Adjustable Carrier With Changeable Core For PCB Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current carriers for Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBAs) are not versatile and require separate designs for different types of circuit boards and manufacturing stations, leading to increased costs and potential loss of coplanarity during the manufacturing process.
Innovation Solution
A carrier assembly with an adjustable bottom frame and customizable core, formed from high-temperature grade plastic via 3D printing, which can be reconfigured to accommodate various circuit board sizes and used across multiple stations, ensuring coplanarity and reusability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a specific carrier is provided for each type of circuit board, then the carrier can be optimized for that specific board type, but carrier reuse is inhibited and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is divided into two functional segments: a reusable bottom frame and replaceable tops. This segmentation allows the expensive, complex bottom frame to be reused across multiple carrier types while the customizable tops provide board-specific optimization. The bottom frame includes adjustable components that can be reconfigured for different board sizes and types.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom frame is designed as a universal platform that can support multiple different tops for various circuit board types. It includes adjustable width and length mechanisms, allowing a single bottom frame to serve multiple functions across different manufacturing stations and board configurations.
2Reliability
If different carriers are used for different stations along the process flow, then each station can be optimized, but the need to remove and swap carriers may lead to loss of coplanarity
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the carrier into a reusable bottom frame and replaceable tops, the system allows optimization at each station without requiring complete carrier replacement. The bottom frame remains in place while only the top portion is changed, maintaining coplanarity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom frame includes dynamically adjustable components (width and length adjustments) that can be modified between uses without removing the frame from the manufacturing line. This dynamic adaptability allows the same physical carrier to serve multiple stations while maintaining precise coplanarity.
3Manufacturing precision
If carriers are designed for specific circuit boards only, then manufacturing precision for that board type is optimized, but device complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier complexity is segmented between the bottom frame (reusable, standardized) and the tops (replaceable, board-specific). This segmentation reduces overall system complexity by allowing a single standardized bottom frame design to be used across all board types, while only the simpler tops need to be customized for each specific application.
Data Source
AI summary
A carrier assembly configured to facilitate manufacture of a printed circuit board assembly includes a bottom frame defining a generally rectangular configuration and having a length and a width. The bottom frame is adjustable to vary at least one of the length or the width thereof. The assembly further includes a core releasably positionable on the bottom frame and configured to support a circuit board thereon. A carrier assembly system includes the bottom frame and a plurality of cores.