Wildcard Week

The assignment for this week:

Design and produce something with a digital process (incorporating computer-aided design and manufacturing) not covered in another assignment, documenting the requirements that your assignment meets, and including everything necessary to reproduce it.

Adventuring through the Wildcard week

Through the course, soldering was not my piece of cake. Though I enjoyed doing it at times, I would spend relatively a long time chasing the resistors and capacitors on the silicon pad with the tweezers or trying to place the LEDs in the right position based on the polarity. Somehow, soldering was taking time too, either the lead would be of too little quantity such that the connections were not properly made or the quantity would be too much such that it would flow to the nearby pad. When I heard about the M10V SMD pick and place , I really wanted to try out the machine. The Wildcard week was perfect for experimenting this. Though the real advantage is when you are placing components on PCBs of large quantities, I enjoyed learning about this machine with the help of my instructor, Saheen. It is all about teaching the machine once of how to identify the components and then showing it the exact location and position for it. The machine has an option to dispense soldering paste at the locations you want too. Once the 'teaching' is over, the machine is an exceptionally good student, the rest is cakewalk! It was quite fascinationg watching the speed and accuracy at which the components are placed.

About the MV10 SMD Pick and Place

The M10V SMD pick and place machine is a piece of equipment commonly used in electronics manufacturing for the assembly of surface mount devices (SMDs) onto printed circuit boards (PCBs). Its features and functions:

High Precision Placement: The M10V offers high precision placement of SMD components onto PCBs, ensuring accuracy in assembly.

Versatility: It is designed to handle a wide range of component sizes and types, from small passive components like resistors and capacitors to larger ICs (integrated circuits).

Vision System: Many pick and place machines, including the M10V, are equipped with vision systems that allow for precise alignment of components. This ensures that components are accurately placed on the PCB pads.

High Speed: These machines are capable of high-speed operation, increasing the efficiency of the assembly process and reducing manufacturing time.

Software Control: The M10V is typically controlled via software, which allows for easy programming of component placement patterns and adjustments to accommodate different PCB designs.

Feeder System: It utilizes a feeder system to supply components to the placement head. These feeders can be configured to hold various component reel sizes and types.

Ease of Use: Modern pick and place machines like the M10V often feature user-friendly interfaces, making them accessible to operators with varying levels of experience.

Reliability:Reliability is crucial in manufacturing environments, and the M10V is designed to operate reliably over long production runs with minimal downtime.

Overview of the process involved

Component Feeding: The process begins with component feeding. Components are typically supplied in reels, trays, or tubes. The machine is equipped with various feeders that hold these components and feed them to the placement head.

PCB Alignment: The PCB (printed circuit board) is placed on the machine's work surface. Before placement begins, the PCB is aligned to ensure accurate component placement. This may involve fiducial recognition using the machine's vision system to precisely locate reference points on the PCB.

Component Pickup: The pick and place machine's placement head moves over the feeders, picking up individual components using vacuum nozzles or other gripping mechanisms. The machine's vision system assists in accurately locating and picking up components from the feeders.

Component Placement: Once components are picked up, the placement head moves to the designated locations on the PCB and accurately places the components onto the solder pads. The vision system helps in aligning the components with the solder pads with high precision.

Vision Inspection: After components are placed, a vision inspection may be performed to verify the accuracy of component placement. The machine's vision system captures images of the placed components and compares them to the desired placement coordinates to ensure alignment within specified tolerances.

Soldering: While not part of the pick and place machine itself, soldering is the next step in the assembly process. After components are placed, the PCB is typically passed through a reflow oven or wave soldering machine to solder the components onto the PCB pads.

Quality Control: Quality control checks may be performed at various stages of the process to ensure that components are correctly placed, solder joints are sound, and the PCB meets quality standards.

Unloading: Once the assembly process is complete, the finished PCBs are unloaded from the machine for further processing or packaging.

How a Pick and Place Machine Helps with PCB Assembly?

A pick and place machine plays a crucial role in automating the placement of electronic components onto the PCB, which is a critical step in the PCB assembly process. It helps with PCB assembly in the following ways:
Automated Component Placement : A pick and place machine automates picking up electronic components, such as resistors, capacitors, integrated circuits, and other SMDs, from their reels or trays. It precisely places these components onto the designated locations on the PCB based on the coordinates provided by the PCB design.
High Precision and Speed: Pick and place machines offer high precision in component placement, ensuring each component is accurately positioned on the PCB according to the design specifications. These machines can work at high speeds, significantly improving the efficiency of the assembly process compared to manual placement.
Increased Production Throughput: Automation with pick and place machines enhances production throughput, allowing for the rapid assembly of PCBs in large quantities. Faster assembly contributes to quicker turnaround times for manufacturing, reducing overall production time and costs.
Component Variety and Complexity Pick and place machines are versatile and can handle various component sizes, shapes, and types.
Reduced Human Error Automation reduces the risk of human error associated with manual component placement. Pick and place machines operate with precision and consistency, minimizing the chances of misplacements or defects.
Improved Quality and Consistency Automated component placement results in improved quality and consistency across the production line. This consistency is crucial for meeting electronic device performance and reliability standards.
Advanced Vision Systems Many machines have advanced vision systems that can identify fiducial marks on the PCB, ensuring accurate component alignment. Vision systems also assist in detecting and correcting placement errors.
Assembly Flexibility Pick and place machines offer flexibility in production by allowing quick changeovers between different PCB designs.

Machine overview

The tape-on-Reel feeders are on the two sides of the machine as shown. They are similar to standard tape feeders but designed to handle larger reels of tape, allowing for longer runs without reloading.

This is the Quentorres board ( details here:)with the components that need to be placed on the board. The components are :

Xiao RP2040

Connector (1x 06)

Resistor - 499ohm

Resistor- 1Kohm

Switch

LED -red colour

Tray feeders are used for very small or delicate components. Components are arranged in a grid, which ensures they remain in place and are easy to pick.

The machine has feeders specifically designed to handle short strips of tape. These feeders can be loaded with the cut tape and feed the components. I have placed the switch and 1K resistors in the tape feeders.

Setting up the machine

Setting up Feeders

Click on the 'Feeder' tab as shown below:

Here, I have added 9 containers and 3 strips.

Here, all the containers and strips have been added.

Right click each feeder and click 'Set Pickup Position'.In the new popup window choose either manually type in the position of the tray or teach the machine by selecting Top Left Coordinate/Bottom Right Coordinate of the container.

Right click on the container and set height by focusing the camera in an empty container.

To setup the strips we can show the first and last component and the number of pockets.

Once all the container and strips details are given, we should assign the components to the containers and strips that has been taught now.

Adding a new part/component

When adding a new SMD component, we first go to "Browse Library," right-click on the file location, and select "New" followed by "Package." Enter the name of the new package in the Package window and click "OK."

In the window that pops up after creating the new package, the following sessions can be seen:

In the 'Specifications' section, we can teach in each component using the look -up and look-down cameras.

Setting the pcb

We should teach in the co-ordinates of the PCB.

Here, you should show the surface of the PCB.

Next, the fiducials which act as refernces for the board.

This is the first fiducial point.

Here, it is being trained.

Here, the point is confirmed.

This is the second fiducial point.

Program the machine

We can add the parts to be placed.

This is for adding the header.

This is for adding the switch.

This is for adding the Xiao RP2040.

The Xiao and connector were not picked initially. However, when I changed the nozzle number to 5 and 4 respectively, they were picked. After taking it to the look-up camera it didnt place it but threw it in the collector tray for failed components. Here, the video shows the Xiao RP2040 being picked up.

This is a video showing two failed attempts.

Here, is the video of picking the Conn Header but failing to place it but throwing it into the collector tray.

Placing the remaining components as shown below. Though, it tossed few components in the collector tray since it would have failed the image comparison test.

Successfully placed remaining components

Exporting the file as .csv

We can import the Quentorres file from here - Version 1(v1)

Open your .kicad_pcb file in KiCad.

Navigate to File > Fabrication Outputs > Footprint Position (.pos) File.

Select CSV as the output format in the dialog.Click Generate and save the file to your desired location.

You can download the .csv file here.

Importing the file to Mechatronika

Open Mechatronika.

Click on the "Program" tab.

Right-click on any blank space inside the "Parts Placement" section.

Select "Import."

Choose "Generic CSV file."

A window named "Generic CSV Import" will appear.

Import the file by pressing the button below "File name to import from."

The file will be previewed under the "File Preview" section.

Assign built-in parameters to CSV headers.

Click on the drop-down menu under each CSV header.

Match the corresponding header to the built-in parameter.

Ensure the unit is set to millimeters.

Click "Next."

In the next window, assign packages created earlier to the imported file:

Right-click on the package name under "Package Assignment."

Click "Assign Package."

The "Browse Library" window opens.

Select the corresponding package and click "OK."

Repeat this for all packages and click "Next."

In the next window, map any two of the components to find the relative position of the board in the bed

Right-click on a component in red.

Click on "Map to target position."

The control panel will open.

Position the component accordingly and click "OK."

Repeat this for all components in red and click "Next."

We can define the exact locations where solder paste dots should be placed. This is usually done by clicking on the pads in the PCB layout where paste is needed.

We can apply as 'single dot' at each location.

We can manually guide the machine to the points where paste should be applied.

Use the manual controls to move the dispenser to the first paste dot location and confirm the position.

Repeat the manual positioning for all paste dot locations required on the PCB.

Attaching the soldering paste cartridge

Locate the paste holder or dispenser on the machine.

Open the holder by loosening any clamps or screws securing it.

Insert the Soldering Paste: Take the soldering paste container or cartridge. Insert it into the paste holder, ensuring it is properly aligned.

Secure the Paste Holder: Tighten any clamps or screws to secure the paste holder. Ensure the paste holder is firmly in place and there are no leaks.

Dispensing

Everything is now set up, and you can dispense the paste:

Select the green dot at the top.

Press F12 on the keyboard.

The machine will start dispensing paste on the predefined points of each component.

To start placing the components:

Select the chip with blue legs at the top.

Press F12 on the keyboard.

The machine will start placing the components on the predefined points of each component as per the CSV file.

Manual Fixing

Now, since the Xiao RP2040, the Conn Header SMD 10POS 1.27mm and the Conn Header SMD 6POS 2.54mm couldn't be identified and placed by the machine, it was soldered manually using the paste onto the board.