At first glance, the name seems to have more to do with music (bringing to mind the great Italian opera tradition – Verdi, Rossini, Madame Butterfly…), but Seica chose this name, which is actually the short form of “Open Era”, for its new generation of test solutions, because they are particularly suited to the “era of openness” which characterizes today’s world. Openness allows for greater customization and innovation, and open systems are designed to be flexible and adaptable; in fact, the concept of “openness” is at the very foundation of Seica’s test solutions.

Introduced in 1992 and later trademarked as the VIP™ platform, the concept of a core software and hardware platform together with a multitude of hardware and software modules, enabled each test solution to be configured to meet the specific needs of the customer, while ensuring scalability for future needs. OPERA represents the latest evolution of this philosophy, expanding on Seica’s open platform approach, which allows application of all of Seica’s technology, the result of decades of experience and continuous innovation, across all of our test solutions, which are engineered to address the full range of test requirements in all phases of today’s product lifecycle: from prototyping and new product introduction, to mass production, all the way through to the repair and maintenance phase.

The complete modularity of Seica’s solutions enable them to be configured for the test and/or task required: in-circuit test, power-on functional test, boundary scan test, LED test, capacitive tests, on-board programming. Thanks to its intrinsic openness, OPERA further extends this multi-technology test approach via the capability to fully integrate external instrumentation for specialized tests, and complete interoperability with a wide range of third party, industry-standard software.

The new OPERA series includes Seica’s full range of test system architectures dedicated to all of the diverse requirements for testing electronic boards and modules: from the simplest, to the most complex printed circuit boards and assembled boards and modules, EV electronics and batteries, probe cards and power components.

Seica has over 30 years of experience in designing and developing Flying Probe test technology, and the Rapid and Pilot systems represent the leading-edge of technology in terms of flying probe test performance, and are tremendously powerful assets, deployable in every type of manufacturing scenario and in every phase of today’s accelerated product lifecycle. Thanks to Seica’s open platform and modular concept, these flying probe test solutions can be configured to include a vast range of test methods and performances to meet all types of test requirements. From the latest generation printed circuits, which increasingly include embedded components requiring full in-circuit test, to the most complex, densely populated electronic boards which may require a myriad of test techniques to reach the test coverage targets.

Seica’s well-established Compact and Valid platforms for in-circuit and functional testing are also integrated within the OPERA architecture, and support a wide range of fixturing in a versatile and scalable ergonomic design tailored to the needs of modern manufacturing environments, whether as stand-alone test stations or as fully automated solutions integrated directly into the production line.

The architecture of the Compact line offers maximum configurability to meet the most diverse test requirements. Developed according to lean manufacturing principles, it is optimized for electronic board production environments where efficiency and throughput are critical. Characterized by a compact footprint and low power consumption, these solutions are designed to support high production rates, enabling a technologically advanced and sustainable test solution.

The Valid line is designed for high-performance in-circuit and functional test via a bed-of-nails or fixed industry-standard receiver, and is engineered for high scalability and performance. The latest solutions, the VALID LR and the VALID SL, have an innovative, cableless architecture, new 128-channel scanner cards and are configurable to support a full range of tests including in-circuit digital tests, dynamic digital tests, Boundary-Scan, LED tests as well as full functional test.

The Valid SL is fully automated, allowing for easy integration into high-volume production environments. With a maximum configuration of over 4,400 channels, it is ideal for the most complex test requirements, in a single or multi-job architecture. The large standard test area can be configured as a single-stage or dual-stage system, and the new operator interface, included in the latest version of VIVA™ software, optimizes usability for both programmers and operators. Easy access to the system's internal hardware modules ensures excellent ergonomics making maintenance operations simple and efficient.

Taking full advantage of the open platform concept, the VALID LR can be configured to provide legacy replacement capabilities for customers looking to replace test systems which are no longer supported by the original manufacturers. Seica has an unparalleled experience in providing legacy replacement solutions, with a consolidated success in replacing numerous brands of legacy test systems, enabling customers to maintain long-term logistics support at competitive costs. The native multi-resource architecture of the Valid LR gives it the flexibility (up to 5888 channels with a 1:8 digital multiplexer) and performance required for the seamless migration of existing test programs and fixtures, combining the capability to support older technologies with high performance, state-of-the-art tools, which are then also available for the development of new test programs

OPERA comes with a new release of the VIVA™ software platform that further enhances test performance and enables intelligent integration across all stages of the customer’s manufacturing process. The software platform provides a fully guided workflow for creating and validating test programs, supported by an integrated auto debug process that helps programmers quickly verify correctness and robustness. Built in optimization algorithms reduce overall test time, while advanced statistical tools deliver detailed insights into physical accessibility, test coverage, production performance, and process stability, including metrics such as CPK, GR&R, and PPVS.

The solution features fully customizable test reports and a configurable operator interface, including buttons, languages, and on screen messages. It integrates seamlessly with modern software environments such as Python, Excel, C, C++, C#, and TestStand, and supports easy interaction with external instruments.

VIVA seamlessly connects data collection, traceability, MES interaction, and repair operations into a unified digital ecosystem, transforming test systems from standalone tools into fully connected, data-driven assets.

By the way, in Italian “OPERA” also means a “work”, such as Leonardo’s “Monna Lisa” or Giacomo Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly”. The new OPERA series is Seica’s “work of test technology”, created to be open to the diverse and constantly changing requirements of testing electronics today and in the future.

author: Barbara Duvall – Marketing Director