Automated assembly comes in various shapes and sizes depending on the types of products that require assembly. Assembly is a core work effort in the automated manufacturing process. Automated assembly contributes benefits to the automated manufacturing process and should be optimized to fit in with the other processes that have to be done in the manufacturing operation. Setting Up Industries There are four basic types of automated assembly that can be included in the automated manufacturing process. These are single work cell, flexible, synchronous, and non-synchronous automation. The optimum application of any one of these assembly types will have to be dictated by the configuration of manufacturing that will be used in concert with the assembly.
Single work cell automated assembly, as a part of the automated manufacturing process, performs the entire assembly of a product in a single work cell. This operation is best applied in high-volume manufacturing that requires for products with a small number of parts to be assembled to complete a given unit. This unit, once assembled, can be a finished product or it can be a sub-assembly that will be included in further assembly to build a finished product. In a lot of cases the single work cell automated assembly process can be just one part of several such work cells that build sub-assemblies for the production of other finished parts.
Synchronous automated assembly can be set up in the automated manufacturing process in either rotary, sometimes called circular, in-line, or carousel configurations. Any of these configurations requires that all the movement from work cell to work cell in the assembly process keep moving continuously. If any part of the assembly process breaks down or stops then all the processes in assembly will stop. There is no in-process inventory with this process. This type of set up is very effective for high-speed automated assembly because of its non-stop nature. The process runs as fast as the character of the machines and the parts will allow. Synchronous automation usually is used to assemble small, lightweight parts.
Non-synchronous automated assembly is a manufacturing operation that allows for the movement of products from one work cell to another at different rates. If there is a lot of time required for the completion of one step in the assembly process, and other steps in the process are performed at different rates, then this is the type of assembly automation that can be used very effectively. There may be some accumulation of in-process products at different points in the assembly process. The production rates for the non-synchronous assembly processes are inherently slower than the rates provided by synchronous processes. These slower processes have more flexibility in the types and sizes of products that can be assembled, so they are used in many more instances than synchronous assembly automation. The fact that in-process products can be accumulated between work cells allows these assembly processes to keep working in some areas if other parts of the process have stopped. The configuration of …
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Tips For Outsourcing PCB Assembly and Prototype Manufacturing
It often does not make sense to invest in expensive production equipment if you just want to spin a few prototypes and instead outsource your PCB assembly and prototype manufacturing to a reliable vendor. I will give some tips as to what to watch out for when looking for a contract manufacturer.
Many contract manufacturers will offer an instant quote mechanism on their website for manufacture of circuit boards and assembly of prototypes. This will save you time when comparing different vendors. Make sure that the quote system allows you to enter all of the details, such as board material, thickness, copper thickness, milling etc. so that you can get an accurate quote without any surprises later on.
Usually the cost per board will decrease as quantity increases. This is due to the fairly high setup cost of circuit board manufacturing and component assembly. Some vendors will use a system where they combine boards from several customers. This way the setup cost will be distributed amongst several customers. When you manufacture a product, you obviously do not want to have to manufacture a large quantity of boards right away while you refine your design.
One limitation with small-quantity prototypes though is that the choice of materials and material thicknesses will be limited. If you are using a special material then chances are there won’t be any other customers using the same material. In addition, lead time plays a big role in determining cost. A longer lead time allows the manufacturer more freedom in slotting your production. This is typically reflected in lower costs which you will see in the quote section. Obviously if you are in a rush and want to be moved to the top of the pile you will need to spend more money.
Make sure that your contract manufacturer will support the file format for manufacture that you provide. The most common format for PCB manufacture is the Gerber format but some vendors will also accept board files from common PCB software products. Some suppliers also offer in-house PCB design. Even if you design your board yourself, picking a vendor with design services may prove useful in case there is a problem with your files. In this case your vendor can make quick changes which will avoid costly delays.
When subcontracting PCB assembly, ensure that your vendor can assemble all of the package types that your board uses. Some vendors cannot assemble certain type of IC packages such as BGA, chip-scale packages or very small component types. If in doubt be sure to contact your vendor ahead of time.
Some contract manufacturers will carry an inventory of standard SMT and through-hole components. You will save time if you can pull from your vendor’s inventory Secondary Industry Def rather than purchasing each component yourself. Make sure to specify which components you wish to consign yourself when you upload your bill of materials.
Most vendors will also offer manufacture of the SMT stencil which is required for PCB assembly. …