Human-robot collaboration (HRC) with vision inspection for PCB assembly

• Main Author: Queirós, Mauro Daniel Monteiro
• Publication Date: 2022
• Other Authors: Pereira, João Paulo Lobato Oliveira, Costa, Nuno M.C. da, Marcelino, S., Meireles, José F., Fonseca, Jaime C., Moreira, António Herculano Jesus, Borges, João
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/90522
• topic: Cobot; PCB assembly; Work cell

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.