adds up to making sure we do it right the first time.

We ship UPS ground for free. Other shipment options are available for extra cost, or we can ship on your UPS or FedEx account number.

ICT Engineering offers nearly unlimited phone support on every test we ship. We also have remote support contracts available where we can perform production debug on your tester right from our desks.