New pick and place for 3D-MID

Citation

(2009), "New pick and place for 3D-MID", Assembly Automation, Vol. 29 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2009.03329bad.002

New pick and place for 3D-MID

Article Type: New products From: Assembly Automation, Volume 29, Issue 2

Moulded interconnected devices (MID) applications are in focus of the automotive and medical device industry. In such products, circuits are directly applied onto the surface of injection moulded plastic parts or are integrated part of these products. In a 3D-MID, SMD components are normally on multiple levels. Essemtec has developed a concept machine that can dispense and place in three dimensions and is capable for the 3D-MID technology (Figure 2).

The aim of these MID is to gain design freedom, rationalize the production process and increase environment protection by reduction of the material mix. For maximum room use MID are designed in three dimensions (3D-MID), where components must be placed in different height and in different declination. This enables to increase the functional density in products.

Figure 2 New 3D-MID pick & place from Essemtec

Essemtec has developed a machine concept for such production based on a highly flexible inline pick and place FLX2011-LCV. The placer is completed by a palette transport system, a five axis robot and a special dispensing head with two valves.

The free motion robot arm is located in the chassis of the pick and place. It grips the 3D-MID module from the transport system and positions it in the required position and declination for dispensing and placement.

The special dispensing head is equipped with two individual touch-less dispensers, one for the precise dispensing of solder paste, the other for the accurate metering of fast curing adhesive. Solder paste is applied to the electrical contact surfaces. Glue is dispensed on other locations to fix the SMD part until the reflow process and to absorb mechanical stress during the lifetime of the product.

After dispensing the SMD components are placed as usual with a vacuum tool. They are picked from feeders, measured and aligned by an optical centring system and then placed to the contact surfaces. Standard components are aligned on-the-fly with a laser system, for BGA, QFN and QFP a Cognex Vision system is used.

When all SMD parts are in place, the robot arm grips the MID module and handles it to the transport system which leads it to the reflow process.

The complete production cell is controlled by the pick and place which communicates with the robot and the transport system via an interface. Programming can be done by importing CAD data or by a teach-in process using the video camera integrated in the pick and place head.

The Swiss manufacturer of machines Essemtec is leader in the branch of flexible production systems for the industry. Essemtec develops, fabricates, and distributes equipments and machines for all processes of the electronic manufacturing: printer, dispenser, pick and place and solder systems since 1991. Manual, semiautomatic and full-automatic systems are obtainable. Transportation- and storing systems are also belonging to the range of products as well as software solutions for the planning, simulation, optimizing and documentation of the fabrication. All systems of Essemtec are optimized on maximum flexibility. The user shall be able to adapt from one product to the next as quickly as possible and to take the advantage at the same time from the production capacity optimally.