Electronics SECTOR CHALLENGES
Cognex vision solutions address the industrial challenges faced by manufacturers and suppliers of electronic devices, who need to balance the safety, performance, and quality of production and packaging. Powerful and intelligent tools, Cira's offered integrated vision systems, code readers, and sensors collect information throughout the product lifecycle, enabling the achievement of optimal levels of quality and efficiency. From guiding handling robots, inspecting, detecting defects, to controlling alignment, measurement, positioning, and identification, Cognex vision solutions meet the comprehensive needs of electronic hardware manufacturers and suppliers.
Alignment component control
During the assembly of printed circuit boards, alignment marks essential for the proper positioning of various components are challenging to locate. With a diameter of 1mm, these marks are positioned at the same level as other components, and the cluttered background complicates their identification. Assembly of the boards is therefore impossible without the use of robots guided by industrial vision. By combining geometric recognition technologies (PatMax®) with motion control software, Cira's integrated Cognex vision solutions accurately locate the alignment marks. They guide robotic arms towards these marks, ensuring precise positioning of the components.
Assembly inspection
The widespread use of surface mount technology in printed circuit board assemblies has led to a reduction in component size, making manual assembly impossible. Due to the small size of the components, only high-resolution industrial vision inspection can identify incorrect positioning and reduce the risk of rework after assembly.
Defect inspection
Electronic devices such as LED and OLED screens can have defects that are invisible to the naked eye. The vision solutions offered by Cira, for example, can detect pixel defects without impacting the production pace, thanks to high-resolution color inspection systems. Another crucial element to inspect during the electronic device assembly process is the casings. These often have imperceptible defects like fine scratches, dust, or dirt. Cognex vision systems with feature detection technology and powerful lighting capabilities can identify and isolate these invisible defects, even in the presence of complex backgrounds, through the capture of high-contrast 3D images.
ELECTRONIC PRODUCT TRACEABILITY
Electronic device manufacturers use Direct Part Mark (DPM) codes to ensure product traceability. With the reduction in component size, some DPM codes are no larger than 1mm x 1mm and need to encode more information in a minimal space. Moreover, they can get damaged as components progress along the assembly lines. High-resolution barcode readers can read these DPM codes, even when damaged, where traditional reading technologies may fall short. Manufacturers then benefit from a straightforward and effective traceability control of all components. Part identification is also enhanced, contributing to a significant reduction in rework and scrap rates.
