A Review of Knowledge-Based Systems in Printed Circuit Board Assembly

A knowledge-based system (or an expert system) embodies a domain expert’s knowledge and problemsolving strategy. Domain specific knowledge-based systems formalise the complicated set of informal procedures understood by experts alone and make the expertise available to a wide range of people. Knowledgebased systems have been developed and used in fields as diverse as medicine, mineral exploration, and chemistry. They have been used in various engineering applications and extensively in manufacturing. This paper reviews the application of knowledge-based systems in the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly domain. In keeping with the initial development of knowledgebased systems in the field of manufacturing, most of the current applications of knowledge-based systems in PCB assembly address issues related to process planning. This trend can be attributed to the diversity and short life cycles of electronic products, and shortage of human expertise. A few systems have been developed for PCB design. Developments in the field of electronics packaging and industry predictions lead us to believe that knowledge-based systems will be developed for many more applications within the field.