Manual or fully automatic: which should I choose?
Advantages of each type
IC programmers come in manual and fully automatic types. Here we explain the differences and the advantages of each.
1. Manual programmers — single-site and multi-site. Single-site manual programmers are valued for the range of ICs they cover: the more packages and part numbers supported, the better. The key points when choosing are the supplier's reputation and long-term commitment. They are mainly used by engineers developing new products, and can be extended to multi-site manual programmers for volume production. Such products now support more than 70,000 IC types and the number keeps growing. They target R&D departments and small production lines; their main advantages are low price and easy operation.
2. Fully automatic IC programmers can handle the way customers receive their ICs and offer tube or tape in/out options, so one machine covers several cases. Because they are production equipment, the key question when choosing is whether the supplier has the software and hardware capability to find and fix problems quickly — avoiding production-line downtime.
Programmable ICs are becoming more widespread, which is changing the IC programming landscape dramatically. China is becoming the world's factory — a huge battleground where high-volume programming of Flash and MCU chips is the decisive point.
Manual and fully automatic IC programmers each have their strengths. Choose according to your own production situation; if you need technical support on programmers, contact MaxWiz.
Drawbacks of manual programmers
The chip programming step is an important part of quality control and the step most likely to affect efficiency. Programmers are either manual or fully automatic; manual programmers have specific drawbacks when programming. Here they are.
1. Programming errors are easy to make. Manual programming is repetitive work. Fatigued operators are easily distracted by their surroundings, and a chip is often removed from the programmer before programming has finished — leaving it incompletely programmed. If the later functional test does not catch it, an entire batch can be affected.
2. Programmed and unprogrammed chips get mixed up. Operator error easily mixes programmed and unprogrammed chips; once mixed and labelled as programmed they move on to SMT, and the problem only surfaces at the FCT stage — by then the cost is significant.
3. Efficiency is inconsistent. Manual programming is heavily influenced by human factors, so throughput varies. Labour cost also rises with wages, and new staff take time to become productive.
Manual programmers do have these problems, but they cost far less than fully automatic machines. Choose according to your factory's order volume.
Success rate of automated machines
Replacing people with machines is the general trend, but companies rightly ask about the quality and success rate of automated programming machines. Here MaxWiz introduces the programming quality and success rate of automated machines.
A machine with high quality and a high success rate is always welcome. Automated programming machines benefit from extensive technical support during development and manufacturing, so their functions and intelligence are strong — and the programming success rate is correspondingly very high, approaching 100%. Buyers who care about that figure should consider the MaxWiz WIP1000 automated programming machine.
We hope this gives you a better understanding of automated programming quality and success rates. Choose the equipment that fits your own requirements — every brand differs in both features and price. Contact MaxWiz if you would like to know more.