NPI is the most critical phase of any manufacturing relationship. The decisions made during NPI set the quality baseline, production processes, and cost structure for the life of the program.
| Phase | Activities |
|---|---|
| 1. Design Review (DFM/DFT) | Amtech reviews BOM, Gerbers, and assembly docs for manufacturability and testability issues before any build |
| 2. Material Kitting | Components sourced, received, inspected, and kitted to assembly traveler |
| 3. Pilot Build (Prototype) | First article build — typically 1–5 boards through full process |
| 4. First Article Inspection (FAI) | 100% inspection, test, and documentation review against customer specs |
| 5. Build Report & Disposition | Any defects documented; root cause and corrective action before production release |
| 6. Process Freeze & Documentation | Final process parameters, stencil specs, reflow profile, test limits locked |
| 7. Production Release | Program moved to standard production queue |