OMRON Corporation (HQ: Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto. President and CEO: Junta Tsujinaga) Industrial Automation Company announced in Japan an expansion of its integration of NVIDIA technologies by combining OMRON's Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) and 3D-CT X-ray Inspection (AXI) with NVIDIA Omniverse libraries. Specifically, this will make it possible to visualize substrate warpage caused by heat and to implement AI-driven "skillless" inspection, aiming to revolutionize the semiconductor inspection process.

Achieving higher accuracy for skillless substrate inspection equipment.

Recently, as digital society has advanced, including the rise of AI factories, the innovation of various electronic devices, such as ultra-high-speed, high-capacity information processing, has accelerated. As a result, the mounting of printed circuit boards (PCBs), which support these devices, has become more complex, and advanced mounting technology and strict quality assurance are required. In manufacturing sites as well, the shortage of skilled technicians is becoming increasingly severe worldwide. Semiconductor manufacturers experience challenges related to substrate yields and quality control as a result of these shortages, making it urgent to shift to AI-driven quality control that can help scale individual expertise and know-how.

The technical integration of OMRON and NVIDIA AI and simulation technologies began in 2022. In this further collaboration, as part of an expanded, OT (operational technology) and IT (information technology) are linked to integrate manufacturing data that had previously been siloed, providing new insights (potential information) that lead to improved productivity, quality, and yields. Furthermore, OMRON will expand the application area of digital twins to PCB (printed circuit board/advanced semiconductors) inspection processes that require micron-level precision, promoting real-time optimization on the manufacturing floor. OMRON is engaged in the following three initiatives that leverage physical AI and simulation technologies.

Initiatives with NVIDIA

1. Visualizing board warpage through reproduction in digital space

“Board warpage,” which occurs when heat is applied during the manufacturing process, is one of the key challenges in electronic component manufacturing; while it can lead to solder joint defects and quality abnormalities in components, it is difficult to recognize with the naked eye. In this collaboration, we will reproduce and visualize "board warpage" with high precision in digital space. By integrating NVIDIA Omniverse libraries, OMRON can use physics-based simulation to reproduce board deformation and the force resisting deformation, enabling real-time visualization of subtle changes that were previously difficult to grasp. With these simulations, manufacturing sites can pre-adjust the time-based temperature changes (thermal profile) in the heating and cooling process, making it possible to predict and prevent critical solder joint defects before they occur.

2. Investigating hidden causal relationships through the spatial overlay of AOI and AXI

OMRON uses digital twins to overlay the 3D surface data acquired by AOI (automated optical inspection) with the data on internal structures acquired by AXI (3D-CT X-ray inspection). This enables engineers to instantly identify the causal relationships behind phenomena occurring on the surface—such as pinpointing tiny internal bubbles that caused misalignment of surface components—and to make visible information that had previously been unseen, dramatically enhancing the essential value provided by inspection equipment.

3. AI Agent Assisted Inspection

To address the global challenge of a shortage of skilled engineers and make inspections more AI-driven, OMRON will introduce visual inspection agents powered by NVIDIA Metropolis Blueprint for Video Search and Summarization (VSS) and NVIDIA Cosmos. VSS uses Cosmos Reason, an open vision language model (VLM), to analyze images, together with a LLM to understand historical data, enabling the agent to reason and propose next steps to users.

For example, when a user asks, "Why is this board warped?", the AI agent searches historical data for images of warped boards with similar characteristics, analyzes the root cause, and returns a detailed answer with insights to the user in an easy-to-understand summary.

"Leveraging OMRON’s know-how in automation rooted in a real on-site perspective, together with high-speed, high-precision control technology, we will realize highly accurate digital twins as part of the solution. By combining our inspection data with NVIDIA’s physical AI, customers will be able to visualize the factors affecting production, rapidly upskill novice operators, and maximize the ROI (return on investment) of production lines," said Motohiro Yamanishi, Company President of the Industrial Automation Company (IAB), OMRON Corporation.

OMRON has launched its medium-term roadmap, "SF 2nd Stage," from fiscal 2026 and has defined 13 focus businesses that will drive business growth. This time, Inspection Systems Business Division HQ is one of the core businesses that will drive innovation in manufacturing sites with NVIDIA physical AI. By combining its strengths across automation devices with inspection technologies, OMRON is delivering innovative inspection solutions for the semiconductor industry. Through this collaboration, OMRON aims to further strengthen its value creation for the semiconductor industry and contribute to solving customer issues to realize a more digitalized society.

TORRANCE, CA — July 2026 — Seika Machinery, Inc., a leading provider of advanced machinery, materials and engineering services, will present the third session of its SMI 2026 Summer Webinar Series on Wednesday, July 22 at 10 a.m. PDT, exploring the importance of PCB cleanliness before solder paste printing and its impact on SMT process performance.

Webinar Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83262582054

Titled “Starting the SMT Process with a Clean PCB,” the webinar will examine how particulate and ionic contamination can affect solder paste printing, contributing to defects, reduced adhesion and inconsistent manufacturing results. As electronic assemblies continue to become smaller and more complex, maintaining a clean PCB surface has become an increasingly important step in achieving reliable production.

The presentation will review common sources of PCB contamination and discuss the impact contaminants can have throughout the SMT process. Attendees will gain a better understanding of why cleaning boards prior to stencil printing helps improve print quality, reduce defects and support overall product reliability.

The session will also introduce the Unitech inline PCB cleaner, an automated cleaning system designed to remove particulate and ionic contaminants immediately before solder paste printing. By cleaning the PCB surface inline, the system helps improve solder paste adhesion, supports more consistent printing results, and enhances overall manufacturing performance without disrupting production flow.

Whether manufacturers are experiencing print quality issues or looking to strengthen process control, the webinar will provide practical information on incorporating PCB cleaning into existing SMT production lines.

The webinar is complimentary, but advance registration is required.

Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Time: 10 a.m. PDT

For more information, contact Michelle Ogihara at 310-540-7310; e-mail michelle@seikausa.com; or visit www.seikausa.com.

Liverpool, UK – Forwessun, a provider of comprehensive testing solutions for the global electronics manufacturing industry, and Test Research, Inc. (TRI) are pleased to announce a new strategic partnership to provide advanced board tester solutions across the United Kingdom.

The agreement unites Forwessun's established expertise in designing and manufacturing in-circuit and functional test fixtures with TRI's globally recognized testing and inspection technologies.

Lee Fielding, General Manager of Forwessun, commented, "Traditionally, Forwessun's involvement has focused on delivering full turnkey solutions, custom test software, and robust test fixtures for the electronics manufacturing industry. With our new relationship with TRI, we now have the capability to provide a completely integrated board testing solution for our clients, significantly enhancing test coverage, efficiency, and reliability across the production lifecycle."

Anthony Wang, TRI's Europe Sales Manager, added, "We are delighted to partner with Forwessun. Their deep engineering knowledge, strong customer relationships, and exceptional technical support capabilities make them the ideal partner to expand TRI's presence and deliver outstanding value to manufacturers across the region."

This alliance establishes a robust partnership to reliably support manufacturers, ensuring optimal performance and addressing their evolving operational requirements.

CRANSTON, RI — July 2026 — Federal Electronics, a leading provider of high-reliability electronic manufacturing services (EMS), has expanded its cable assembly and wire harness manufacturing capabilities and production capacity to support the growing needs of military, defense, and aerospace OEMs.

The expansion includes investments in advanced manufacturing equipment, additional production space, workforce development, and enhanced process capabilities, further strengthening the company's ability to manufacture increasingly complex interconnect systems.

A centerpiece of the expansion is the addition of a Komax CR11 automated wire processing system, significantly increasing Federal Electronics' ability to manufacture intricate and large-scale wire harnesses used in military equipment, weapons and radar systems, aerospace platforms, communications equipment, power distribution systems, and other high-reliability applications. The CR11 provides automated marking, cutting, stripping, and wire termination across a wide range of conductor sizes, improving manufacturing consistency, throughput, and repeatability while reducing process variation.

To support continued growth, Federal Electronics has expanded its dedicated cable assembly and wire harness manufacturing area, creating additional capacity for both prototype and production programs. The company has also enhanced its manufacturing environment with a Class 10,000 (ISO Class 7) cleanroom, environmental testing capabilities, and comprehensive electrical testing to meet the stringent quality and reliability requirements of defense and aerospace customers.

These investments are supported by a highly trained workforce that includes certified IPC/WHMA-A-620 Space Addendum trainers and operators, along with manufacturing processes that meet recognized industry standards, including AS9100, ISO 9001, ISO 13485, IPC J-STD-001, J-STD-004, and J-STD-006. This combination of skilled personnel and proven processes provides customers with the process control, traceability, workmanship, and quality systems required for today's most demanding electronic assemblies.

"Our customers are under tremendous pressure to shorten product development cycles, strengthen supply chain resilience, and deliver increasingly sophisticated systems without compromising quality or reliability," said Federal Electronics President Ed Evangelista. "These investments allow us to respond with greater capacity, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and the technical expertise needed to help customers bring their products to market faster and with greater confidence."

For OEMs, these investments provide access to a manufacturing partner with expanded capabilities for cable assemblies, wire harnesses, printed circuit board assembly, and complete systems integration under a single quality management system. By offering these services under one roof, Federal Electronics helps simplify supply chains, improve configuration control, streamline program management, and accelerate new product introductions.

For more information about Federal Electronics, visit www.federalelec.com or contact sales@federalelec.com.