Basic Interpretation
An automatic test system for assembled circuit boards, which is also an online static test equipment for circuit boards, also known as ICT/ATE/ATS/MDA testing in the industry!
ICT,In-CircuitTestSystem online tester
ATE,AutomaticTestEquipment automatic test equipment
ATS,AutomaticTestSystem automatic test system
MDA, ManufactureDefectAnalyzer manufacturing defect analysis system
ICT (In-CircuitTestSystem), the Chinese customary name is the online tester (here refers to the assembled circuit board online tester), which is mainly used for the test of the assembled circuit board (PCBA). "Online" here is a literal translation of "In-Circuit", which mainly refers to electronic components on the line (or on the circuit). Online testing is a testing technology that does not disconnect the circuit and does not remove the component pins. "Online" reflects that ICT focuses on detecting circuit board assembly problems by testing the components on the circuit or the open and short circuit status.
Related background
The main global ICT automatic test equipment manufacturers are Agilent Technologies (United States), Teradyne (United States), CheckSum (United States), AEROFLEX (United States), WINCHY Yingqi, Hioki (Japan), IFR (AEROFLEX M&A), Takaya (Japan), Tescon (Japan), Okano (Japan), Ixin (Taiwan), JET (Jiezhi), Tr (德利泰), SRC Galaxy, Concord, Rohde&Schwarz, Scorpion, Shindenski, SPEA, Tecnost-MTI, Testronics, WKTest, Schuhll, Viper, TTI, etc. brands. Different brands of ICT have the same or similar testing principles. Around the 1980s, Japan simplified and miniaturized similar products in the United States, and changed it to use a pneumatic press type, represented by Japan’s TESCON and OKANO, which made ICT simple and easy to use and low-cost, making it indispensable for electronics factories. The necessary testing equipment is lacking, and quickly popularized. In the 1980s, Taiwan gradually became an important base for electronic OEM manufacturing from the source of fake electronic computers, which was a global headache for the West. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Taiwan began to completely imitate TESCON testers and launched presses of many brands. The lower prices of ICTs have forced Japan’s TESCON, which had the world’s largest market share, to fade out of the market and greatly increased its market share due to the development of Taiwan’s electronics foundry industry. Since the 1970s, similar static testers have been developed in China. In 1993, local Chinese brands led Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong to develop the first windows version of ICT in Asia. Today, American Teradyne and Agilent are still leading brands and have become the de facto standards for such technologies!
It is worth mentioning that in the past ten years, foreign businessmen, especially Taiwan businessmen, have The most critical and most expensive test host (ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan) was smuggled into mainland China through an ultra-low price (thousands of yuan) declaration, and then a large mechanical casing was added in the country, which was doubled to Dozens of times the price is sold on the market, this practice has evaded hundreds of millions of tariffs. The cost of equipment produced by domestic equipment manufacturers through normal customs declaration and imported parts and accessories will even be much higher than that of foreign-funded factories. Therefore, the illegal smuggling of foreign brands makes its test equipment not at a disadvantage in terms of cost, and sometimes even at an advantage. This is undoubtedly extremely unfair to honest domestic test equipment manufacturers. What is gratifying is that today, the Chinese people's attitude of advocating foreign products and discriminating against domestic products is being reversed. Foreign-funded enterprises have also changed their practice of purchasing only foreign equipment and are willing to buy more domestic equipment with higher cost performance. The equipment manufacturing industry is a basic industry that provides technical equipment. It involves the core competitiveness of a country and a region, and it is a source of enhancing national self-confidence. With the continuous enhancement of China's soft power, it is believed that China's local automatic test equipment brands will usher in greater development through transformation, upgrading and continuous innovation.