Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/373246
September 2014 • SMT Magazine 19 with this manual process as the rest of the au- tomated line. However, we all know this is not possible. Human production is not as predict- able as automated production, and humans get sick, take vacations and need rest breaks. Em- ployee overhead is also an ongoing, ever-in- creasing cost. Though a robot would normally be a capital investment, the cost is over a 3–5 year range and becomes maintenance only. The cost of hiring is an ongoing expense that only increases year after year. A second common option for managing manufacturing out-of-spec items is through outsourcing, though this comes with its own unique challenges. Specialty companies charge a premium for their services, yet the manufac- turing company must give up control of the production quality when they make the deci- sion to outsource a process they are accustomed to owning. In some cases, sending a unit to a specialty shop for partial assembly may be the only option, but the cost and knowing that the quality are not within your control make this a difficult decision. If the customer of the final project has tight deadlines and outsourcing causes a delay, the company who outsourced is then in jeopardy of losing business. Much time and effort must be spent when looking for an outsourcing partner who can complete the out-of-spec work. The quality standards must be checked along with how timely they complete the work. When looking at the cost of outsourcing the price of paying for the work completed is only part of the total. how robots can Solve these problems Today's robots can solve these manufactur- ing issues, allowing for more productive and ef- ficient lines. In addition, the robots themselves are more cost effective than the ongoing costs of human labor. The cost of a robot is normally a capital investment that is analyzed by man- agement for return on investment (ROI). To do this, you must look at the overall cost of the operator, their production speed, and any qual- ity deficiencies. The purchase of a robot is nor- mally a 3–5 year payoff, after which the expense is reduced to maintenance and utilities. A ro- bot that matches the cycle time of the manual operation will most certainly surpass a human in efficiency over time. Robots are mechanical machines that are computer or PLC (program- mable logic controller) controlled. Calibration routines allow them to be tuned for accuracy and they are sold based on the re- peatability. Properly maintained robots will run processes they are designed to perform for thou- sands of hours without any change in accuracy or cycle time changes. When a process requires vision, robots use camera systems that are far beyond the capabilities of the human eye and can ensure better accuracy and quality. The ma- jority of SMT machines in the market today are designed to pick and place from tape, tray, and sticks. There are also parts without packaging that must be part of the line's process. Robots can handle these unique placements far more efficiently than an operator working on his own. These components without packaging can be placed on a pallet. The robot then brings in the pallet and finds the parts that can be placed, using a camera system. The robot then picks and places all possible parts. Afterward, the operator can shuffle or rearrange any parts left and retry. This eliminates the costly attempts to design packaging and feeding mechanisms for these parts. Some parts are presented for place- ment with leads parallel to the PCB surface rather than perpendicular. This poses a problem for the standard SMT machine's capability. This A rObOt'S pLACe IN Smt continues feATure figure 4: Manual operator station.