-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueComing to Terms With AI
In this issue, we examine the profound effect artificial intelligence and machine learning are having on manufacturing and business processes. We follow technology, innovation, and money as automation becomes the new key indicator of growth in our industry.
Box Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Shopping for a Soldering Robot
May 24, 2023 | Ed Zamborsky, ThermaltronicsEstimated reading time: 1 minute
When I visit factories, I witness what’s happened to our workforce since the pandemic. Sometimes it looks like operator separation for social distancing, working extra shifts to cover for lost or missing employees due to illness, workers who now work from home, or those who have simply found working no longer suits them.
We saw this great shift starting in April 2021, a year into the pandemic. Unemployment jumped by 10.3 percentage points to 14.7%, with the pattern continuing into July when unemployment passed more than 4 million. More people were home and not working, but they continued their same buying habits. This presented a challenge for manufacturers who had fewer workers and increased demand. What could they do?
One possible solution when you can’t hire skilled technicians is to look at automation, particularly automation for soldering. Robotic soldering systems, however, have always shadowed the hand soldering market. For many it was a “feature piece” for the obligatory factory tour just to demonstrate to potential customers they are forward thinking. Now it’s a reality to solve a true workforce shortage issue. But why use a robotic soldering system?
A Robotic Solution
Using a robotic soldering system can increase quality and produce a significantly higher process yield due to increased efficiencies of movement, higher precision for complex soldering locations, and higher repeatability of solder joints. These can only be achieved with properly designed robotic movements. You reduce the need for extensive operator training and overhead, as it’s faster to train the robot “operator” because it requires less skilled technical ability and a faster ramp-up.
But how do you find the right one for your needs?
While it may look simple, the hand-soldering process is a complicated orchestration of subtle hand movements carried out for each solder joint. These movements are combined with constant visual observation and feedback from a highly skilled operator, thus your soldering robot must have several key features to replicate this demanding process.
Continue reading this article in the May issue of SMT007 Magazine.
Suggested Items
Indium Corporation Expert to Present on Pb-Free Solder for Die-Attach in Discrete Power Applications
04/30/2024 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation Product Manager – Semiconductor Dean Payne will present at the Advanced Packaging for Power Electronics conference, hosted by IMAPS, held May 8-9 in Woburn, Massachusetts, USA.
Taiyo Circuit Automation Installs New DP3500 into Fuba Printed Circuits, Tunisia
04/25/2024 | Taiyo Circuit AutomationTaiyo Circuit Automation is proud to be partnered with Fuba Printed Circuits, Tunisia part of the OneTech Group of companies, a leading printed circuit board manufacturer based out of Bizerte, Tunisia, on their first installation of Taiyo Circuit Automation DP3500 coater.
Vicor Power Orders Hentec Industries/RPS Automation Pulsar Solderability Testing System
04/24/2024 | Hentec Industries/RPS AutomationHentec Industries/RPS Automation, a leading manufacturer of selective soldering, lead tinning and solderability test equipment, is pleased to announce that Vicor Power has finalized the purchase of a Pulsar solderability testing system.
AIM Solder’s Dillon Zhu to Present on Ultraminiature Soldering at SMTA China East
04/22/2024 | AIMAIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce that Dillon Zhu will present on the topic: Ultraminiature Soldering: Techniques, Technologies, and Standards at SMTA China East. This event is being held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center from April 24-25.
AIM to Highlight NC259FPA Ultrafine No Clean Solder Paste at SMTA Wisconsin Expo & Tech Forum
04/18/2024 | AIMAIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce its participation in the upcoming SMTA Wisconsin Expo & Tech Forum taking place on May 7 at the Four Points by Sheraton | Milwaukee Airport, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.