10$ DIY pick & place tool!! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2014, 06:58:00 am
content: After long years of development and refinement I completed my design of a DIY pick & place machine. It has several advantages over other P&P machines such as:1. Main parts are 3D printable. Total cost of the minor parts ~$10.2. Provides positive air pressure 'puff' for definite part release. No more parts sticking to the needle.3. Ultra stable. No last minute shake due to finger release action.4. Ergonomic hand piece with very accurate control.5. Compact and portable. Can be carried by a single person for off site jobs.6. Stand alone. Does not require shop pressurized air supply.7. About 6 liters of vacuum capacity per part picking. Not like those whiny pen vacuum tools that don't work.8. 110V and 220V, 50/60Hz compatible. FCC approved.9. Personalized colors (collect them all!).10. No nonsense OSH license. All mechanical and electrical source files included. Sharing and attribution not required.I tested it today populating a ARM PRO MINI board (push buttons, USB connector, QFN MCU and 0402 resistors ) and it worked very well. I don't have a camera with me but will try to post a picture tomorrow.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2014, 10:02:15 am
content: Maximum board size ?How many feedstations ?Stick / tube fibrafeeds ?Reelfeeders ?Tray or matrix loaders ?Upward/downward camera ?Pin detection ?Where can i buy one ?

author: Falcon69
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2014, 10:06:20 am
content: I think He is talking about a manual pick and place tool, like a vacuum pen, yet, not a crappy cheap china made one with a little balloon inside for the vacuum.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2014, 11:01:05 am
content: Quote : After long years of development and refinement I completed my design of a DIY pick & placemachine. It has several advantageslMachine. Human body parts dont count. A seesaw or teeter totter is not a machine either.Machine means. Shove in boards and parts and push button. Anything else is a quack !Fcc approved. Fcc doesnt label humans....

author: Yago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2014, 01:37:07 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on December 31, 2014, 11:01:05 amOr has Zapta passed some emissions tests?

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2014, 04:43:54 pm
content: Below is a picture of the tool with an ARM PRO MINI board that was completely populated with it (including the QFN MCU, push buttons, USB connector and 0402 components).Initially I designed the handle for my pump + valve + pedal picker. It shape was inspired by a popular solder iron hand models and it works much better (that is, accurate) than the syringe barrel I used so far. The mouth piece was inspired by Mike's technical report athttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/100-smd-project-with-domestic-iron-reflow/msg25558/#msg25558and the cone thing in the middle is a universal fuel filter from a local Kragens store, just in case.Source files and 3D models are herehttp://www.thingiverse.com/thing:607270.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2014, 04:59:18 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on December 31, 2014, 10:02:15 amUnlimited.Quote from: free_electron on December 31, 2014, 10:02:15 amUnlimited.Quote from: free_electron on December 31, 2014, 10:02:15 amYes, yes, yes, both.Quote from: free_electron on December 31, 2014, 10:02:15 amStereo camera on gimbal.Quote from: free_electron on December 31, 2014, 10:02:15 amOf course.Quote from: free_electron on December 31, 2014, 10:02:15 amThe sub systems can be bought from sculpteo.com and ebay. Final assembly is trivial.The down side of this tool is the low throughput and the high labor cost, both are not an issue for most hobbyists.Apropos manual labor, check the The Birth of The Transistor series on youtube (posted here a few days ago). Rows and rows of Japanese 'transistor girls' hand soldering early germanium transistors in production lines with yields as low as 0.3%. We are spoiled brats.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2014, 11:49:06 pm
content: So it's essentially a pacifier for grown up electronics hobbyists ...

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2014, 11:53:49 pm
content: Very nicely executed!

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2014, 11:54:00 pm
content: Jesus, that thing invokes my gag reflex just looking at it, like keeping chewing gum too long until you involuntarily eject it.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2015, 01:03:26 am
content: Quote from: free_electron on December 31, 2014, 11:49:06 pmExactly. I was thinking of adding some flavor to it. Any idea how?

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2015, 01:38:21 am
content: Quote from: Mechatrommer on January 01, 2015, 01:34:52 amNotallPLA is foodsafe. And I sure only crazy expensive stuff is "biomedical approved", if any.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2015, 02:46:23 am
content: Quote from: zapta on January 01, 2015, 01:03:26 amSoak it in a good bourbon ? Goes well with the soldering iron smoke ...

author: Yago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2015, 02:54:09 am
content: Haha, looks like it should come with lube supplied!

author: Mr.B
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 01, 2015, 04:43:39 am
content: No, I think free_electron is closer to the mark...Deluxe model should come with a bottle of bourbon.Deluxe model only USD50...

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2015, 05:01:16 am
content: I will try to answer one by one...Quote from: Mechatrommer on January 01, 2015, 01:34:52 amNothing medical, food or drug here, just a tool.Quote from: Mechatrommer on January 01, 2015, 01:34:52 amNo saliva on the PCB here, remember, you such in, not out. Also, the fuel filter is very fine and I doubt any saliva will pass it (it's thicker than fuel).Quote from: Mechatrommer on January 01, 2015, 01:34:52 amWhen you deal with 0402, the tip cannot be too far from your eyes anyway but feel free to use any tube length you like.Quote from: Mechatrommer on January 01, 2015, 01:34:52 amThe needle is narrower than the airways of any asthma patient so the asthma is not the bottle neck in this design.Quote from: Mechatrommer on January 01, 2015, 01:34:52 amSmoking is so 20th century. All the cool kids vape. Some even harness the power of ArduinoQuote from: Mechatrommer on January 01, 2015, 01:34:52 amThe posting was silly but the tool is very real. I used it with a variety of parts from USB connectors to 0402 resistors and it very accurate. Definitely more effective than those passive vacuum pens like this onehttp://www.all-spec.com/products/V8901TENE.html

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2015, 05:03:49 am
content: Quote from: robrenz on December 31, 2014, 11:53:49 pmThanks. The design is based on your notion of minimizing the 'capacitance' (in another pick and place thread). The hand piece has only a small air passage with a larger chamber only for the optional release hole and so is the short tube.

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2015, 08:26:07 am
content: Oh my - your replies. I assume your joking. If so - hats off for a good trooling! (including HAD)If you're for real....you need to stop what your doing and go into marketing. Really cheesy marketing.

author: JoeO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2015, 01:19:32 pm
content: It is linked on Hackaday:http://hackaday.com/2014/12/31/3d-printed-smd-tool/

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2015, 02:37:09 pm
content: Quote from: george graves on January 01, 2015, 08:26:07 amSome tongue in cheek in the description but the tool itself is real and works great (I am a hobbyist, doing small boards at home, down to 0402).If you use a pump, just print the hand piece. Very ergonomic and accurate. Some may recognize the soldering tool that inspired it.

author: Yago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2015, 09:41:58 pm
content: Cheers for the giggles ZaptaI should imagine something like this comes into it's own once a hobbyist gets past making one or two boards at a time.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2015, 10:53:05 pm
content: Quote from: Yago on January 01, 2015, 09:41:58 pmThis tool is scaleable. if you make more boards at a time just 3D print more of it. ;-)

author: W8LV
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2015, 08:12:29 am
content: I made the mistake of buying that Monster vacuum pump via EBay, made in The Peoples Republic of Oomgatsa.... Boy, it REALLY Sucks! I had to enlarge the side pipe hole, and actually place the compressor on a separate table, since when switched on, it vibrates the entire table, defeating its very purpose....EVERYTHING on the table starts moving, like one of those old tabletop vibrating football games.... Caveat Emptor.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2015, 08:30:10 am
content: The vacuum pump of this design is typically very quiet in general. If there are wheezings, oiling it with a little bit of Ventolin fixes it.For electric pump I have had good experience with the one below. It's adjustable which is useful especially if you use a release hole (instead of a real valve) because you can adjust the residual force. Handle diameter is too small IMO and is not ESD safe (not sure how important this is). I am using it with a pedal and a 12VDC solenoid valve from ebay but I heard reports of people using a pedal to turn the pump on/off directly (simpler and hopefully good response time, I need to try it). Haven't seen hobbyist contraptions with positive pressure release.Pedal:http://amzn.com/B005GRCKM8(SPDT switch).Pump:

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 06:31:01 am
content: I am proud to announce that our R&D team recently completed the design of tape feeders for this pick and place machine. After aggressive cost reduction we managed to get the cost of 5 feeders just below $10 total when ordered from shapreways. You can see this open source design in this interactive 3D viewer:https://github.com/zapta/misc/blob/master/prototyping/smd_feeders/smd_feader_5x8mm.stl

author: iampoor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 07:44:51 am
content: When can we see this on mailbag?

author: artag
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 05:41:11 pm
content: I've got an OK Industries pickup tool that came from a hamfest.It has two ways to control the vacuum : a foot pedal that leaks air when you press on it, and a hole in the side of the pen that leaks unless you cover it up.No solenoids needed, and it works very well : you can normally ignore the pedal and just cover/uncover the hole on the handle to pick up and drop parts. If it's a very delicate placement and you don't want to move a finger, just press on the foot pedal instead.It doesn't have Zapta's advanced puff-out feature though !

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 05:51:30 pm
content: Quote from: artag on January 30, 2015, 05:41:11 pmSomebody mentioned somewhere else that he uses an electric pedal to turn the pump on/off. Probably longer response time but he says that this simple approach works.Personally I prefer release activation that is separated from the hand piece to avoid the shaking.

author: Falcon69
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2015, 07:22:45 pm
content: that may be me, in another post. I am currently awaiting the solenoid valve and the foot switch.I have gotten the vacuum pen and the hose/pump all working now, but without the solenoid valve or the foot switch, it doesn't release the parts unless you knock them against something. I should get those parts soon.I like this idea, except for one thing.....I'm gettin kinda old in my age, in fact, i'll be 41 next week. And in my old age, I drool alot. I can see that mouth piece and that tube getting all yucky with drool.But a great idea indeed. I have 16 ft of hose, and I tried that with my vacuum pen before hooking to the pump, and it takes alot for me to try and create enough suction to hold the parts. It may be because of the 16ft hose, or just my old age.I'm 41, but physically i feel 80.If this pump thing doesn't work with the solenoid valve and the foot switch, I will try it with a short hose and see if it works with mouth suction. If it does, where can I buy one of your 3D printed mouth pieces?

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2015, 07:59:01 pm
content: Quote from: Falcon69 on January 31, 2015, 07:22:45 pm16ft is very long. I use much shorter tubes, about 1' for the mouthpiece one and ~2' for the pump+valve one. I am using a 3 way normally closed valve. The picking is activated when the solenoid gets energized and when released, the valve releases the vacuums from the hand piece. Sticking the component into the paste helps with the release.Quote from: Falcon69 on January 31, 2015, 07:22:45 pmI don't sell them but I can print a free sample.Quote from: Falcon69 on January 31, 2015, 07:22:45 pmBiologically you are younger than Dave. ;-)

author: Falcon69
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2015, 08:45:47 pm
content: yes, but dave is in Australia. Everyone knows you age backwards there. Like the toilets that swirl in opposite direction.I just may be interested in a "free" sample, if this doesn't work.Yes, I know, 16' is too long, but I didn't want to cut those hose yet until I had the solenoid valve and figured out where I was going to put it.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2015, 09:12:20 pm
content: Quote from: Falcon69 on January 31, 2015, 08:45:47 pmDepending on your valve, you may also need NPT Male Barb Hose adapters. I had to order them separately.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2015, 06:23:40 am
content: Go to any pneumatic supplier and get push on fittings, they are cheap and easy to use. Get the polyurethane pipe there as well, as it is a lot more flexible than nylon tube. Has a shorter life though. Tubing has a special cutter, but a sharp box cutter blade works just as well.