Envisics is a UK-based company developing dynamic holographic technology for automotive head-up displays. They’re right at the cutting edge of applied photonics tech and testing is crucial to ensure high quality and efficiency in production. Before we started working together, they had the same old story, labor-intensive data analytics and testing that was way more hassle than it needed to be. Now it’s a process that supports itself. Keep reading to find out more.
The Challenge: Time Consuming Manual Investigation
At the heart of Envisics’ operation was the need to conduct a series of critical tests for their production, involving a series of both electrical and optical tests. Before WATS, the team used to start the day by sifting through a huge amount of data. Each device test-generated several hundred rows of data, which then had to be manually investigated – a process that was as tedious as it sounds.
The Solution: All Data in One Place and Quick Access to Yield Data
Implementing WATS was a strategic move to enhance productivity and accuracy in data handling. The goal was to have all their data in one place and quick access to true first pass yield.
The first thing we had to do was integrate with their supplier’s end-line test solution because once there was a way to handle data coming out there, it would unlock easy access for everyone who needed it. We built a converter that makes checking the yield from each station a task that is no longer dreaded but actually handled with just a few clicks. This whole process was made a lot easier because we were working with a trusted WATS partner of ours in the UK.
“The integration of test data upload has been a significant development that WATS tailored for us, really improving our ability to troubleshoot and understand each test report comprehensively. WATS has removed the manual side of data analysis, it’s all exportable and filterable, and all the data’s there in one place.”
Sahar Chowdhury, Senior Photonics Engineer, Envisics
The Results: Faster and Proactive Approach to Quality Control
Envisics were able to see the power of WATS immediately from that point of implementation. No longer was every morning filled with the monotony of data delimiting. Instead, the team could now utilize features like Test Step Yield and Analysis to quickly identify the top ten failure modes. This tool was particularly beneficial as it enabled a proactive approach to quality control, distinguishing between marginal and definitive failures much more effectively.
The WATS system also catered to specific needs such as uploading test data directly to each test report. This bespoke feature significantly simplified troubleshooting and improved the understanding of each test report for any user.
On a broader scale, WATS helped bring a new level of insight into the testing process, allowing Envisics to focus not just on immediate yields but also on process capability. By examining data in volume, Envisics can now make informed decisions about product quality and yield optimization, moving towards a more data-driven and refined production process.
Working with Envisics has been a demonstration that we bring what we promise. Whether it’s the much loved standard WATS modules, our ability to integrate with other platforms or develop bespoke features for customers – we always help make testing better.
