Currently, electronic products such as mobile phones, computers, and iPads have become standard features in people's lives, which has also promoted the rapid development of the electronics manufacturing industry. PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) are an important component of electronic products, and as electronic products develop towards high-end and miniaturized trends, the requirements for PCBs are also increasing. Currently, PCB manufacturers are accelerating the development of thinner, lighter, and higher-density FPCs (Flexible Printed Circuit Boards).
Surface mount technology (SMT) is a crucial step in the printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing process. It involves precisely mounting various functional surface mount devices (SMTs) onto their corresponding fixed mounting positions on the FPC (Film Processing Unit). These mounting positions are pre-defined by the SMT program using coordinate diagrams, mounting point diagrams, and the Bill of Materials (BOM). Previously, due to cost considerations and limited automation, this work was largely done manually, often resulting in low product yield and inconsistent quality.
A printed circuit board manufacturing company has adopted Delta's SCARA industrial robot workstation solution to replace traditional manual operations for FPC film removal and bonding, effectively reducing the probability of product defects, improving product quality, and increasing production efficiency.
Delta offers multiple robot workstation solutions tailored to the specific process characteristics of FCB (Flexible Printed Circuit) manufacturing. Each solution consists of three Delta SCARA industrial robots (DRS40L series), an I/O adapter board, an HMI (Hybrid Intelligent Machine), and a light source. The Delta SCARA industrial robot DRS40L series boasts superior speed, accuracy, linearity, and verticality, providing sensorless compliant control. It can adapt to deviations in flexible circuit boards during electronic manufacturing, quickly and accurately completing placement operations, significantly reducing scrap rates due to operator fatigue, helping companies improve production efficiency, and consequently lower labor costs. Furthermore, the DRS40L features diverse teaching tools and intuitive teaching methods, and its programming is simple and easy to learn, making it more adaptable and better integrated than other industrial robots with similar functions and performance on the market.
In each robotic workstation solution of this project, one robot establishes the user coordinate system for the material carrier, grasps and places the FPC at the workstation, and peels off the adhesive film from the FPC. Then, two other robots perform the bonding work. The three robots only need 1.5 seconds to grasp each FPC. The positioning accuracy of the film-peeling robot is ± 0.1mm , while the positioning accuracy of the two robots performing the bonding work can reach as high as ± 0.05mm .
During the project implementation, the Delta team encountered the problem of overlapping work areas between the two robots for the first time. Through a series of optimizations, they ultimately solved the collision avoidance issues between the robotic arms and the coordinate system issues between the two robots.
By adopting Delta's SCARA industrial robot integration solution, robots can replace manual placement operations. One placement machine can save a manufacturing company the labor of eight people and significantly improve the product yield. This is also a typical application of Delta's robot products in high-precision machining, proving that Delta's SCARA products are fully capable of handling the high precision and speed requirements of electronics manufacturing.
