Automated removal and replacement of surface mounted devices in electronic assembly

A unique robotic assembly, in-process inspection and rework cell has been developed as an extension of an assembly cell to deal with single sided printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) since rework of surface mount (SM) PCBAs are essential. The cell is capable of formulating and planning the rework based on the automatic test equipment (ATE) and CAD/CAM data and is able to remove and replace the standard SM and through-hole (TH) components automatically without an operator involvement. This paper specifically discusses the quality of SM rework for each rework step. It starts with the summary of surface mount rework technology and the development of the automated cell including the tools for automated SM rework and an overall system structure. It is followed by the evaluation of SM component rework. In this part, the results of automated removal and replacement of SM components are presented and evaluated including the rework steps of fluxing, component removal, pad cleaning, solder dispensing, component placement and reflow. It finally concludes with the economic justification of the developed unique rework cell and findings of SM rework evaluation.