AOI machine commissioned at Atal Incubation Centre-PEC Foundation at Puducherry Technological University

An Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) machine has been commissioned at the Atal Incubation Center – PEC Foundation (AIC-PECF) at Puducherry University of Technology. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

An Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) machine has been commissioned at the Puducherry University of Technology’s Atal Incubation Centre-PEC Foundation (AIC-PECF), strengthening its Surface Mount Technology assembly line and enabling hardware start-ups in the region to access automation, high-precision inspection of assembled printed circuit boards.

The machine was set up as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) support of Appasamy Associates Private Limited (AAPL).

The facility was inaugurated on Tuesday by Senthil Kumar, Managing Director, Appasamy Associates Private Limited, in the presence of V. Vishnu Varadan, Managing Director, AIC-PECF and S. Rajakumar, Chief Operating Officer, AICE-PECF.

The AOI machine enables automated inspection of assembled printed circuit boards including solder joints, component placement and polarity. AIC-PECF said the facility will help local hardware setups avoid sending prototype boards to Chennai or Bengaluru for inspection, reducing the time required for quality assessment.

According to Mr. Vishnu Varadan, the machine completed the mandate that the center had been building since the beginning of its electronics design and manufacturing mandate, and that quality assurance was the step most young hardware businesses stumbled on on their way from prototype to order.

The facility will be available to incubated startups, student innovators, researchers and SMEs for PCB assembly, quality assurance, prototyping and electronic product development.

Published – 23 Sep 2026 21:12 IST