A method for skipping board cleaning and assembling of SMT patch equipment

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of SMT patch equipment's exempt from clear board jump splicing board operation method, it is applied to multiple splicing board PCB production.This method includes: in the PCB small plate to be skipped standardization fixed point mark is set in the scheduled reference position;preset the graphic recognition parameter of mark in equipment control program;start production, equipment automatically scans and identifies the mark and determines as the signal to be skipped, automatically skips corresponding small plate, whole process does not need to empty track.The application utilizes the combination of mark and equipment bad mark identification function, realizes exempt from clear board, non-stop line, zero communication automatic jump splicing board, significantly improves the efficiency of clear tail and identification stability, reduces cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of surface mount technology, and more particularly to a method for skip-paneling operation in SMT placement equipment without board cleaning. Background Technology

[0002] In surface mount technology (SMT) production, to improve efficiency, PCB assembly often employs multi-panel assembly (i.e., arranging multiple identical small boards on a large board). When production enters the final stage, i.e., the remaining quantity of the production order cannot be evenly divided by the number of PCB panels, the pick-and-place machine only needs to mount some of the small boards, skipping those that do not need to be mounted. This operation is called "panel skipping." Currently, SMT equipment, represented by ASM series pick-and-place machines, is generally equipped with badmark recognition functionality. In the panel skipping operation of the final work order, existing technology still mainly relies on the following operational process:

[0003] S1. Based on the requirements of the cleanup work order, the operator notifies the programmer to prepare the skip panelization program and informs the specific PCB board locations that need to be skipped.

[0004] S2. The operator clears all PCB boards from the pick-and-place machine track;

[0005] S3. Based on the information provided by the operator, the programmer manually modifies the settings in the pick-and-place machine control program, marks the small boards that need to be skipped as "ignore", and transmits the modified program to the device.

[0006] S4. The operator puts the board back on, starts the skip-panel assembly program to start production, and manually confirms whether the skip-panel assembly is correct during the production process;

[0007] S5. After the final work order is completed, the programmer needs to modify the program again to restore the previously set "ignore" board to normal production status.

[0008] The aforementioned traditional tail-clearing and splicing method has the following technical defects:

[0009] 1. Low production efficiency: Each cleaning cycle requires emptying the track, which takes about 3 minutes each time. It also involves multiple communications between operators and programmers and repeated program modifications, resulting in significant accumulated time loss and seriously affecting the production line's utilization rate.

[0010] 2. Long communication chain, prone to errors: Operators need to manually inform programmers of the specific board locations to be skipped. Information transmission relies on manual processes, which can easily lead to misunderstandings or omissions, resulting in quality issues such as skipping the wrong board or missing a board.

[0011] 3. Repeated program modifications: Before cleanup, the program settings need to be modified to "ignore" specific small boards. After cleanup, the program needs to be modified again to restore the original state, which increases the complexity of program management and the risk of errors.

[0012] 4. Lack of standardization: Different operators have different communication methods, marking locations, and program setting habits, making it impossible to form a unified and replicable operating standard, which is not conducive to cross-production line promotion.

[0013] Although existing SMT equipment is generally equipped with bad mark recognition capabilities, this function is currently only used to detect individual defective boards during the production process. There is no known technical solution to apply it to the final assembly process (single-step board removal) to replace the aforementioned manual procedures. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new method that can overcome these shortcomings and achieve efficient, stable, and standardized final assembly operations. Summary of the Invention

[0014] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for skip-panel assembly without clearing the board in SMT placement equipment, so as to improve production line efficiency, reduce human error, and save production costs.

[0015] A method for skip-paneling operation without clearing the board in an SMT placement machine includes the following steps:

[0016] Step 1), set standardized fixed-point markers at the predetermined reference positions of the individual PCB boards that need to be skipped;

[0017] Step 2) In the control program of the SMT placement equipment, preset the graphic recognition parameters corresponding to the standardized fixed point mark, so that the SMT placement equipment can recognize the standardized fixed point mark and determine it as a "skip" signal;

[0018] Step 3) Start production. During continuous production, the SMT placement equipment automatically scans and identifies whether the standardized fixed-point mark exists on each PCB board. When the standardized fixed-point mark is identified, the SMT placement equipment automatically skips the corresponding board and continues to produce the remaining boards. There is no need to clear the board material in the equipment track throughout the process.

[0019] Furthermore, the size and pattern of the standardized fixed-point markings are adapted to the optical recognition parameters of the SMT placement machine.

[0020] Furthermore, the standardized fixed-point markings are stickers or markings formed by laser engraving.

[0021] Furthermore, when the standardized fixed-point marker is a sticker, the sticker is a white circular sticker with a diameter of less than 3mm.

[0022] Furthermore, the sticker is made of matte white material, and the adhesive layer on the back is made of silicone to enhance the contrast between the sticker and the PCB substrate.

[0023] Furthermore, the predetermined reference position is: the upper left corner area of ​​the white silkscreen frame of the large-size IC device on a single PCB board.

[0024] Furthermore, in step 3), the SMT placement equipment uses its existing defect mark recognition function to identify standardized fixed-point marks.

[0025] The present invention adopts the above technical solution and has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0026] 1. This invention achieves automated skip-panel assembly without cleaning or line interruption by combining standardized fixed-point marking with the existing defect mark recognition function of SMT placement equipment. This invention eliminates the need to clear the tracks; the equipment automatically completes identification and skip-panel assembly during continuous production, significantly reducing cleaning time and substantially improving production line uptime.

[0027] 2. This invention achieves the skip panelization process by identifying standardized fixed-point marks through SMT placement equipment, completely eliminating the communication and confirmation process between operators and programmers, fundamentally eliminating errors caused by human communication deviations, and significantly reducing the error rate;

[0028] 3. This invention standardizes and solidifies the specifications, affixing location, and equipment identification parameters of the label into a unified whole, eliminating differences caused by human operation. Attached Figure Description

[0029] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments;

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the application location of the standardized fixed-point marking sticker of this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] This invention discloses a method for skip-paneling operation in SMT placement equipment, applicable to the final cleanup work order production of multi-panel PCB products in ASM series SMT placement equipment, specifically including the following steps:

[0033] Step 1) Set standardized reference marks at the predetermined reference positions of the individual PCB boards that need to be skipped. For example... Figure 1As shown, in this embodiment, the standardized fixed-point markings are in the form of stickers, specifically white circular stickers with a diameter of less than 3mm, such as white circular stickers with a diameter of 2.5mm. The stickers are made of matte white material, and the adhesive layer on the back is made of silicone to enhance the contrast between the sticker and the PCB substrate, ensuring that the optical recognition system of the SMT placement equipment can stably capture the markings.

[0034] The aforementioned predetermined reference position is the upper left corner of the white silkscreen outline of a large-size IC device on a single PCB board. This area is typically unobstructed by other components, offers a clear view, and has a fixed and uniform position, facilitating standardized operations. Of course, in other embodiments, other blank areas can be selected based on the specific PCB board layout, as long as the position remains consistent and easily identifiable by the equipment.

[0035] Step 2) In the control program of the SMT placement equipment, preset graphic recognition parameters corresponding to the standardized fixed-point marks, enabling the SMT placement equipment to recognize the standardized fixed-point marks and determine them as a "skip" signal. Specifically, the SMT placement equipment utilizes its existing defect mark recognition function to identify the standardized fixed-point marks. Through the SMT placement equipment's Bad Mark recognition setting interface, the recognition graphic is set to a white circle, the diameter is set to less than 3mm, and the position coordinates are set to correspond to a predetermined reference position. After completing the settings, the equipment determines the mark as a "skip" signal.

[0036] Step 3) Production begins. During continuous production, the SMT placement equipment automatically scans and identifies whether standardized positioning marks exist on each small board. When the SMT placement equipment detects a PCB board with a white circular sticker, it determines that the PCB board needs to be skipped, skips the placement operation, and moves directly to the next small board to continue production. Throughout the entire process, the equipment track always contains boards, eliminating the need to empty the track.

[0037] By adopting the method of this invention, the skip-panel assembly time for a single cleanup work order is greatly shortened, and the production line utilization rate is significantly improved. At the same time, the error rate of skip-panel assembly is significantly reduced due to the elimination of manual communication.

[0038] As an alternative embodiment, for PCB boards where it is inconvenient to affix stickers, laser engraving is used to form markings. Specifically, a handheld laser engraving device is used to engrave a circular indentation with a diameter of approximately 2mm at a predetermined reference position on the individual PCB board that needs to be skipped, serving as a standardized fixed-point marking.

[0039] Furthermore, the pattern of the standardized fixed-point marking sticker is not limited to circles; it can also be triangles, squares, crosses, rings, or other recognizable shapes to adapt to different device identification systems. The color of the standardized fixed-point marking is also not limited to white; it can also be black, red, blue, or other colors with sufficient contrast, depending on the color of the PCB substrate.

[0040] The technical solution of this invention is not only applicable to ASM series pick and place machines, but can also be extended to other brands or models of SMT pick and place equipment by adjusting the recognition pattern and parameters, thereby expanding the scope of application.

[0041] Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Without conflict, the embodiments and features described and illustrated herein can be combined with each other. The components of the embodiments of the present invention generally described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for skip-panel assembly without board cleaning in SMT placement equipment, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: Step 1), set standardized fixed-point markers at the predetermined reference positions of the individual PCB boards that need to be skipped; Step 2) In the control program of the SMT placement equipment, preset the graphic recognition parameters corresponding to the standardized fixed point mark, so that the SMT placement equipment can recognize the standardized fixed point mark and determine it as a "skip" signal; Step 3) Start production. During continuous production, the SMT placement equipment automatically scans and identifies whether the standardized fixed-point mark exists on each PCB board. When the standardized fixed-point mark is identified, the SMT placement equipment automatically skips the corresponding board and continues to produce the remaining boards. There is no need to clear the board material in the equipment track throughout the process.

2. The method for skip-panel assembly without board cleaning in an SMT placement machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The size and pattern of the standardized fixed-point markings are designed to be adapted to the optical recognition parameters of the SMT placement machine.

3. A method for skip-panel assembly without board cleaning in an SMT placement machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The standardized fixed-point markings are stickers or markings formed by laser engraving.

4. The method for skip-panel assembly without board cleaning in an SMT placement machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the standardized fixed-point marker is a sticker, the sticker is a white circular sticker with a diameter of less than 3mm.

5. A method for skip-panel assembly without board cleaning in an SMT placement machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sticker is made of matte white material, and the adhesive layer on the back is made of silicone to enhance the contrast between the sticker and the PCB substrate.

6. The method for skip-panel assembly without board cleaning in an SMT placement machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The predetermined reference position is the upper left corner of the white silkscreen frame of the large-size IC device on a single PCB board.

7. A method for skip-panel assembly without board cleaning in an SMT placement machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 3), the SMT placement equipment uses its original defect mark recognition function to identify standardized fixed-point marks.

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