Design of a Multi-Mode Hybrid Micro-Gripper for Surface Mount Technology Component Assembly

Area of Science:

• Robotics and Automation
• Materials Science
• Manufacturing Engineering

Background:

• The rapid development of smart manufacturing and aerospace industries drives the need for advanced solutions in electronic board production.
• Current automated Surface Mount Technology (SMT) assembly machines lack the flexibility required for small batch and pre-production of heterogeneous components.
• Existing systems exhibit high rigidity, leading to significant set-up times and limitations in handling diverse component sizes and properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop an innovative multi-mode hybrid micro-gripper for versatile micro- and meso-SMT component manipulation.
• To address the challenges of reconfigurability and flexibility in automated assembly workstations.
• To reduce set-up times and improve the processing of a wide variety of electronic components.

Main Methods:

• Development of a hybrid micro-gripper integrating two distinct handling principles: vacuum and friction.
• Focus on hardware and software integration for reconfigurable and flexible device control.
• Design considerations for accommodating components with varying dimensions and material properties.

Main Results:

• Successful design and development of a multi-mode hybrid micro-gripper.
• Demonstration of the micro-gripper's capability to handle a wide range of micro- and meso-SMT components.
• Validation of the combined vacuum and friction handling approach for enhanced manipulation.

Conclusions:

• The developed multi-mode hybrid micro-gripper offers a flexible and reconfigurable solution for SMT component assembly.
• This innovation can significantly reduce set-up times and improve efficiency in handling heterogeneous electronic components.
• The device represents a key advancement in automated assembly for complex electronic boards in growing industries.