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50 PCB007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2022 On top of the cost decrease, you can shi your employees' focus to maintaining the equipment, thus improving machine longev- ity and efficiency. If this is the direction you wish to take your PCB fabrication line, here are a few considerations you will need to get started. How Many Loaders Are Necessary? Before you consider automating your pro- cess with a loader bot, you will first want to think about the minimum number of loader bots you'll need to successfully automate your process. is number will depend on your answer to the following questions: • How many panels do you need to produce per day? • What is your conveyor speed? • How large are your panels? • How many processing lanes are you running (number of panels parallel on the same conveyor)? • Are there slipsheets that need to be taken off before loading or placed in between panels when coming off the conveyor? In most cases, you will just need two loader bots to automate your wet process: one for loading and one for unloading. Although this is the case for most, there are bound to be some exceptions. If you have small panels, high conveyor speeds, multiple processing lanes, or slipsheets involved in your produc- tion, you may need more than two loader bots to maintain the maximum production capac- ity without any errors. is is because to main- tain a production level of full efficiency, every movement of the loader bot needs to be pur- poseful. e loader bot can only move so fast and with each additional task you require the bot to take, the less time it will have to make sure your conveyor space is fully utilized. Even in cases where there are high conveyor speeds and slipsheets, the standard two-loader bots can still get the job done. However, if you find yourself with multiples of these special cases, you should tell your bot provider/rep- resentative about the conditions you are try- ing to obtain. From there, they can run tests and work with you to determine the minimum number of bots to run your desired process. Once you know how many loader bots you will need, then you will know how many resources you will need to spare for them. Base Necessities for Loader Bots One of the great things about the loader bots is that they do not require many resources to function. e main resources they need are power, air, and space. Some loader bots can simply run off a 9V wall outlet. Although they can run off simple outlets, it is wise to plan and provide a source of power that would be close to where the bot will be functioning. For safety reasons, it is best to arrange permanent wiring and avoid exten- sion cords. Air supply should be a relatively simple resource to provide for the loader bot as well. Since wet processing equipment typically uses compressed air somewhere on the machine, you can feed a line from that source to a regula- tor valve that would feed into your bot's head- frame for suction. Space is another resource that needs to be allocated to the loader bots. ankfully, the loader bots themselves can be easily mounted on the side of a machine. Since they will be on the side of a machine, they will likely take up space that will already be available and there- fore will not need much planning. However, In most cases, you will just need two loader bots to automate your wet process: one for loading and one for unloading.