GR Alchemist III first to receive IPC's GenCAM certification

Citation

(2001), "GR Alchemist III first to receive IPC's GenCAM certification", Circuit World, Vol. 27 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/cw.2001.21727cad.001

GR Alchemist III first to receive IPC's GenCAM certification

GR Alchemist III first to receive IPC's GenCAM certification

Keywords: GenRad, Software

GenRad has announced that its new GR Alchemist III™ software solution is the first electronics manufacturing application to be fully compliant with IPC's threshold GenCAM™ global standards.

Some industry experts estimate GenCAM deployment could save contract and original equipment manufacturers $150 million a year or more in the USA alone. However, such large contract manufacturers as Solectron and Celestica have production facilities worldwide and create the potential for even greater savings. The savings are based on adoption of the IPC GenCAM standard, and result from efficiencies in translation of data among proprietary formats.

The strategic value of the GenCAM standard is that it provides an open industry basis for data transfer. Therefore, with adoption of the new standards manufacturers will be able to integrate previously exclusive functions and electronic manufacturing machinery into a single smooth-flowing production stream. This extends from assembly through inspection and to final test of bare printed circuit boards as well as assembled printed circuit cards.

In addition to test program generation for all major test equipment vendors, GR Alchemist III has the capability to analyze a GenCAM file for testability by performing an automated design for test analysis.

In a move to further establish GenCAM's market position, GenRad's GR Alchemist III software is now deployed on all GR TestStation and GR Pilot test equipment and will be deployed on the company's X-Ray products beginning in the second quarter of 2001. GR Alchemist III View Station can be downloaded for evaluation from the company's Web site, www.genrad.com