Since the advent of robots, the industry has entered a new development model. The assistance of robots has significantly reduced the burden on personnel and enabled more efficient production in industrial development. Today, the production model of "industrial robots + automation equipment" will become a new trend for the transformation and development of the PCB industry.
The PCB industry is a technology-intensive and capital-intensive industry, but it remains a labor-intensive industry as well. A large number of automated equipment requires manual operation and assembly line work, and a medium-sized PCB enterprise employs thousands of workers. With industrial transfer and upgrading, the implementation of the new Labor Contract Law, rising urban living costs brought about by economic structural transformation, and the management difficulties and high turnover of the post-80s and post-90s workforce, PCB manufacturers are facing increasingly severe labor shortages and rising labor costs, along with the resulting impacts on production planning, product quality, and profitability. At the same time, as robot performance improves and prices decline, the production model of "automation equipment + industrial robot operation" replacing the traditional "automation equipment + manual operation" will become a trend for the transformation and development of the PCB industry.
I. Types and Characteristics of Industrial Robots
An industrial robot is a multifunctional, multi-degree-of-freedom electromechanical integrated automatic mechanical equipment and system that can complete certain operational tasks in the manufacturing process through repetitive programming and automatic control. Combined with manufacturing hosts or production lines, it can form single-machine or multi-machine automation systems to realize various production operations such as handling, welding, sorting, assembly, and spraying without human participation.
Since the first generation of robots was introduced in the United States in the early 1960s, the development of industrial robots has been rapid, with increasingly widespread applications in production, making them an important highly automated equipment in modern manufacturing.
Industrial robots mainly consist of two parts: the body (including the mechanical trunk, motors, and reducers) and the electronic control system (including drives and control systems). Their function is to use the end effector to replace the human hand in grasping items or tools to complete different tasks. Currently, there are three mainstream types of industrial robots: SCARA (four-axis parallel joint robot), DELTA (parallel robot), and six-axis articulated robot (including six-axis and above multi-joint robots and derived dual-arm robots).
The most significant characteristics of industrial robots can be summarized as follows:
1. Programmability. The further development of production automation is flexible automation. Industrial robots can be reprogrammed according to changes in their work tasks and environment, so they can play an excellent role in flexible manufacturing processes with balanced high efficiency for small-batch, multi-variety production, making them an important component of Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS).
2. Anthropomorphism. Industrial robots have mechanical structures similar to human walking, waist rotation, upper arm, forearm, wrist, and gripper parts, and are controlled by computers. In addition, intelligent industrial robots have many "biological sensors" similar to humans, such as skin-type contact sensors, force sensors, load sensors, vision sensors, auditory sensors, and language functions. These sensors enhance the industrial robot's adaptability to its surrounding environment.
3. Versatility. Except for specially designed dedicated industrial robots, general industrial robots have good versatility when performing different tasks. For example, by changing the end effector (gripper, tools, etc.) of the industrial robot hand, different tasks can be performed.
II. Application Cases of Industrial Robots in the PCB Industry
Industrial robots were initially mainly used in the automotive manufacturing industry, completing welding, assembly, handling, and spraying work during automobile production, where the requirements for robot precision and speed were not particularly high. However, the PCB industry is relatively more complex. The application of robots in the PCB industry is mainly reflected in loading and unloading, flipping, sorting, positioning, and inspection functions at various processes, replacing manual operations to cooperate with PCB processing and inspection equipment. Due to the diversity and complexity of PCB boards—including single-sided boards, double-sided boards, multi-layer boards, flexible boards, rigid-flex boards, non-hole boards, and multi-hole boards—the requirements for front-end actuators are numerous. Additionally, the requirements for positioning accuracy and work cycle time are high, so the application of industrial robots demands high standards for robot technology and integration technology. Through nearly two years of exploration and practice in the industry, we have worked hard to help customers solve problems, meet customer needs, and accumulated experience in industry applications. Currently, for many process steps in the PCB industry, we have mature solutions, such as AOI, exposure machines, drill targeting machines (OPE, XZ), silver paste plugging, inkjet marking, browning pre-lamination, finished product loading, OSP, finished product cleaning, DOME film re-lamination, LCD assembly, etc.
Below are three representative application cases of robots:
1. Six-Axis Articulated Robot for AOI Inspection Process
Traditional AOI scanning machines rely on manual loading, flipping, and unloading of boards. One person manages two machines, performing repetitive and monotonous actions every day. Moreover, freshly produced circuit boards emit pungent odors that cause certain harm to the human body, and the infrared light emitted by AOI scanning machines is also a hidden hazard. We use one six-axis articulated robot to replace workers in loading, flipping, and unloading boards for two AOI machines. Each shift can complete the loading and unloading of more than 700 PCB rigid boards, with a comprehensive efficiency of 1 board/min (including AOI machine scanning time). If the loading and unloading transport line cooperating with the loading/unloading machine is further connected to an AGV for fixed-route transfer, fully automated production between upstream and downstream processes can be achieved.
2. SCARA Robot for Circuit Board Coil Inspection Process
Currently, complete sets of inspection equipment for multi-layer board coil shorts are still rare on the market. Most inspection equipment relies on manual operation. For PCB boards with large apertures, workers manually place the board on the inspection equipment and then start the equipment for inspection. For PCB boards with small apertures, workers need to manually hold the equipment (probe) to inspect each coil. We use SCARA robots to cooperate with inspection equipment for loading/unloading and alignment placement, enabling one-time inspection of all coils on large-aperture boards. For small-aperture boards, we use the SCARA robot's end effector to fix the probe, and through vision positioning, use the probe to inspect each coil. Our equipment also effectively avoids missed inspections caused by small or numerous coil apertures during manual operation. Compared with manual operation, it can significantly improve inspection efficiency and avoid quality problems caused by missed inspections.
3. DELTA Robot for Small Circuit Board Finished Product Boxing Process
Current FPC loading into trays is done manually by picking up each piece one by one and placing it into a blister tray. Since FPCs are soft and thin, they are inconvenient to pick up, greatly reducing efficiency. Delta800 plus a vision system can pick out qualified pieces from a messy pile of FPCs and place them into blister trays according to requirements, with results no less than manual work. Its speed can reach 60 pieces/min, fully capable of replacing manual sorting and tray loading.
III. Advantages of Industrial Robots Replacing Manual Labor in the PCB Industry
Like the automotive industry and other manufacturing sectors, industrial robots replacing manual labor in the PCB industry brings many advantages to enterprises.
1. Reduce labor, accelerate work pace, and improve work efficiency. Robots can achieve high-speed repetitive operations with work paces far exceeding manual labor, thereby bringing significant improvements in work efficiency and reductions in labor and management costs.
2. Improve operation precision and product quality. Robots can use programming and vision systems to achieve accurate positioning and repeatability, effectively improving product quality.
3. Avoid potential threats to workers' health and safety from the operating environment, saving investment in environmental safety.
4. Reduce efficiency and quality declines and accident rates caused by repetitive, tedious processes affecting workers' condition.
5. Optimize operation processes and reduce operating space.
6. Effectively reduce material waste rate.
7. Capable of 24-hour continuous operation and operation in dark environments.
8. Enable flexible manufacturing processes. In the future, the PCB industry will see more and more small-batch orders. Using industrial robots can greatly enhance production flexibility and achieve rapid order delivery.
9. Enhance brand image and reputation. The application of industrial robots further improves the automation level of PCB manufacturers, driving improvements in product quality, production efficiency, cost control, and responsiveness, thereby enhancing the manufacturer's overall competitiveness in the industry.
IV. Application Prospects of Industrial Robots in the PCB Industry
Currently, the application of industrial robots in the PCB industry is still in its infancy, with many issues yet to be resolved. Many production lines in the PCB industry are non-standard products. In the process of robot application, they are constrained by existing operating space, limited by original equipment capabilities, and affected by different PCB board material factors. It is also necessary to consider applying various sensors to improve robot intelligence, while also training a group of employees who can operate and maintain robots for manufacturers.
Future applications of industrial robots in the PCB industry will show the following trends:
1. From single-station or single-line application to multi-line application. It is relatively difficult for existing PCB enterprises to comprehensively introduce robots to achieve automated production, requiring substantial investment for transformation. However, single stations and single lines with suitable conditions can be transformed step by step. After achieving obvious results, the application scope can be gradually expanded.
2. From pure robot application to application combined with AGV and other intelligent equipment. Currently, material transfer between most process production lines is done manually. It can be implemented step by step using robots and AGVs combined to achieve orderly material transfer.
3. Existing factories will focus on local applications, while new factory construction will make overall planning and directly introduce robot and AGV applications.
4. Through the combination of industrial robots and the Internet of Things, the manufacturing process will become more intelligent and flexible.