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For the automation of PCBA electronic assembly production lines, do you think [assembly] is easier to do, or [test] is easier to do? Many movements of assembly can now be assisted by robotic arms, but can the test be done too?
However, to implement automation on the production line, the most lacking is "people" and "engineers" who adapt equipment. Because whether you use robotic arms to help assemble products or test, or use modular methods, the tolerance and adaptability of equipment and fixtures will be very important, otherwise a single error may result in a poor product assembly, or even Severe enough to crush parts.
In addition, the most worried about "automation for the sake of automation" during the implementation of automation, Shenzhen Grace Express recommends that whether automation is adopted or not, the return on investment (ROI, Return On Investment) should be used as the benchmark to evaluate whether to implement automation or maintain The original job is the most economical and cost-saving production, because in the end, costs and benefits can be considered.
Whole machine test automation
Taking the current production of "mobile phones" as an example, the automated testing of the finished product after the PCBA machine is assembled can use robotic arms to replace the previous manual tapping and touch screen scribing actions.
The rest is left to the self-test program (Diagnostic Test) executed on the mobile phone and the computer use wireless transmission (WiFi or BlueTooth) commands to communicate with each other.
The most troublesome thing is the actual plug test of the IO connector. If it is a mobile phone test, you may consider skipping it directly, because the current mobile phone only has a headphone jack and a micro-USB connector. If the board level has been tested, you may be able to directly Omit, or design "Auto-engage" device to achieve.
The final appearance inspection (cosmetic/visual inspection) can then be handed over to the image recognition system to perform.
PCB level test automation
The automated test of the circuit board level is currently considered to be a relatively mature piece. Basically, the circuit board test is divided into AOI, ICT/MDA, FVT and other types of tests.
Discussion on AOI/MDA/ICT/FVT/FCT/ATE several test methods after circuit board assembly
▪ AOI (Auto Optical Inspection): In fact, most of the AOI equipment has been set up on the SMT assembly line, so the automation of AOI is absolutely no problem.
▪ ICT/MDA: ICT and MDA are originally automated tests. The more troublesome part is the loading and unloading part. The automation currently seen is to design robotic arms to do automatic loading/unloading (loading/unloading) actions.
▪ FVT (Function Verification Test): In this part, you can also consider the use of robotic arms to automatically load/unload (loading/unloading), and the parts of FVT that need to be manually operated can also be tested by PCBA assembly, but You can use more test points and needle beds on the circuit board to achieve the purpose of testing.
In order to allow the robotic arm to easily pick and place the circuit board on these sides, it is generally recommended to use a drawer-type suction/exit device to replace the early clamshell device.
Circuit board level automatic assembly
In fact, PCB assembly is currently the most mature piece, because almost all of the current boards are produced using pure SMT, and SMT is also the most complete piece of automation in the current electronics factory.
If there are still some traditional plug-in parts, it is recommended to use the PIP/PIH process so that the traditional plug-ins can also be welded through the reflow furnace. Otherwise, automatic welding of the robot arm should be considered, but the welding of the robot arm requires a relatively large avoidance. space.
▪ What is the difference and impact of the process of changing SMD parts to through-hole solder paste (Paste-In-Hole)?
▪ Let through-hole components/traditional plug-ins also go through the reflow furnace process (paste-in-hole)
Automated assembly of the whole machine
At present, I see that more assembly automation should be the "screw lock" part, and it is also contended by a hundred schools of thought. Many manufacturers are focusing on this part, which can be used to suck and blow to automatically feed the screws, and some use machine-only robotic arms., It can be achieved with the traditional electric screwdriver and the traditional screw feeding machine.
The most difficult part of PCBA machine assembly is actually the "flexible cable (FPC)" assembly, because it is a relatively delicate assembly, and it is not easy to control the direction of the flexible cable, and the investment may not be proportional to the return.
There is also a need to require PCB manufacturers incoming materials to coordinate with automation to change the packaging to achieve a design that can automatically load and unload. Otherwise, it will lose the meaning of automation to arrange for an employee to arrange the parts there. It's just that the packaging cost will be much more expensive, so the assembly automation has not been fully introduced yet.
