Deformable Substrate Chuck Alignment for High-Speed Pick-and-Place
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surface-mount technology component placement systems are expensive, limited in the type of components they can mount, and operate at slow speeds.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing deformable substrate chucks and volatile lubricants for alignment, combined with metrology techniques and adaptive chucking modules to match substrate topographies, enables precise and high-throughput component placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional surface-mount technology component placement systems are used, then component placement can be achieved, but the system is expensive and limited in component type versatility
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic manipulation system is designed to handle multiple component types through a unified platform. The system can accommodate both surface-mount components and through-hole components using the same robotic arm, vision system, and control architecture, eliminating the need for separate specialized equipment for different component types.
Solution Approach 2:
A custom gripper serves as an intermediary tool between the robotic system and various component types. This programmable gripper can adapt its configuration to hold different component types (surface-mount, through-hole, etc.), enabling the single robotic system to perform multiple placement functions without requiring multiple specialized placement machines.
2Productivity
If traditional surface-mount technology component placement systems are used, then component placement can be achieved, but the placement speed is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The vision system performs preliminary detection and localization of both the PCB target locations and component positions before the robotic arm executes placement. This pre-positioning information is used to calculate optimal trajectories, allowing the robotic system to move at maximum speed while maintaining precision through real-time vision guidance during the placement operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces traditional mechanical positioning systems with a vision-guided robotic system. Instead of relying on fixed mechanical feeders and positioners, the vision system dynamically determines component and PCB positions, allowing the robotic arm to adapt its motion in real-time. This substitution enables higher speeds while maintaining precision through software-based control rather than mechanical constraints.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a robotic system with custom gripper is used to increase versatility, then more component types can be handled, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper is designed as a dynamic, programmable mechanism rather than a fixed mechanical structure. It can change its configuration through programmable control to accommodate different component types, transforming from a static tool into an adaptive end effector that responds to software commands rather than requiring multiple physical gripper variants.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripper's operational parameters (such as jaw position, grip force, and configuration) are made variable and programmable. By changing these parameters through software control, the same physical gripper can adapt to hold different component types, replacing the need for multiple specialized grippers with a single reconfigurable tool.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables cost-effective, high-speed, and versatile component placement on printed circuit boards, overcoming limitations of existing systems.
Implementation Method 1
a volatile lubricant is utilized during an alignment step
Implementation Method 2
one or more deformable substrate chucks utilized to match a topography of a bonding surface
Implementation Method 3
a coating of a transparent material on the substrate... allows light to be coupled in from a substrate periphery
Data Source
AI summary
A system for assembling a first substrate to a second substrate. One or more deformable substrate chucks are utilized to match a topography of a bonding surface on the first substrate to a topography of a bonding surface on the second substrate, where a volatile lubricant is utilized during an alignment step.