Flying probe test systems: capabilities for effective testing

The circuit board manufacturing community is now ready to embrace the concept of moving probe in-circuit test systems, also known as Flying Probers. This is due not only to the ability of Flying Probers to eliminate the cost of fixturing, but also to their new ability to satisfy the overall test requirements. This opens up the opportunity to test a new class of boards that are not cost effective to test on fixture based systems, and were not able to be tested on previous Flying Probe test systems. Requirements such as prototype development, low to medium volume manufacturing, high net count boards, and field returns are examples of prime targets for Flying Probers. What then are the capabilities a user should look for in a Flying Prober that will insure its most effective overall use as a quick-turn around, highly flexible test tool? An attempt is made to answer this question.