At the end of August, NSTU NETI graduates and employees developed the first Russian complex for precise solder paste application without expensive stencils. The invention significantly speeds up the process of modern small-scale assembly and can produce each printed circuit board (PCB) on average in 15 minutes. The robot will modernize the training of engineering personnel ensuring large-scale student entrepreneurship in Russia.
The development of NSTU NETI engineers is capable of producing any electronic equipment that uses surface mounting technology. The compllex can be used for prototyping for various industries, from consumer electronics to spacecraft. The robot's autovision and software ensure high assembly accuracy: about 30 µm (0.03 mm). Modern electronic components are so small that an ordinary person has difficulties distinguishing them, and the robot's autovision makes it easy to identify them.
"The complex is able to assemble boards for absolutely any equipment: from radio circuits to robots. We have improved it: the device has become more functional and autonomous", said Alexey Tsygulin, CEO of TDM Communications, Associate Professor of the Technological Machines Design Department and the Theoretical and Applied Informatics Department, NSTU NETI, Candidate of Technical Sciences.
The "Initsiativa" complex consists of an automatic pick-and-place machine for electronic circuit components (SMD components), a soldering paste application unit, an oven, and a program that works with the help of autovision. The system is intelligent, it adjusts to the necessary parameters of PCB, pastes, and electronic components and performs the PCB assembly.
The main advantage of the complex is a specially developed software that provides high accuracy of assembly and soldering paste application as well as size variability. It meets production expectations: it is not over-complicated and at the same time functional.
The complex allows a quick machine setting up for a new board production, quick reconfiguring from one PCB to another. It is compatible with all available files from engineering software for the development of the PCB and works with all known components. The machine places about 2000 components per hour. "Our main competitors are European manufacturers. The quality of our and European machines is comparable, but the new technology makes the price of our complex significantly lower, " says Alexey Tsygulin.
A special mixture of solder powder and flux, i.e. soldering paste, is applied under each joint in order to solder parts to the PCB. Previously, PCB production required stencils to ensure the exact application of the needed amount of paste; the automatic assembly of PCB with small components was impossible without stencils. Assembly machines could not provide accurate application of paste, and manual assembly of such small components led to an increase in defects. According to the developers, making stencils takes a lot of time and costs more than 10,000 rubles per single copy.
The automatic pick-and-place machine precisely positions the micro-components on a PCB, which is the basis of any modern electronic device. The solder paste is applied to the PCB with the developed dosing head. The oven melts the paste and thus connects the electronic components and the PCB.
"Our team develops modern telecommunications equipment. Previously, we applied soldering paste through a stencil to produce our own devices, which complicated our work. We had to order a stencil for each device and wait for the delivery. After that, we came up with the idea of creating an additional block for applying paste using software. We had difficulties with the paste being squeezed out in different portions. We developed many prototypes and tried out several algorithms, but we were still afraid that we would not be able to implement this project and make this part of the complex work. But it worked. Now we enjoy freedom for engineering creativity," says Alexey Tsygulin about the new function of the "smart" printer.
The invention of NSTU NETI employees will modernize the training of engineering personnel ensuring large-scale student entrepreneurship in Russia. Owing to the low cost and availability of equipment for any university in Russia, the complex will allow students to create new up-to-date devices. The development aims at promoting the TechNet market within the National Technological Initiative, as well as at training engineering personnel for the digital economy.
"Today, if a student comes up with an electronic device idea, they must spend a few days assembling it manually or find money for prototyping and a complex like ours. Unfortunately, not every city can boast having such complexes. These conditions are sure to discourage any desire for engineering creativity and entrepreneurship. After all, if a student has made a mistake in something, they need to manually make a new part again, and this can take some weeks. Not everyone has that much time and patience. Our complex allows high quality device assembly within a few hours; it also eliminates possible errors. Due to the low price, almost any university or college can afford buying our complex. It will make students technological entrepreneurship in Russia affordable and widely spread by significantly increasing the number of developments. In addition, local enterprises can place orders for prototyping at universities and colleges with such complexes", comments Alexey Tsygulin .
The "Initsiativa" complex elements have planetary names. The machine used for applying solder paste and installation is "Saturn". Numerous related equipment is named after Saturn's moons: Atlas, Greip, Skathi, Phoebe, Loge. Furnace is named "Mercury" after the hottest planet.
The cost of the complex complete configuration is 1.5 million rubles. About ten complexes have already been installed and five are in the process of delivery, including the ones for Ural Radio Engineering College in Yekaterinburg and the University of Nizhny Novgorod. Now "Initsiativa" assembles power plants controllers in "ENERGOLINE" and electronics in "AS-Siberia", Novosibirsk, drone control systems in research and production company "Autonomous aerospace systems", Krasnoyarsk, and electronics in research and production company "DonKont", Rostov-on-Don.
Video of the work of a robot for the production of small-scale PCB assembly