Quality
Quality management, inspection & testing for your PCB and PCBA project. Connect the design requirements, verification methods and release records in one clear plan.
Quality is a plan.
Not one final test.
Start with what the board must meet, then decide how to demonstrate it. Design review, fabrication checks, assembly inspection and electrical testing address different questions.
Use this hub to explore the quality requirements for a GlobalWellPCB project. The management pages help organize the build and its records; the testing pages explain the methods and their limits.
Agree the applicable services, acceptance criteria, inspection coverage, sampling and supplied reports in the quotation. A topic listed here is not a promise that every method is included in every order.
Find the right part
of your quality plan.
Six management topics and nine inspection and test methods. Open a page for its scope, inputs, evidence and practical questions.
Quality Management
Define the build requirements, review checkpoints and evidence for an informed release decision.
- PCB Quality ControlPlan bare-board material checks, fabrication checkpoints, acceptance criteria and lot-linked release records.
- PCBA Quality ControlConnect component and revision control with assembly inspection, electrical testing and release decisions.
- PCB DFM CheckReview fabrication data, copper features, holes, stackup and mask details before manufacturing release.
- PCBA DFA CheckReview BOM-to-footprint compatibility, polarity, placement, spacing and access for assembly and test.
- First Article Inspection (FAI)Define the first-build characteristics, evidence package and approval checkpoint before the next production step.
- Supplier Qualification GuideReview credential types and the evidence needed to verify the relevant entity, site and scope.
Inspection & Testing
Understand what each method can evaluate and what needs a separate check.
- Flying-Probe TestingReview fixtureless electrical testing, access requirements and the coverage agreed for your PCB or PCBA build.
- PCB Electrical TestingReview continuity and isolation requirements for unassembled boards, with netlist and test-record controls.
- Impedance TestingDefine TDR targets, representative coupons, tolerances and the measurement conditions to record.
- Microsection AnalysisExamine selected internal features through controlled section preparation, microscopy and measurement.
- AOI InspectionReview optically accessible component and solder features, program settings and suspect-result verification.
- 3D Solder Paste InspectionEvaluate solder-paste area, height, volume and position after printing and before component placement.
- X-Ray InspectionAssess hidden solder features with a defined imaging method, review scope and acceptance basis.
- In-Circuit Testing (ICT)Check accessible component and interconnect characteristics against a defined electrical test program.
- Functional Testing (FCT)Verify specified operating responses with controlled firmware, power, loads, interfaces and pass/fail limits.
Use the method comparison below to connect a requirement with a verification approach. The approved project specification determines the actual test scope and coverage.
From released files
to a release decision.
A suggested planning framework for your order. It should be agreed with the engineering and quality teams, not treated as a universal factory procedure.
- 01
Align the build baseline
Resolve the fabrication revision, BOM, placement data and drawing notes. Use DFM and DFA findings to identify decisions that need approval before release.
- 02
Agree incoming controls
Identify the approved laminate and components, permitted alternatives and required supplier or lot records. Define handling instructions and the approval route for substitutions.
- 03
Set inspection checkpoints
Assign a method, sample basis, acceptance limit and record to each critical feature. Put any first-article approval or other hold point before the operation it is meant to control.
- 04
Review the release evidence
Match inspection and test records to the supplied lot or units. Resolve open issues, retain approved dispositions and carry authorized changes into repeat-order documentation.
Different tests.
Different evidence.
Choose the characteristic first. Then define the method, measurement conditions and decision rule that can address it.
Scroll the table horizontally to see all columns.
| Need to verify | Method to discuss | Evidence and important boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Bare-board connectivity | PCB Electrical Testing | Continuity and isolation under specified conditions. This is not an impedance measurement or an assembled-product functional test. |
| Transmission-line impedance | Impedance Testing | TDR results for the agreed coupon or accessible structure. A representative coupon does not directly measure every routed net. |
| Selected internal construction | Microsection Analysis | A prepared cross-section can reveal plating and material interfaces. Destructive sampling examines the exposed plane, not every feature in the lot. |
| Visible assembly features | AOI Inspection | Optical inspection of accessible placement and solder features. Shadowing and hidden joints restrict coverage; visual acceptance does not establish electrical function. |
| Printed solder paste | 3D Solder Paste Inspection | Area, height, volume and position before component placement. Paste inspection is not a direct assessment of the finished solder joint. |
| Hidden solder features | X-Ray Inspection | Images of selected joints and internal features using the agreed technique. Visibility and interpretation depend on geometry and imaging conditions. |
| Component and interconnect checks | In-Circuit Testing (ICT) | Electrical measurements at accessible nodes. Coverage depends on the circuit, access and program; it is not automatically complete operational verification. |
| Specified operating responses | Functional Testing (FCT) | Responses to defined power, loads, stimuli and interfaces. A pass applies to the tested states and limits, not to every possible operating condition. |
Trace the result back
to the board.
Request an evidence package matched to your project risk. Agree what is recorded, what is supplied and how long the records are retained.
- Identity
- Part number, design revision, order or lot identifier, and the represented units or panel.
- Method and criteria
- Inspection or test method, program revision, relevant conditions, acceptance limits and the agreed sampling basis.
- Result and coverage
- Measured values or findings, pass/fail status, inspected locations and any exclusions relevant to interpreting the result.
- Disposition and release
- Rework or retest history, approved deviations, unresolved restrictions and the authorized release decision.
When a result does not meet the requirement
Agree a response that contains affected material, investigates the finding, records an authorized disposition and verifies the outcome. Retain the original failure and any subsequent reinspection evidence. A later passing result should not erase the history or silently change the acceptance rule.
Verify the scope.
Not just the certificate.
Product acceptance, process requirements and organizational credentials serve different purposes. IPC-A-600 addresses bare-board acceptance; J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 address soldering requirements and assembly acceptance. Specify the agreed documents and revisions in the order.
For company credentials, request the current supporting document and verify the entity, site and scope relevant to your build. ISO develops standards; external certification bodies issue certificates.
No company certification status is asserted by this overview. Ask for the applicable documents before making a sourcing decision.
Quality FAQs
Clarify the scope, evidence and approval points before production.
What is the difference between PCB and PCBA quality control?
PCB quality control concerns the unassembled board. PCBA quality control adds components, placement, soldering and assembly-level electrical requirements. Their records should connect to the same approved design baseline without treating a bare-board result as proof that an assembled product works.
Does every order include all nine inspection and test methods?
No method should be assumed from this directory alone. Agree the required services, access, program or fixture development, sample quantities, acceptance criteria and supplied records in the quotation. A prototype and a repeat production build may need different verification plans.
Can AOI or X-ray replace ICT and functional testing?
They evaluate different evidence. AOI examines optically accessible features, while X-ray can reveal selected hidden structures. ICT uses electrical measurements; functional testing evaluates specified operating responses. Combine methods according to the risks and test requirements rather than treating one as a universal replacement.
Is a first-article review automatically an AS9102 FAI?
No. State whether you need a project-specific first-build review or a formal first-article inspection package against a named requirement. The IAQG 9102 framework is associated with aerospace FAI; the applicable scope, records and customer approval must be defined rather than inferred from the term “FAI.”
Which certifications apply to my project?
Request current documents for the entity and site that will serve your order, then check them against your purchasing requirements. This overview does not list verified GlobalWellPCB credentials. A training certificate, a company quality-system certificate and a product recognition are not interchangeable evidence.
What should I prepare for a quality-focused quotation?
Provide the fabrication data and revision, quantity and critical features. Add BOM, placement data, drawings and firmware requirements when assembly is involved. Include required standards, sampling, reports, first-article approvals and test specifications. Mark undecided requirements clearly so they can be resolved before release.
Technical references
- [01]Siemens — What is DFM and DFA?
- [02]IPC / Global Electronics Association — Electronics certification programs
- [03]IPC — J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610: complementary roles
- [04]HIOKI — Bare-board flying-probe test methods
- [05]Polar Instruments — Controlled impedance fundamentals, AP120
- [06]Polar Instruments — Impedance test coupons, AP124
- [07]Struers — Metallographic preparation of microelectronics
- [08]Koh Young — 3D automated optical inspection
- [09]Koh Young America — SPI Machine: Buyer’s Checklist
- [10]Nordson — Automated X-ray Inspection Product Portfolio (PDF)
- [11]Teradyne — TestStation Systems: In-Circuit & Functional Production Test Platform (PDF)
- [12]NI — PCB assembly functional-test toolkit
- [13]ISO — ISO 37002 FAQs, general certification questions 5–6 (PDF)
- [14]BSI — BS EN 9102:2024, Aerospace series — First article inspection requirements
Explore the quality references below and tell us which inspection, testing and records your order requires. Your quotation confirms the checks and documentation included.