The Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) machine commissioned at the Atal Incubation Centre–PEC Foundation (AIC-PECF) in Puducherry Technological University.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
An Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) machine was commissioned at the Atal Incubation Centre-PEC Foundation (AIC-PECF) in Puducherry Technological University, strengthening its Surface Mount Technology assembly line and giving early-stage hardware ventures in the region access to automate, high-precision inspection of assembled printed circuit boards.
The machine has been set up under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) support of Appasamy Associates Private Limited (AAPL).
The facility was inaugurated by Senthil Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Appasamy Associates Private Limited, in the presence of V. Vishnu Varadan, Chief Executive Officer, AIC-PECF and S. Rajakumar, Chief Operating Officer of AICE-PECF on Tuesday.
The AOI machine enables automated inspection of assembled printed circuit boards, including solder joints, component placement and polarity. AIC-PECF said the facility would help local hardware setups avoid sending protoype boards to Chennai or Bengaluru for inspection, thereby reducing the time taken for quality assessment.
According to Mr. Vishnu Varadan, the machine completed a capability mandate the centre had been building towards since its Electronics Design and Manufacturing mandate began, and that quality assurance was the step at which most young hardware ventures stumbled on their way from prototype to purchase order.
The facility will be available to incubated startups, student innovators, researchers and MSMEs for PCB assembly, quality assurance, protyping and electronic product development.
Published – September 23, 2026 09:12 pm IST
