Processor Controlled Assembly of Modular Power Units

The paper describes the planning and implementation of a production line where the bare circuit board is loaded by a feeder mechanism onto a conveyor and is processed through automated assembly machines, a progressive assembly line, and soldering and cleaning machines without a human intervention on the bottom side of the board. The output of the line is a functionally complete power converter requiring at most a few finishing touches and the normal testing and burn-in operations. The software designed to monitor and control the automated shop was implemented on a AT&T 3B20S computer using the UNIX* operating system.