Diagnostic knowledge in manufacturing systems-a case of integrated circuits leads forming system

Fault diagnosis is always a difficult task that requires a large amount of experiential knowledge. In case of the integrated circuit (IC) leads forming system, the quality of the final product depends on the design and construction of lead forming tools. Any modifications to the form tool system result in possibly major changes in the causal relationships of faults and remedies. Heuristic knowledge can help the user to understand the possible causes of the problem and to identify appropriate remedies. The authors studied the problem domain and developed model to capture the experiential knowledge and also the model-based knowledge of the problem domain. The model was implemented using an expert system shell. The experiential knowledge base in the IC lead forming system is analyzed, and the implementation scheme is described