Development of a semi-automated workcell for repair of printed circuit boards.

摘要

Printed circuit boards that comprise US Army electronic systems are repaired at Army depots. An existing automated diagnostic system determines the area of failure; either by identifying failed components or failed board traces. Currently, repairs are performed manually by trained technicians. A system is being developed for repair of through-hole printed circuit boards. It is comprised of many automated and operator-assisted functions to perform the multiple operations related to replacement of failed components. When completed, this system will demonstrate economic payback by reducing skilled labor requirements and decreasing rework. The semi-automated system integrates human operators into the process while maintaining high productivity. After several fully automated systems were conceived and modelled, it was found that the configuration that provided the best return on investment was comprised of a mix of autonomous and operator-assisted functions. 1 ref., 1 fig. (ERA citation 16:000972)