10% Increase in ADAS PCBA Testing Throughput

Organization

• Leading automotive PCBA contract manufacturer

Challenges

• Meeting higher test standard

• Reducing labor-intensive tasks

• Improving process efficiency

Solutions

• Keysight E9986E i3070 4-module inline in-circuit system

• PathWave manufacturing analytics

Results

• 20% labor-intensive task reduction

• 10% throughput improvement

• Process improvement

The Impact of Autonomous Driving on the Automotive Electronics Manufacturing Industry

Since the gradual introduction of autonomous driving in CAVs (connected and automated vehicles), there has been a high demand in the automotive industry for electronic products used in modern vehicles. Advanced technology such as ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems) was the heart of autonomous driving. It possesses all of the capabilities of a modern computer, including a high processing speed and a large amount of memory, which enables the system to process multiple data streams precisely and reliably. From lane departure warning to forward collision avoidance systems, the growing complexity of the ADAS ECU has also significantly raised the bar for automotive electronic test requirements.

The reliability of the mission-critical components in a vehicle is the utmost priority for the automotive maker; failure in any of these components could result in injuries or fatalities to end-users.

The Challenge: Meeting Higher Test Standard and Improving Process Efficiency

As ADAS technology continues to evolve, it presents a challenge with increasingly complex ADAS ECU circuitries that require a more sophisticated testing methodology. The automotive PCBA contract manufacturer desired a comprehensive solution that could enable them to effectively and efficiently address the challenges of testing today's ADAS boards. Furthermore, they desired to decrease the number of labor-intensive tasks at their test station, which accounted for 30% of their workforce. 

The number of nodes in an automobile's electronics such as ECU generally falls around 1000 or more; therefore, testing with smaller configurations test systems that support lower node counts was effective in meeting these requirements. The number of nodes in electronic devices increases as we integrate more electronics and complex features into the vehicle. A board such as a modern-day ADAS ECU typically has more than 2500 nodes, and this has prompted the need for the manufacturer to upgrade their existing tester to meet the higher test standards of this line of product. 

Also, on their list of priorities was finding ways to reduce the labor-intensive tasks. Certain manual and repetitive tasks, such as manually loading and unloading the DUTs (device under test), have consumed significant time and resources. The manufacturer desired to maximize the utilization of their existing workforce by allocating it to higher-value tasks. 

Apart from scaling and upgrading their existing test system, the manufacturer was also looking for a way to analyze the data that had previously been collected from the system for traceability and archival purposes. They were hoping to turn this data into valuable insights, which they could then use to drive process improvement and increase the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).