As Hellbender continues to push the edge of AI vision hardware, our SMT and PCBA capabilities have grown to meet the challenge. With new inline inspection equipment and faster component placement systems now online, we’ve taken a major step forward in both speed and quality for in-house board assembly.
From placing 30,000 components per hour to inspecting BGAs before first power-on, this upgrade sets a strong foundation for the next generation of compute boards, stereo cameras, and custom modules.
Early Detection with Inline SPI
Hellbender’s new solder paste inspection (SPI) system, developed by Omron, is now integrated directly into the SMT line. This machine scans every board after stencil printing to catch solder defects in real time.
By flagging issues before component placement begins, SPI gives our engineers better control over print quality and helps prevent rework down the line. It’s a fast and efficient checkpoint that ensures each build starts off right.
Seeing Through the Layers: X-ray Inspection
One of the most critical upgrades is our new X-ray inspection system from Creative Electron. This tool allows us to see below the surface and verify the solder joints of ball grid arrays (BGAs) and other hidden connections.
Instead of relying on functional testing after boards are fully assembled, our team can now check BGA placement immediately after reflow. This reduces risk, increases confidence, and ensures we are delivering quality components.
Additional functions check with Bed-of-Nails Testing
Something that we will create on a case-by-case basis is a functional tester for a complex product. This makes sense for high complexity, high volume products where we want to verify basic electronic functions (such as the different voltages on power rails) prior to plugging in a more expensive System-on-Module (SOM) board.
This is an example of how we designed custom PCBs and integrated with in-house software to create a functional bed-of-nails tester. This early test allows for peace of mind as the products move from the SMT realm and into the overall product assembly process.
Additional functions check with Bed-of-Nails Testing
Something that we will create on a case-by-case basis is a functional tester for a complex product. This makes sense for high complexity, high volume products where we want to verify basic electronic functions (such as the different voltages on power rails) prior to plugging in a more expensive System-on-Module (SOM) board.
This is an example of how we designed custom PCBs and integrated with in-house software to create a functional bed-of-nails tester. This early test allows for peace of mind as the products move from the SMT realm and into the overall product assembly process.
Building SOMs and BGAs In-House
With these upgrades in place, Hellbender is now comfortably placing BGAs and building System on Module (SOM) boards in house. These advanced assemblies are essential for compact, powerful compute units used in vision and AI workloads.
“This is the kind of step that transforms a capability from ‘nice-to-have’ to foundational. Our team is delivering high-reliability boards that are powering vision and compute systems across our product lines,” said Adela Wee, Chief Innovation Officer at Hellbender. “It’s a big part of why we’re scaling up our PCBA line even further this year.”
Looking Ahead
As we look toward the next phase of growth, Hellbender is planning another expansion of our PCBA capacity in the months ahead. With product lines like the Stereo Camera driving new applications in robotics and automation, our in-house assembly line will play an even larger role.
To see the line in action, check out this short video from our Pittsburgh facility:
