Feeder replacement
AssigneeASMPT GmbH & Co. KG
InventorsJohannes JUSTINGER, Vincent PFEIFER, Fuyan YANG
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Feeders at a placement machine are replaced, automatically, according to a new protocol in which a partially-depleted feeder is temporarily moved from its slot to an external storage, a full replacement feeder is put in its slot, and the partially-depleted feeder is returned to a spare slot of the placement machine, from where its remaining components are picked.
Claims16
A method for supplying SMT-components within feeder modules to a placement machine during an SMT-placement operation, the placement machine comprising a plurality of slots, each slot configured to releasably receive a feeder module in use, and a first slot of the plurality of slots having a first feeder module received therein which contains a plurality of SMT-components which becomes depleted during the SMT-placement operation, the method comprising the steps:
- i) providing an exchange unit, the exchange unit comprising a storage for temporarily retaining at least two feeder modules, wherein the storage is provided with a second feeder module which contains the same type of SMT-components as the first feeder module,
- ii) commencing a replenishment operation comprising transferring the first feeder module from the first slot into the storage before the first feeder module is fully depleted of SMT-components,
- iii) continuing the replenishment operation by transferring the second feeder module from the storage to the first slot, and
- iv) transferring the first feeder module from the storage to a second slot of the plurality of slots of the placement machine.
A method for replacing depleted feeder modules at a placement machine during an SMT-placement operation, the placement machine comprising a plurality of slots, each slot configured to releasably receive a feeder module in use, and a first slot of the plurality of slots having a first feeder module received therein which contains a plurality of SMT-components which becomes depleted during the SMT-placement operation, the method comprising the steps:
- i) providing an exchange unit, the exchange unit comprising:
- a storage for temporarily retaining at least two feeder modules, wherein the storage is provided with a second feeder module which contains the same type of SMT-components as the first feeder module,
- ii) transferring the first feeder module from the first slot into the storage before the first feeder module is fully depleted of SMT-components,
- iii) transferring the second feeder module from the storage to the first slot, and
- iv) transferring the first feeder module from the storage to a second slot of the plurality of slots of the placement machine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.