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// Test Engineering · Celestica A&D

Production ATE Fixture — Build to Deployment

Designing, building, and commissioning automated test equipment for aerospace & defense board-level test.

As a Test Development Engineering Intern in Celestica's Aerospace & Defense division, I develop hardware and software test solutions that validate products for aerospace and defense customer programs — and take testers from schematic to a deployment-ready state on the production floor.

Role
Test Development Engineering Intern
Timeline
May 2026 — Aug 2027
Status
In Progress
Stack
PythonNI LabVIEWNI TestStandSolidWorksAltiumIPC J-STD-001
// Scope note

Process, not product

This work happens in an AS9100, CGP/ITAR, and ISO 9001 regulated, ESD-safe facility. Customer, program, and product details are deliberately left out — this page describes how I build and deploy test equipment, not what it tests.

// Approach

From customer test requirements to a tester in production

  1. 1Customer test requirements
  2. 2aFixture mechanicsSolidWorks
    2bInterface / adapter PCBsAltium
  3. 3Build & wireHand solder, crimp, rework — IPC standards
  4. 4Bench validationScope, logic analyzer, PSU, DAQ, DMM
  5. 5Test softwarePython, NI LabVIEW / TestStand, operator UI
  6. 6Acceptance & commissioningAt the production site
  7. 7Sustaining support
ATE fixture lifecycle — my role at each stage
  • Assemble, integrate, and commission ATE racks against defined acceptance criteria for deployment across multiple global production sites.
  • Support line-automation tools (robotics, vision systems, software controls) alongside a senior engineering team.
// Deployment

Commissioning a tester I built — in Mexico

I travelled to Celestica's Mexico site to commission and verify a tester I built, running acceptance tests to confirm functionality before handing it off to production — then provided continued troubleshooting support for months after delivery.

Media pending
Bench validation setup
Media pending
Example interface-PCB layout (non-program)Altium
// Detail

Technical Documentation

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Functional test vs in-circuit test

In-circuit test (ICT) probes an assembled board's nets and components directly to catch manufacturing defects — shorts, opens, wrong or missing parts — before the board is powered as a system. Functional test (FCT) powers the board and exercises it through its real interfaces to confirm it does its job. A fixture and its software have to serve whichever of these the customer's test requirements call for.

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Test-sequence structure (generic example)

A generic TestStand-style sequence layout — illustrative, not from any program:

  1. Setup

    1. Initialize instruments (PSU, DMM, DAQ)
    2. Verify fixture ID / interlocks closed
    3. Load limits file

  2. Main

    1. Power-on: ramp supply, check quiescent current→ limit test
    2. Rail voltages→ multi-numeric limit
    3. Interface / comms checks→ pass/fail
    4. Functional checks→ numeric limits

  3. Cleanup

    1. Power down in defined order
    2. Log results, release instruments
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Workmanship standards I'm trained to

I hand-soldered, crimped, and reworked 20+ test-fixture PCBs and cable assemblies, down to 0201 passives and fine-pitch TSSOP/QFP ICs, trained to:

StandardCovers
IPC J-STD-001Requirements for soldered electrical and electronic assemblies
IPC-A-610Acceptability of electronic assemblies
IPC-7711/7721Rework, modification, and repair of electronic assemblies
IPC/WHMA-A-620Cable and wire-harness assemblies
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Documentation

I author controlled work instructions and supplier-qualification documentation for board-level test programs.

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