Pick-an-Place

[itsmoked]

A fellow EE and myself seem to have landed in this place of customers wanting 5 or 10 of this board or that board. Then wanting that same number in a couple of months. They may do this for eh, about a year, then want a design change and do it all again. Of course going to an assembler and getting bent-over because you haven't ordered 100 pieces is a problem. Sitting down and hand assembling them works but can be a PITA time consumer.

We're considering a Pick-en-Place machine. A little desktop one. Speed is not important as we're not a production facility. In fact slow is fine as sometimes a machine that finishes too quickly precludes one doing something useful between tendings, if you know what I mean.

Anyone got a small P&P they'd like to share their experiences with? Or know of one someone likes?

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[3DDave]

Have you considered a local technical school? A company I worked with did something like that for medical industry equipment.

 

[djs]

Check out SparkFun. They do small batches and can probably point you in the right direction.

 

[mudandsnow]

A machine sounds nice but if you don't find one, you could try building part holders to reduce the time you spend peeling components out of tapes, if you haven't already.

I just did this and it worked pretty well. Glue an enlarged print out of the PCB onto some hardwood and then drill a well where each component goes. Fill the wells with more components than you need and then pick and place from the holder to the PCB. When you're done, store the holder for the next run so you won't have to peel components out of their tapes again.

If you can 3D print, you might be better off printing an enlarged negative of your board instead of drilling holes in wood.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

The amount of time swapping out reels is a HUGE time-sink for something desktop-sized... doing it by hand (or letting someone else do it) is often better. BTDT. Add the cost of doing a few boards into the quote so the customer can see how much premium they're paying by getting only a few boards at a time.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[itsmoked]

Thanks for the suggestions.

3DD it's bad enough trying to get professional assemblers to do it right I shudder to think about a bunch of students learning how to solder on a commercial product.

djs; I take a look over there but..

mudandsnow; Have often thought about a DIY version using a CNC router type setup that 3D holders would work well with. But the last thing I need is another self funded development project. LOL

Dan; I hear you.. My buddy seems to have some 'investment money' burning a hole in his pocket and is hell-bent on getting a small PP machine. Here's the one he's spiraling around:
NeoDen3V

NeoDen3V



Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[3DDave]

As I mentioned - these guys were doing FDA monitored medical equipment. The students have already passed their practice classes and are building skills with an eye to getting hired under scrutiny of a faculty that is well aware they could lose the contract. Even with your small quantities I doubt that such dedication would go out the window.

It might still be worth it to give them a call and make a visit, if nothing but to see what option might be available.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

If your board contains more than say, 25 different components, you have to swap out all of the reels... or be willing to swap out half-filled boards for the same components and take the chance of jostling something. If you're only doing a small run of boards, as you say, then its a reel swap. If your friend wants to burn money, fine, but I think you guys will regret such a purchase.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[itsmoked]

I've learned that there is no dissuading him from such purchases so I just try to help him make the best possible selections and then use them myself to advantage. Occasionally it's an interesting win.

I hear what you're saying and was wondering how that worked. I do know that this machine has 50 part feeders so hopefully a little less reel swapping.

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[zappedagain]

I highly recommend Advanced Assembly in Colorado for small lot builds. They specialize in this and their pricing is reasonable.

Z