Automatic optical pick and place calibration and capability analysis system for assembly of components onto printed circuit boards

A method for calibrating a pick-and-place machine, comprising the following steps:

• a) loading a fiducial plate onto a workholder of a pick-and-place machine;
• b) loading a slide onto a part placement nozzle of said pick-and-place machine, said slide having a center target and an off-center target, each said target comprising a generally transparent window;
• c) placing said slide onto said fiducial plate with said pick-and-place machine being calibrated;
• d) examining alignment of a first fiducial on said fiducial plate with said off-center target on said slide, and alignment of a second fiducial on said fiducial plate with said center target on said slide;
• e) responsive to misalignment of at least one of said targets with one of said fiducials, adjusting key calibration codes in calibration software of said pick-and-place machine.

A method for calibrating a pick-and-place machine comprising the following steps:

• a) loading a glass plate having a plurality of fiducial dots onto a workholder of a pick-and-place machine;
• b) loading a glass slide onto a part placement nozzle of said pick-and-place machine, said slide comprising a center target and an off-center target;
• c) placing said glass slide onto said plate with said pick-and-place machine being calibrated;
• d) automatically examining alignment of first and second fiducial dots on said fiducial plate with said center and said off-center targets respectively through said glass slide using an automatic optical comparator, said center target and said first fiducial facilitating alignment calibration in X- and Y-axes and said off-center target and said second fiducial facilitating alignment calibration in rotational axis;
• e) responsive to misalignment of at least on of said targets and one of said fiducials, adjusting key calibration codes in calibration software of said pick-and-place machine.