Read how Corelis JTAG tools helped Decrease Test Development Time and Increase Test Coverage.

Corelis ScanExpress Tools Decrease Test Development Time and Increase Test Coverage for Saia-Burgess

Saia-Burgess Controls AG Ltd, located in Murten/Switzerland, has developed, manufactured, and marketed electronic components and systems for the control and automation industries for more than 30 years. They supply more than 40,000 units each year to customers in the infrastructure automation business. Saia-Burgess products are regarded for their reliability and are commonly deployed in critical infrastructure sites such as water and energy facilities.

Quality and functionality are paramount to Saia-Burgess. “Each unit we ship undergoes a rigorous, thorough quality assurance process using custom-designed structural and functional test procedures,” says Mr. Jaime Comesana, manager of quality assurance and test tools at Saia-Burgess. Such rich functionality comes at a price according to Comesana: “Our products have increased in complexity over the years and each time we add functionality, we also increase printed circuit board density.”

In-Circuit Test (ICT) test systems began to prove insufficient for Saia’s stringent quality standards, driven by a move to ball-grid-array (BGA) devices that are inaccessible to bed-of-nails testers. An alternate approach to testing was necessary.

Boundary-scan, a non-intrusive digital test technology, proved an ideal fit for Saia’s increased testing requirements. Saia-Burgess quickly found advantages and benefits to complementing existing test procedures with Corelis tools, including:

• BGA devices inaccessible to ICTs could easily be tested with boundary-scan.
• Device identification could be verified by boundary-scan, identifying falsely populated components.
• Test programs could be generated and updated quickly-generally in a few days time. This greatly reduced time to market and non-recurring engineering (NRE) costs.

Corelis ScanExpress software products, including the ScanExpress TPG test development system and ScanExpress Runner test executive, were fully integrated into Saia-Burgess test procedures. Interfacing with Corelis’ workhorse USB-1149.1/1E JTAG controller, each unit under test (UUT) could be quickly tested for basic functionality, shorts, and open solder joints with minimal impact on existing processes.

“Our products have increased in complexity over the years and each time we add functionality, we also increase printed circuit board density.”

“We are very pleased with the ease of use provided by Corelis ScanExpress tools.”

“Our Corelis Europe representatives painlessly helped us get online by providing swift answers and immediate solutions.”