Are printed circuit board assemblies overtested?

This paper discusses the rational for testing printed circuit board assemblies (PCBA), and proposes a new strategy that differentiates between process control and functional performance. This strategy results in the potential elimination of process testing, and shifts the emphasis of testing to design evaluation and reliability testing. Better integration of the results derived from the product creation process coupled with an effective process control strategy will result in a more efficient process throughput, with better quality and more reliable PCBAs.