Many companies are leaning more and more towards automation of their manual Microscopy Inspection Processes. Even though, many of the processes still need some operator involvement, this doesn’t mean that the largest part of the repetitive operator activities can be automated. As a matter of fact, automating the repetitive activities enables the operator to focus on the essential activities of the process.
NSI Microscopy Inspection Automation Ltd. and Wick AG have worked towards an unique configuration of an automated microscopic inspection in combination with a high-end, industrial cobot. The combination of the off-the-shelf NSI Analyzer and the off-the-shelf SlimCell collaborative robot gives the customer every opportunity to optimise their inspection process.
The video shows our application for a PCB inspection, that has been put in place and gave the customer the opportunity to standardize their process, reduce the strain on the operators and improve the decision making. The robot takes a part from the storage tray and positions it in every possible orientation under the NSI Analyzer. Once in position, the Analyzer receives a signal and captures the image. The image is being analysed, while the cobot already takes the next position. After inspection the part is either placed in a pass-tray or in a fail-tray, and the results are stored or communicated to the customer’s MES system.
The robot that is used by Wick is an industrial Fanuc, adapted by Wick’s software team to have it collaborate with an operator within a shared space. The cobot is especially easy to teach and has a repeatability of 10 microns, which makes it ideal for microscopy inspection. The robot is mounted on a frame, that can be rolled in every possible location, to keep your floorspace optimized at all times.
The NSI Analyzer has been specifically designed for automating your manual inspection procedure. It not only measured the dimensions automatically, but it also checks the presence of parts, reads DMC codes, inspects for attribute defects and makes automatic pass/fail decisions. All images are stored to the unique DMC and any flagged defects are presented to the operator, for a final pass or fail decision. With a sub-micron resolution and an auto-zoom and auto-focus, the system is able to inspect on any level you desire.
The Cobot and the NSI Analyzer work perfectly together and by referencing the Cobot to three unique reference points on the microscope, you can easily reposition your equipment and use the cobot-microscope combination for different purposes. You can even use you cobot inspection combination for a 2nd or 3rd shift lights out production.
If you’re interested, please let us know and we would be happy to tell you more about this unique combination for your inspection process.
NSI Microscopy Inspection Automation Ltd.: (info@nsi-microscopy.com)
Wick AG: (wick@wick-ag.com)