Authors:
Mauro Queirós
1
;
2
;
João Lobato Pereira
1
;
2
;
Nuno M. C. da Costa
2
;
S. Marcelino
3
;
José Meireles
4
;
Jaime C. Fonseca
2
;
António H. J. Moreira
5
;
6
and
João Lobato Borges
2
;
6
Affiliations:
1
University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal
;
2
Algoritmi Center, University of Minho Guimarães, Portugal
;
3
DIB4T, Marinha Grande, Portugal
;
4
MEtRICs Research Center, University of Minho, Guimarães Portugal
;
5
2Ai – School of Technology, IPCA, Barcelos, Portugal
;
6
Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, Barcelos, Portugal
Keyword(s):
Cobot, PCB Assembly, Work Cell.
Abstract:
Flexibility and speed in the development of new industrial machines are essential factors for the success of capital goods industries. When assembling a printed circuit board (PCB), since all the components are surface-mounted devices (SMD), the whole process is automatic. However, in many PCBs, it is necessary to place components that are not SMDs, called pin through-hole components (PTH), having to be inserted manually, which leads to delays in the production line. This work proposes and validates a prototype work cell based on a collaborative robot and vision systems whose objective is to insert these components in a completely autonomous or semi-autonomous way. Different tests were made to validate this work cell, showing the correct implementation and the possibility of replacing the human worker on this PCB assembly task.