Altus Group, a leading distributor of capital equipment for the electronics manufacturing industry in the UK and Ireland, has helped electronic design and manufacturing services provider Norcott Technologies gain greater insight into solder paste deposition at the earliest stage of surface-mount technology (SMT) production.
Norcott invested in a KY8030-2 True 3D solder paste inspection system from Koh Young, a global leader in 3D measurement and inspection technology. Now operating at Norcott’s Cheshire facility, the system is already providing measurement data to help engineers refine stencil designs and optimise printer programs.
Detecting variations before component placement
Norcott identified solder paste inspection as a priority investment in 2025. Building on its established printing process, the company wanted to improve its ability to detect variations in solder paste deposits before boards progressed to component placement, supporting higher first-pass yields and reducing downstream rework.
The project coincided with Productronica in Munich, where Norcott assessed the available technologies and gained hands-on experience with potential solutions. An initial Koh Young demonstration at the exhibition was followed by detailed scoping, sample validation and practical demonstrations with Altus in the UK.
Using 3D measurements to improve print control
The KY8030-2 measures the height, area and volume of individual solder paste deposits, providing quantitative data alongside visual inspection. Its dual-projection moiré technology creates a three-dimensional representation of the deposits and helps address shadows and reflections that can affect inspection accuracy.
The system also uses active warp compensation to detect and account for variations in the PCB substrate, helping maintain measurement accuracy across the board. In addition to pass-or-fail results, the data helps engineers monitor and improve the printing process.
Pete Lomas, managing director of Norcott Technologies, said: “We are very happy with how our solder paste inspection process improvement has progressed. Koh Young technology has an excellent reputation, and the performance of the system is extremely high.
“The Altus team has been on hand throughout to make the implementation as straightforward as possible, and our previous experience with the technology has enabled us to put the equipment to work very quickly.
“Accurate solder paste deposition is fundamental to the performance of an SMT line. It gives us confidence to know that every inspected board has the best possible foundation before moving to the next stage of production.”
Steve Leake, sales manager at Altus Group, said: “It has been a pleasure to support Norcott with this project and introduce the team to Koh Young. Our pre-sales validation demonstrated how the system could meet Norcott’s technical and process requirements, while giving its engineers the opportunity to assess the technology before investing.
“The implementation has been a great success, and we look forward to continuing to support Norcott and building on our relationship over the years ahead.”
The installation strengthens Norcott’s control of the solder paste printing process and supports its focus on quality, first-pass yield and manufacturing efficiency.
For more information, visit www.altusgroup.co.uk.
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