An SMT machine is an expensive piece of equipment. Hence, buyers need to plan very strategically prior to making a purchase as there are many choices offered by various companies. This article covers the recent advances in SMT machines, and features all that the market currently offers. We have also talked to several manufacturers of SMT equipment, to know about their expectations from the Indian market
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By Srabani Sen
Friday, November 22, : Smaller, cheaper and faster are the features that the electronics manufacturing industry is looking for today. The Indian electronics industry is currently experiencing extremely rapid advances in technology, placing increasing demands on production machinery like surface mount technology (SMT) equipment to effectively increase manufacturing throughput and minimise defects. The demand for SMT machines is coming from emerging sectors like telecom, automotive, strategic electronics and healthcare. SMT machines must, therefore, be capable of placing components with a very high level of accuracy, to cope with an ever increasing variety and complexity of components, like smaller ball grid array (BGAs), tiny flip-chips (where the electrical connections are made directly to the chip’s silicon), etc, with the added need for high-quality standards.
- Advertisement -The recent progress in LED technology and solidstate lighting has also led to a demand for SMT machines that can assemble LED components. In fact, the range of new and potential applications for LEDs in electronics is practically endless. The automated SMT assembly of LED components is possible with high-quality nozzles and feeders, which can effectively increase manufacturing throughput and minimise defects.
Hence, the SMT industry is expanding its manufacturing capabilities to meet these demands. An SMT machine is an expensive piece of equipment. So buyers need to plan very strategically prior to making a purchase, as there are many choices offered by various companies. Let’s look at the new machines and advanced technologies available in the different SMT machine categories that will help electronics companies to manufacture highly complex products within shorter periods of time, increasing the overall production rates while decreasing production costs.
PICK AND PLACE MACHINES
The pick and place segment is in a state of constant development. Although these machines are now capable of mounting on various levels (2.5 D mounting: in cavities, stacking, package on package, etc), the next step is real 3D mounting, where components are required to be placed at an angle. That demands an extra dimension on top of the existing X, Y, Z and R movements. While 3D mounting still needs special actions (while placement still uses X, Y, Z and R movements, the board also rotates), it won’t be long before standard SMT equipment will offer 3D mounting.
According to Suresh Nair, director, Leaptech Corporation, the latest trend is to offer hybrid placement capabilities—the pick and place machines can be added with dispensing heads for solder paste or glue. The applications vary from normal glue doting for heavier components before placement to high-end applications like package-on-package and bare die placement, where flux application is also part of the placement machine’s features.
“Even for LED board assembly for LED tubelights, which have long PCBs of up to mm, printing of solder paste becomes critical, as there are not many printers in the market that can handle such large PCBs. So solder paste dispensing by pick and place machines is handy for such applications,” says Suresh Nair.
Laser board warpage detection is another new technology being offered by pick and place machine manufacturers. Machines with this feature can detect any warping in the PCB and adjust the placement program accordingly. This feature also doubles up as a board stopper, in which case the PCB positioning for placement is accurately done by the laser source and no more mechanical stoppers are required.
Some recent launches in pick & place machinesQuality nozzles and feeders are at the core of the pick and place process. If the pick and place machine fails to pick parts consistently or hold on to the components while transporting from the feeder to the PCB, defects will occur. So proper feeder and nozzle selection is critical.
Many SMT manufacturers are also creating customed pick and place trays to allow for more accurate picking and transport processes. These machines have customised nozzles that enable LEDs to be picked, vision centred and placed at a high speed.
According to Irene Lim, product marketing director, ASM Pacific Technology Ltd, miniaturised components result in the need for pick and place equipment to be able to handle smaller components such as packaging. While component suppliers are working on smaller components, substrate suppliers likewise are exploring embedding technologies. This pushes the boundary of conventional placement equipment to be able to support better placement accuracy below 25 um. “With the need for more and more tailored products to suit different market segments, electronics manufacturers struggle with smaller and smaller batch sizes producing varying products with certain degree of commonalities. Such high mix production is no longer limited to high-cost manufacturing facilities but rather becoming more prevalent in lots of factories worldwide. To efficiently manage this kind of production, flexible pick and place machines coupled with good software control is strongly in demand. ASM Assembly Systems is no stranger to this arena as its flagship product—SIPLACE SX was precisely developed for such flexible production environment supporting many customers around the world,” explains Irene Lim.
However, not too many companies launched pick and place machines—either high volume or low and mid volume—in the last two years. Some manufacturers have just upgraded their existing machines to meet the demand from the market.
Fuji Machine Manufacturing Co Ltd launched the AIMEX IIS in November . The AIMEX IIS is an all-in-one placement platform and a high speed machine, with capacity going up to 50,000 CPH. This optimum machine for high-mix low-volume production and variable-mix variable-volume production inherits concepts from the popular AIMEX, but with increased flexibility and expandability.
Samsung launched its EXCEN series in April . These are high speed modular mounters that apply a high speed rotary head equipped with 16 nozzles. It has the world’s highest speed of 120,000 CPH among mounters of the same class, as well as the world’s highest area productivity.
On the other hand, Mirae Corporation upgraded its Mx400 series in July , which has a dual gantry structure based on 2 x 6 axes heads. Its economical compact size ensures maximum productivity per unit area. It has an optional dual-lane conveyor, which enables two PCBs to work at high speeds simultaneously.
Juki Corporation has also upgraded the capabilities of the FX 3 to launch the FX 3R in January . The FX 3R’s four independent beams, each with a six-nozzle-multi-laser head, alternately perform component picking and placement at two stations. A total of 24 components can be picked and centred simultaneously using high resolution, on-the-fly laser centring for high speed placement.
Among low and mid volume machines, Autotronik SMT launched its LD series of pick and place machines in February , which is primarily suitable for LED assembly with a speed of 15,000 CPH. These machines can handle PCB lengths of mm in a single step. They can handle almost all types of LEDs up to a size of 8 mm×8 mm.
PRINTER SYSTEMS
SMT machinery requires solder paste to be screen printed onto the PCB prior to placing the surface mount components. The quality of a PCB depends on the quality of the initial solder paste deposits. Today, the smaller lead pitches and components make it more difficult to achieve accurate, unflawed and perfectly printed PCBs. This requires a high quality, precise printer that can handle small, mid-sized and high volumes.
According to Shailendra Mathur, general manager-India, ASYS, with a competitive market, manufacturers are looking for high productivity, yield and efficiency. In manufacturing, paste printing process is critical to address these deliverables. For this wish list, new printers will possibly take inputs from process innovations like closed- loop SPIs, best cleaning frequencies, fast substrate handling, etc. Additionally, component pitch size of < 0.3 mm will require higher accuracy machines print fast and accurately. Electronics today is high mix, high density, varied substrate oriented and so high accuracy prints for both fine and standard deposits adjacent on the same real estate, will be what future printers will need to address. Printers in future will have special squeegee technologies, different process stencils and work on high quality paste. Also printers will most likely accommodate a wide variety of substrates, have smartphone like MMIs, integrated paste and PCB surface analysis, intelligent response to substrate and printing variations clearly directed at highest productivity, yield ad efficiency, reducing operator dependence.
Some recent launches in printer systemsToday, printer systems have become very advanced. For example, Hitachi high-speed, high performance solder paste printers and Koh Young Technology’s 3D solder paste inspection (SPI) systems can talk to one another via Koh Young’s closed loop interface process control software. The process control software brings the SPI system and the printer together via a closed-loop communications link to not only identify defects in solder paste printing, but correct them with the printer. These machines now feature advanced technologies.
ASYS launched CONEXIO in November , which is a future-oriented line concept for single and multiple lane applications. It allows individual process modules to be replaced or added to the line as required. Demand fluctuations or NPI can be addressed in the shortest possible time with CONEXIO.
Yamaha launched the YSP20 in June , which is a dual-lane, dual-stencil printer with five-micron alignment repeatability. It has a unique ‘3S’ head (swing, single and squeegee) that can dynamically change the ‘attack’ angle as opposed to a fixed ‘w’ type conventional squeegee system.
In a nutshell, to achieve good printing results, a combination of the right paste material, the right equipment and the right process are necessary. Manufacturers must control the process and equipment variables to achieve good print quality.
REFLOW OVENS
Reflow ovens are used for reflow soldering of the surface mounted electronic components onto PCBs. These are of two types—infrared and convection ovens. These ovens contain multiple zones, each of which can be individually controlled for temperature. Generally, there are several heating zones and one or more cooling zones. The PCB moves through the oven on a conveyor belt, and is subjected to a controlled time-temperature profile. Reflow ovens are now available with advanced features.
In early , Kurtz ERSA launched the Hotflow 3e series of ovens, which are versatile in nature. These can be offered as single track, dual-track or three-track variants, making it possible to solder three products at the same time, resulting in the highest throughput.
Some recent launches in reflow ovensIn April , Rehm Thermal System launched the VX series, which offers a convection reflow soldering system that is distinguished by high levels of flexibility and productivity. This system comes with the strongest heating and cooling power in the industry, with robust transport systems. It is a high-volume reflow soldering oven for all SMT components.
Indian manufacturer EMS Technologies Pvt Ltd launched the Konark 145 in April , and upgraded the Konark 257 as well. The Konark range of reflow ovens are the only Indian products with high-end features matching imported machines. These are cost-effective alternatives to imported machines, and are ideally suited for high-volume manufacturing. Konark 145 is a five-zone hot air convection reflow oven, which uses five top and five bottom hot air convection heating zones.
INSPECTION SYSTEMS
Automated optical inspection (AOI) systems and solder paste inspection (SPI) systems are today become essential tools in PCB assembly lines, particularly in industries where tough quality and safety standards apply. It is not just the increasing board density and the miniaturisation of components that are driving this trend—the use of AOI and SPI systems in the overall process control and test strategy have proved to be an unmatched return on investment. Over the years, makers of these machines have technically enhanced the features in order to meet all the challenges of today’s complex PCB assembly.
Some recent launches in inspection systemsIn this category, CyberOptics Corporation launched the SE600 in July , which is an advanced, high performance SPI system. It brings together accuracy and world-class usability on a single platform, making it the ideal inspection solution for automotive, medical, military and other niche markets.
ASYS has also launched the Insignum scanner in November , which is a reading system consisting of a stepper motor driven X/Y-axle-system with a scanner or camera. The product is transported on the conveyor and up against a stopper.
SOLDERING SYSTEMS
SMT soldering machines constitute a crucial part of the manufacturing process as they help in evaluating the consistency in the soldering quality of a product. SMT soldering machines cover an array of equipment including SMT reflow soldering (reflow ovens), SMT/BGA soldering stations (used for single component placement/removal and also known as SMT/BGA rework stations), and SMT discrete soldering equipment like soldering stations, hot tweezers, infra-red guns (predominantly used in low volume/prototype development), etc.
In this category, Speedline launched Omni ES series in May , which is a combination of innovation and industry proven technology, providing an efficient and reliable solution for SMT soldering applications. Made to deliver high performance, it is also an easy to use, reliable and efficient reflow system.
Some recent launches in soldering systemsIn April , Inertec GmbH launched CUBE 460, which is a fully automated system, and can be customised as per desired soldering angle with an optional camera for online programming and process verification.
By using SMT soldering machines, manufacturers can improve thermal conductivity and lower assembly costs, due to lower labour involvement and the use of less solder paste. Today, these machines are more technologically advanced and use the latest soldering technology, which can reliably solder surface mount components, particularly those with very fine pitch leads. In BGA, the pads are under the device and are not visible. Today, BGA solder techniques are tried and tested and have been proved to be very reliable. These machines are now available with advanced technologies.
DISPENSING SYSTEMS
The adhesive dispensing process transfers adhesives onto the PCB solder mask in a position suitable for holding the components until the PCB is wave soldered.
The equipment used for adhesive dispensing can be inline or offline. Choosing an inline or offline system depends on the particular job at hand. If the process is for small production batches, an offline dispenser unit will be adequate, but for high output placement lines, where the product cycle time is short, an inline system is necessary. For both inline and offline systems, three different dispensing methods are used—time/pressure, auger pump and piston pump.
Some recent launches in dispensing systemsIn June , Precision Valve Automation (PVA) launched a UV ultraviolet light curing oven, which uses UV lamps to initiate a fast ultraviolet light polymerisation (curing) of adhesives and coatings in an efficient inline process. Various UV beam widths are available to accommodate substrate dimensions. This model of oven is ideal when speed is of the essence, conveyor profiling is important, upgrading is a possibility, and when easy access is critical.
In November , Speedline Technologies launched Camalot FX-D, which is still in demand as it is a cost-effective dispensing system that features a unique ‘plug and play’ design.
REWORK STATIONS
Defective surface mount components can be repaired by using soldering irons or a non-contact rework system. A rework system is a better choice because SMD work with a soldering iron requires considerable skill, and in many cases is not feasible at all. There are essentially two non-contact soldering/desoldering methods—infrared soldering and soldering with hot gas. With infrared soldering, the energy for heating up the solder joint is transmitted by long or short wave infrared electromagnetic radiation. With the current technological advancements, one system unifies all essential process steps, offering manual to automatic soldering, de-soldering and placement, requiring only little action from the operator.
Some recent launches in rework stationsOK International launched the Metcal MX- soldering, desoldering and rework series, which offers increased productivity and process control, and is now available with dual simultaneous use ports. The MX- now features a dual simultaneous use option, which means that two hand pieces can work from one power supply at the same time. The dynamic option enables the two hand pieces to share an 80 watt power output, based on demand, adding even more application flexibility and speed.
In January , PDR launched the IR-E3 SMT/BGA rework system, using PDR’s patented ‘Focused IR’ technology. It has been specifically designed to cope with the challenges of repairing PCB assemblies. The system is tool-free, gas-free, modular and upgradeable, all of which produces 100 per cent yield BGA rework.
“Horizon iX platform is a well suited product for the Indian marketLeslie Chang, GM, DEK
DEK is an industry-leading provider of screen printing equipment and processes for a wide range of customers worldwide
EB: Did the fall in rupee affect your business in India?
At the start of the year, we experienced the impact of the currency depreciation where some of our customers held back their investment plan. However, those customers had started to invest in capital equipment in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. The automotive industry as well as the mobile communications sector remain the key segment of drivers for our business.
EB: Which DEK machines are popular in India?
The DEK Horizon iX platform is popular in India. It offers the freedom to configure the screen printer exactly the way one needs. You can start with an impressive array of features as standard, and then choose from an extensive range of options to optimise performance and value. This is one of the lowest cost of ownership platform. We not only enable effective SMT production but also drive competitive success for our customers through high yields, extended equipment utilisation and productivity improvement.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Smt Spare Parts.
EB: How is the Indian market different from other Asian markets for SMT machines?
Although we see high volume manufacturing in China, outside China we do see high volume manufacturing emerging in Vietnam and India. In terms of products, communications and automotive are key drivers for our products in India. Indian market has the potential to grow significantly, particularly in the automotive industry. Hence, we continue to invest in India. However, the market needs more awareness about SMT machines. The SMT market in India is very sensitive to service and prices. Customers want good service at a lower price. So we address these challenges first.
EB: How important is the Indian market for DEK?
DEK is very focused in India, and it has the largest market share in India. Besides our channel partners, we also have our DEK direct customer support group (CSG) engineers based in India to provide support to our channel partners as well as our key account customers. By being present in India, we want to assure our customers that we are here to support them as we continue to strive for world-class after sales service excellence.
EB: Are your products priced differently for India, since it is a cost-sensitive country?
We believe that Horizon iX platform is a well suited product for the Indian market. Our products help customers to reduce manufacturing costs and improve productivity. Our innovative vector guard high tension stencil is another example of innovation from DEK that help our customers reduced their overall cost of ownership by improved yield and improved productivity.
EB: Which segments are growing for SMT in India?
The automotive and communication industry remained to be the drivers for our electronics assembly business in India. With the recent announcement on the incentives initiative by the government, we expect to see growth activities in the other segments particularly the consumer segment (eg. manufacturing of the set-top box).
Check points for investment in SMT equipmentElectronics Bazaar, South Asia’s No.1 Electronics B2B magazine
Robert Voigt, DDM Novastar
A Pick and Place machine is the second step in a paste, place, reflow assembly operation. The “Place” function follows the “solder paste” function (stencil printer). The ‘place’ operation selects and delivers a component over the board and drops it into position. The simplest form of pick and place operation is by hand, that is, manually picking a component from a bin and, with the aid of a pair of tweezers and a magnifying glass, positioning it on the board and completing the operation with a hand-held soldering iron.
This method works well if you are only doing occasional boards. Other things to consider – the size of the components (big or small) – affect the time required to hand place and solder. Fine pitch components are another issue, where more precision and accuracy are required, and the human factor comes into play. The work then become more tedious and time consuming.
First, we will focus on machine-assisted manual systems for users interested in going from a couple boards a day to much higher production volumes. Fully automatic systems are complex enough that we’ll cover them separately.
PRODUCTION VOLUME
Let’s start by addressing production ranges for various types of machine-assisted manual systems. For purposes of comparison, since all circuit boards vary in size and complexity, we’ll talk about volumes in terms of components per hour, or CPH. This will help you to decide what level of automation you’ll need.
On the very low side of the scale – using a manual hand system – the only expense is the appropriate hand tools for non-machine assisted manual placement. At the high end of the spectrum, these machines are often modular or customized for high speed unattended operation. Buyers in this market are likely looking more at ROI than initial cost.
Manual and semi-automatic systems
A manual pick and place system is desirable for small, growing operations that need to increase their hand-held production volumes incrementally while also improving quality, thus reducing rework or rejects; however, the accuracy of placement is still limited by the capability of the operator. Benefits of a machine-assisted manual system include:
A machine-assisted manual system can be equipped with features such as an X-Y indexing table with vacuum pickup head or pen; ergonomic fixturing to help relieve operator fatigue; and additional fixturing for θ (rotation) and Z (height) positioning in addition to X and Y.
Fig 2: Component trays and feeders
Some machines offer an optional liquid solder paste dispenser, which is applied just before placing the component on the board if a stencil printer has not been used. Additional options include:
In most cases, machine assisted manual systems can be purchased with just the bare necessities, and desirable options can be added later as they’re needed.
Fig 3: A vision-assisted manual machine
Semi-automatic systems
Today there are very few semiautomatic machines still being made because of the increasing affordability of some of the more automated systems on the market. They were originally introduced at a time when the leap from manual to fully automatic systems was just too cost prohibitive and were made available with some features to assist the manual operation.
More correctly referred to as “enhanced manual” systems, semi-automatic pick and place machines typically include a computer interface with a vision system that shows where the components go, but the placement itself is still done manually. This type of machine helps the operator position ultra-fine pitch components more accurately for low-volume applications, an operation that is very difficult to accomplish using a simple machine-assisted manual machine.
Ease of use
Most pick and place machines will handle a fairly wide variety of board sizes, with a work table designed to accommodate boards up to 16” x 24”. There is also ease of control over the components, which aids in accuracy, along with a simple learning curve. In most cases, no training is required.
Don’t overlook electrical requirements. Make sure the machine you buy will plug-and-play in your environment without pulling in new wiring or else plan on an adapter/transformer.
AUTOMATIC PICK AND PLACE MACHINES
We will start by talking about two aspects of machine capability – accuracy and repeatability, and Pick and Place centering methods.
ACCURACY AND REPEATABILITY
For production machines, we typically recommend looking for a machine with accuracy of +/- .001” and down to fine pitch capability of 12 mil on a repeated basis. Less expensive machines often don’t meet this spec, so that’s something to be aware of.
Most low-cost machines will also not come standard with a computer or software which could help with the repeatability aspects if not the accuracy. While some may offer enhanced technology – most do not.
Check out DDM Novastar's wide range of Pick and Place Machines.
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PICK AND PLACE CENTERING METHODS
There are four (4) methods for pickup and placement:
1. Method 1: No centering mechanism other than relying on the component’s pick-up point for placement. In other words, the part is not physically centered after being picked up by the tool head, and if it’s picked off-center on the tool, it will be off-center when placed on the board. This is obviously not a very accurate placement method because there is no definable tolerance. You can expect to find this method used by hobbyists or instructors, but certainly not in any type of precision production environment. There are not many options available either, and long-term reliability is questionable.
Fig 4: Mechanical centering
2. Method 2: Mechanical centering jaws or fingers In this method, the component is picked up and moved into its center position in the X and Y axes on the pick-up head. Typically, this method is easy to set up and repeatable within +/-.001” accuracy. This centering method is generally found in low- to mid-range machines.
3. Method 3: Laser centering In this method, the component is picked up inline with a laser beam which detects the component’s center position on the tool head and recalculates the zero point of the part according to its position in the X, Y axes and rotational position relative to the head for an accurate placement on the board.
Fig 5: Mechanical squaring (older version)
4. Method 4: Vision centering Here, there are two types, Look-Down and Look-Up. Look-down vision will view the top of the component prior to picking it up for its pick-up location. It then calculate its center, compares it to its image file from the stored database, then picks up the component and transports it to its position on the board.
Fig 6: Look-up and look-down vision centering
The Look-Up Vision method is the most accurate centering method available. The component is first picked up from the pickup area, moved to a camera station that looks at the bottom of the component, and calculates its center position.
The Pick-Up and Centering Method you choose will have a great deal of influence on the quality and speed of your production needs, along with how to relate this accuracy back to the machine. But, that’s just the beginning.
As with any complex machine, there will be tradeoffs between cost and capabilities, some of which specifically relate to production accuracy and yield. We will address next:
To review, when starting the evaluation process, there are two defining factors to keep in mind which determine what category fits your machine needs. The first principal factor is CPH (components per hour), and the secondary factor is machine capability. While it’s constructive to start by understanding how production rates affect the type and performance of a pick-and-place machine, please refer to the prior two chapters for those ranges.
Machine capability is the second defining factor in helping choose the correct auto pick and place machine for your needs. In this chapter, we will address three aspects of machine capability that have a direct impact on final board quality and production yield.
COMPONENT POSITIONING SYSTEMS
Fig 7: Component Pickup Strip
After each component is picked up and centered in the tool by one of the methods described in the previous chapter, it must then be positioned accurately on the board, in an X-Y position. There are three methods commonly used for positioning:
Method 1: No positioning feedback loop In this system, the motor drives the part to a location on the board defined in the program by the number of steps in each X-Y axis, but there’s no way to tell if it actually ends up in the right place. These systems use stepper motors for positioning.
Method 2: Positioning with rotary encoder In this method, an encoder is mounted directly on the motor shaft and delivers position feedback to the control system; however, it only reports the motor position, and not the actual position of the x-y axis. This is dependent upon the remainder of the mechanical components that make up the machine. These machines can use stepper or servo motors. (and usually associated with cost)
Method 3: Positioning with linear encoder In this method, linear scales are mounted to the machine’s X-Y axes table and an encoder is mounted on the traveling beam that will be carrying the components. This method will report its actual position back to the control system and make corrections to the position programmed, if needed, to within a few microns of actual X & Y location for the component placement (which is typically 12,800 increments – or steps – for each inch of travel). The best machines in the this category uses servo motors.
NOTE: The quality of the encoder (the position feedback sensor), is an important element in the whole system and does affect accuracy.
Fig 8: All-welded construction
MACHINE CONSTRUCTION
When selecting a pick-and-place machine, you should be aware that its construction will dictate its effective CPH range and footprint, including considerations for the number of component feeders it can accommodate.
1. All-welded steel: The most accurate machine will have a frame that is constructed of solid welded structural steel tube. This provides significant stability necessary for accurate positioning and high-speed movement of X & Y axes. This construction method is recommended for ANY production environments, and it will remain stable without requiring ongoing calibration.
2. Bolt-together frame: Extruded aluminum or formed sheet metal frame will come with a lower initial accuracy than a welded frame and will need to run more slowly because it can’t handle the rapid inertia shifts of X – Y axis movement. Further, it will likely go out of calibration frequently, which will adversely impact labor time, downtime and yield. (Lower cost usually reflects a weaker construction.)
SOLDER PASTE / FLUID DISPENSING
Any pick and place machine should be capable of offering fluid dispensing systems. Most common liquids include solder pastes, adhesives, lubricants, epoxies, fluxes, glue, sealants, and more. This is a valuable option when building prototypes or one-off PCB assemblies that do not warrant the cost of a dedicated printer stencil or foil.
Fig 9: Work deck with component feeders
COMPONENT FEEDERS
If the machine’s production will be dedicated to a small number of components and type of job, it’s very easy to identify the number and type of feeders. However, that is not usually the case with contract assembly shops, since they don’t know what type of board and how many different components the next job will require. Some OEMs also need flexibility for a wide range of board configurations, especially if they intend to use the same machine for prototypes and several different production boards. So, it’s useful in those cases to consider a machine with the greatest number of feeder position and options that can accommodate the footprint your space can handle.
Types of feeders include:
Fig 10: Tape feeder
Since components are packaged in many forms, e.g., discrete components on tape, quad packs, matrix trays, tubes, cut strips, etc., your choice of feeders would depend on your production but also on any size restrictions you may have. A good starting point is to purchase the most feeders you can get in the footprint you have available.
SOFTWARE
When considering the purchase of a Pick and Place machine, one of the most important considerations is the software interface. There are three primary goals of a good operating system for users in the low to mid-volume range, defined as up to 8,000 CPH:
Fig 11: Machine ground holding plate
Ease of Use
Because small to mid-volume assembly operations must switch projects often, ease of setup and use is a much more important factor than it is for large volume operation where a single setup may handle a run of hundreds of thousands of components. The job-shop assembler must be agile enough to switch among a wide range of board sizes and component selections quickly to meet a variety of production demands. The machine must also be able to handle a broad range of component sizes, from very small to very large, without a strain on setup and testing.
In contrast, large production machines are often made up of several modules of pick and place systems, positioned in-line where they’re needed most for fine pitch parts, chip shooters, or optional tasks. This allows the high volume producer to customize a line to optimize production speed, efficiency and quality. In these environments, a longer setup can be tolerated, because it will be made up in production efficiency.
First, some basic questions:
Skill sets of the operator should be augmented by the machine provider with:
For machines handling over 8,000 CPH, expect a higher learning curve because complexity increases significantly.
Flexibility
An important utility to look for that gives the custom assembler great flexibility is a Universal CAD Translator function (UCT). The UCT allows users to import the pick-and-place data to the machine’s database to help create the program and scale it. When a project is begun, the user selects the program to run from an archived set of files. This permits quick change over from one board to another since all the programming is memorized.
Fig 12: Screen of Universal CAD Translator (UCT) Software Program
01. Text window displays the file to be imported and its location /path.Another feature to look for is a master feeder and component database. Once the operator stores component data, it’s there forever and can be accessed and imported into any new board configuration setup. This database grows as you add components, so over time, you’ll spend less time programming and more time producing. Often, the database will remember inventory, so as you use components, the remaining stock will always be available to check. This is a great feature for scheduling and inventory planning.
Be sure to see if the system you’re considering only stores data for particular boards rather than an entire component database. If so, it will only remember specific board component data, and it won’t show all available inventory.
Fig 13: Screen of offline simulation for optimization
Optimization
Certain utilities are often provided with a well-designed machine to aid in setting up and programming the system. One of the most important utilities affecting optimized performance is offline software.
Offline software allows the user to simulate the pick and place machine’s routine in a remote environment for programming. It can be installed on any computer and looks just like the machine’s GUI. It allows the user to manipulate the program to sort functions and modify program lines for most efficient use and speed, for instance, by aggregating like-type components in the same sequence, minimizing tool changes and the time it takes to perform those functions. It can also create board references for multi-boards prior to running on the machine.
To speed job change-over, software interface should include sub-routines for common operations such as setting up matrix trays, identifying strip feeders, and teaching for vision centering. Expanding on the last point, image interpretation should be clear and straightforward; if it isn’t – and the machine has a hard time recognizing a component – the result could be a misplaced component, resulting in a lot of unnecessary rework. A well designed software interface will capture a range of image qualities for each component type that are all representative of an acceptable part, and store it as an approved file. This improves speed, repeatability and efficiency, and final board quality.
Other considerations
Just as important as the physical features of a quality pick and place machine are the “soft” features. Make sure to check on:
VENDOR SUPPORT
When evaluating any type of SMT machine, consider factory support as one of the most important assets of your purchase. The best way to learn how a company treats its customers is by word of mouth. Talk to several customers to find out how happy they are with the machine, the seller, and the support they provide. Where is the manufacturing plant? Can they help troubleshoot alignment issues over the ? Do they offer field service? Do they have spare parts in stock for immediate shipment? While there isn’t much of a used market for manual, machine-assisted or enhanced manual pick and place machines, it’s still a good idea to ask your supplier about their older machines in the field, and if down the road, spare parts are available, and about their capability to customize a spare part if the machine becomes obsolescent. Ask what the expected life-cycle of the product is. The industry standard is seven years. Remember, there is a difference between a true manufacturer and an equipment supplier or distributor.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Yamaha Smt Nozzle. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.