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From single-station or single-line applications to multi-line applications. It is difficult for existing PCB companies to fully introduce robots to achieve automated production, and they need to invest a lot of money for transformation, but they can carry out step-by-step transformation on qualified single stations and single lines, and gradually expand the scope of application after significant results are obtained.
The PCB industry is a technology-intensive and capital-intensive industry, but it is still a labor-intensive industry. A large number of automated equipment requires manual operation and assembly line operations. A medium-sized PCB company has thousands of employees. With the industrial transfer and upgrading, the implementation of the new labor contract law, the rising cost of urban living brought about by the transformation of the economic structure, and the difficulty and mobility of the post-80s and 90s workforce, PCB manufacturers are experiencing more and more serious problems. The challenges of labor shortages and rising labor costs, and the resulting impact on production plans, product quality and profitability. At the same time, with the improvement of robot performance and the decline of prices, replacing the traditional "automation equipment + manual operation" production model with "automation equipment + industrial robot operation" will become the trend of the transformation and development of the PCB industry.
Representative application cases of robots:
1. Six-axis multi-joint robot is used for AOI inspection process
Traditional AOI scanning machines rely on manual loading, turning and unloading. One person takes care of the two machines and repeats monotonous movements every day, and the newly produced circuit boards will emit a pungent smell to the human body. Bringing a certain amount of damage, the infrared light emitted by the AOI scanning machine is also an invisible killer. We use a six-axis multi-joint robot to replace the workers in charge of placing, turning and unwinding the two AOIs. Each shift can complete more than 700 PCB hard boards. The overall efficiency can reach 1 piece/min ( Including AOI machine scan time). If it is possible to further connect the loading and unloading transportation line matched with the retractable board machine to the AGV for fixed line transfer, the fully automated production of the upper and lower processes can be realized.
2. SCARA robot is used for circuit board coil inspection process
At present, there are very few complete detection equipment for multi-layer board coil short circuit in the market. Most of the detection equipment relies on manual labor. PCB boards with large apertures are manually placed on the detection equipment and the equipment is turned on for detection. PCB boards with small apertures Need to manually hold the equipment (probe) to detect each coil. We can use the SCARA robot to complete the loading and unloading and positioning of the inspection equipment, and realize the one-time inspection of all the coils of the large-aperture board; for the small-aperture board, we use the SCARA device to perform the end fixed probe and locate it through vision., Use the probe to detect each coil. Our equipment also effectively avoids the missed inspection due to the small or large coil diameter during manual operation. Compared with manual operation, it can significantly improve the efficiency of detection and measurement, and avoid quality problems caused by missed detection.
3. The DELTA robot is used in the boxing process of small circuit boards.
The existing FPC trays are manually picked up one by one and put into the blister tray. Because the FPC is soft and thin, it is inconvenient to pick up, so the efficiency will be greatly reduced. The Delta800 plus a set of vision system can eliminate messy Select the qualified FPC from the FPC pile and place it in the blister tray according to the requirements. The effect is not inferior to manual. Its speed can reach 60 pieces/min, which can completely replace manual sorting and tray loading.
The advantages of industrial robots instead of labor in the PCB industry
Like the automotive industry and other manufacturing industries, the replacement of labor in the PCB industry by industrial robots brings many advantages to enterprises.
1. Reduce labor, speed up the work cycle, and improve work efficiency. The robot can achieve high-speed repetitive operations, which can be much higher than the manual work beat, which brings about a substantial increase in work efficiency and a reduction in labor costs and management costs.
2. Improve operation accuracy and product quality. The robot can use programming and vision systems to achieve accurate positioning and repeat accuracy, effectively improving the quality of products.
3. Avoid potential threats to workers' health and safety from the working environment and save investment in environmental safety.
4. Reduce the reduction in efficiency and quality and the accident rate caused by repeated and boring processes on the status of workers;
5. Optimize the work process and reduce the work space.
6. Effectively reduce the material consumption rate.
7. It can work continuously for 24 hours and work in a dark light environment;
8. It can make the manufacturing process flexible. In the future, there will be more and more small batch orders in the PCB industry. The use of industrial robots can greatly enhance the flexibility of production and realize the rapid delivery of orders.
9. Enhance brand image and reputation. The application of industrial robots has further improved the automation level of PCB manufacturers, drove improvements in product quality, production efficiency, cost control, and responsiveness, and improved the overall competitiveness of manufacturers in the industry.
Application prospects of industrial robots in the PCB industry
At present, the application of industrial robots in the PCB industry has just started, and there are still many problems that need to be solved. Many work lines in the PCB industry are non-standard products. In the process of robot application, they are limited by the existing work space, limited by the capabilities of the original equipment, and facing the influence of different PCB board material factors, it is necessary to consider the application of various sensors to improve the robot. At the same time, we must also consider training a group of employees who can operate and maintain robots for manufacturers.
In the future, the application of industrial robots in the PCB industry will show the following trends:
1. From single station or single line application to multi-line application. It is difficult for existing PCB companies to fully introduce robots to achieve automated production, and they need to invest a lot of money for transformation, but they can carry out step-by-step transformation on qualified single stations and single lines, and gradually expand the scope of application after significant results are obtained.
2. From the application of simple robots to the application combined with other intelligent equipment such as AGV. Most of the material transfer between the existing production lines is manual operation, and it can be distributed and implemented to realize the orderly transfer of materials with the combination of robots and AGVs.
3. The existing factories are mainly for partial applications, and the construction of the new factory will be planned as a whole, and the application of robots and AGVs will be directly imported.
4. The combination of industrial robots and the Internet of Things will make the manufacturing process more intelligent and flexible.
In summary, it can be foreseen that the PCB industry will apply industrial robots on a large scale in the future.
