Lines that already run well
Pick-and-place, reflow and AOI keep running; Bulk records the line without rewiring it.
PCB assembly software, every reel lot behind every serial.
The reel on feeder 12 is a handwritten line on a paper traveller. Bulk ties every reel lot to every board serial as the line runs, so a suspect date code is traced in thirty seconds, and traceability wins you contracts.
- Board serial genealogy
- Reel & lot control
- IPC-A-610 inspection
- SMT line scheduling
This is your floor. These are the modules on it.
Where Bulk fits best.
Customers who ask for the genealogy
OEM and AS9100 questions are answered from the record, not from travellers.
Reels with a moisture clock
Feeder setup and floor life log themselves as the shift runs.
Manual and hybrid lines
Where the machine has no data, the operator scans and the record still holds.
From paste to test, one serial.
Kit the reels
Stores picks the BOM; every reel lot, date code and moisture clock binds to the job.
See inventoryKit picked for WO 4418Inventory · WO 4418 · today 07:40
Reel lot K2291-07 · date code 2534 · MSL 3, 14 h floor life left
Kit complete · 42 reels
Set up the line
Feeder setup ties each reel lot to a slot; the board takes its serial at load.
See data threadFeeder 12 loadedData thread · Line 1 · WO 4418
Slot 12 · reel lot K2291-07 · 0402 10k resistor · verified by scan
Serials 4418-001 onward
Inspect to IPC-A-610
AOI, ICT and visual results land once against the serial; a defect opens an NCR.
See qualityAOI fail on 4418-117Quality · Serial 4418-117 · 11:03
Tombstone at C14 · graded to IPC-A-610 class 3
NCR-0271 open · board held
Ship with the genealogy
Scan the finished serial; every lot, step and result surfaces, and the CoC builds itself.
See documentsSerial 4418-117Documents · Certificate of conformance
42 reel lots · reflow profile P7 · AOI pass after rework · 3 operators
Genealogy complete
Today's reality: built on paper.
Lots live on travellers
Feeder 12's reel is a handwritten line that gets filed or lost.
Recalls take days
One suspect date code means a day cross-referencing kit lists by hand.
AS9100 chasing
Audit week is a scramble across spreadsheets nobody owns.
The blocks that hold a genealogy.
Board serial genealogy
Scan a serial; every reel lot and inspection behind it surfaces in seconds.
Data threadReel & lot control
A reel out of moisture floor life cannot be kitted onto a job.
InventoryIPC-A-610 inspection
Results log against the serial; a failed check opens an NCR first.
QualitySMT line scheduling
Plan changeovers and kit readiness; give the customer a real ship date.
SchedulingCertificate of conformance
The certificate builds itself from the genealogy and leaves with the shipment.
DocumentsAS9100 audit evidence
Competency, inspection class and NCR closure on one thread the auditor can query.
Audits
The recall trace goes from a day to thirty seconds.
−82%Time to trace a field return at Solent Circuits
99.4%First-pass yield captured on the SMT line
0Re-keys between feeder and board serial
“When a customer flags a field failure we scan the board serial and the whole build is there: every reel lot, the date codes, the reflow step, the AOI result. What used to be a day lost in the shared drive is thirty seconds at the bench, and our AS9100 surveillance was the quietest we've had.”
SC
Marcus Ellery, Quality ManagerSolent Circuits, AS9100 / IPC-A-610
Questions, answered.
01
Is Bulk an electronics MES?
No, and that's deliberate. An MES drives the machines; Bulk is the traceability, quality and production-record layer over the line. Where your pick-and-place, reflow oven or AOI exposes data, Bulk reads it; where it doesn't, the operator scans and the record still holds. Shops running manual or hybrid lines get full board genealogy without wiring every head in first.
02
How does component and board traceability actually work?
Reel lots, date codes and moisture clocks are bound to the job at kitting, and feeder setup ties each lot to a slot. The board takes its serial at load, so the serial carries the exact lots loaded behind it. Scan a finished serial and the whole build (lots, process steps, inspection results, operator) surfaces on one record. No paper traveller to transcribe.
03
Can it handle IPC-A-610 inspection and NCR-to-8D?
Yes. Inspection is graded to the customer's IPC-A-610 acceptance class, and AOI, ICT and visual results log against the board serial. A failed check opens an NCR on the spot and escalates to an 8D where it's warranted. The board can't ship past an open defect, and the closure is part of the audit trail.
04
Does it track moisture-sensitive devices and floor life?
Yes. MSD parts carry a floor-life clock from the moment the bag is opened; a reel out of its exposure window won't kit onto a job, and the exposure history stays on the lot record. Bake and re-clock events are logged against the same lot rather than a whiteboard.
05
Does Bulk integrate with our pick-and-place, AOI or ERP?
Where a machine exports data (feeder logs, AOI results, test outputs), Bulk ingests it so nothing is re-keyed. For the back office it sits alongside your ERP or accounts platform, drawing on the same job data for CoCs and invoicing rather than replacing it. This is the layer between the line and the office, not a rip-and-replace.
06
How long does rollout take, and what does it cost?
One line end to end first (paste to test, proven on real boards in weeks), then the rest of the floor follows on the same pattern. Never a big-bang cutover. Pricing is one per-site figure with every module included: no per-module upsell, hosting and rollout in the number. Early-access shops work directly with the build team.