Automated Printed Circuit Board Assembly Verification and Validation System

With the fast-paced evolution in the engineering field especially in electronics, the design of circuitry is becoming more and more complex. Hence, to make sure the Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) is designed correctly, the prototypes of the PCBA have to be tested and validated before moving on to manufacturing and production process. The InCircuit Test (ICT) and flying probes are too expensive to be applied for a prototype stage. Hence, the verification and validation (V&V) test for the prototype of PCBA is done manually by the V&V engineers. However, it is a complex and time-consuming process. Therefore, there is a requirement to improve the current PCBA prototype verification and validation. This project is proposed to assist V&V engineers to perform a V&V test for PCBA prototype. This project basically consists of a CNC machine, which has total five degrees of freedom with measuring probe at the end effector. Three stepper motors were used to move the x, y and z coordinate of the probe. The stepper motors were controlled by controller myRIO with stepper motor driver A4988. Besides that, another two smaller stepper motors were used for the probing mechanism. The probing mechanism was designed and simulated by using SolidWorks software. For software, the data extraction from the PCB file was done by the algorithm built using LabVIEW. In addition, a graphical user interface (GUI) was also designed and built using LabVIEW. The system was tested in terms of accuracy and consistency by using samples of PCB. The results from the evaluation showed about 70.83% of accuracy in average. Overall, the performance of the system is acceptable and the accuracy of the system can be improved by the implementation of closed-loop control into the system

Heuristic scheduling algorithms for dedicated and flexible manufacturing systems

Imperial Users onl

Image Analysis and Segmentation Based on the Circular Pipeline Video Processor

Visual inspection of printed circuit boards has generally depended on human inspectors. However, a system has been developed which allows for automated visual inspection using robotics and modern image processing techniques. This paper first introduces automatic visual inspection processes, overviews the Automatic Board Assembly, Inspection and Test (ABAIT) system, reviews image processing concepts and describes the Circular Pipeline Video Processor (CPVP). Image data from the CPVP is analyzed and an investigation into alternate segmentation algorithms to identify circuit board features is presented. The relative performance of these algorithms is compared conclusions drawn

New high volume production, production linkages and regional development: the case of the microcomputer hardware industry in Ireland and Scotland

The dissertation explores the regional development effects, via production linkages, of subsidiaries of multinational enterprises that have adopted New High Volume Production (NHVP) approaches, in non-core regions NHVP approaches are positioned amid other post-Fordist forms of industrial organisation. There are literatures that suggest that the adoption of NHVP approaches will have positive implications for regional development of non-core regions because of greater indirect, backward linkage, effects. Theoretically, local linkage formation or buyersuppher proximity in NHVP industries might be the outcome of three drivers. It can be driven by a search for efficiency in product flow/logistics, efficiency in formal information exchange in the context of inter-firm functional integration and by sociocultural and institutional factors enhancing information flow in a local milieu. This dissertation investigates the role of the first two drivers in shaping the geographical configuration of backward linkages in NHVP industries. This is done in a case study of the microcomputer hardware industry in Ireland and Scotland. The findings of the case study do not support the positive suggestions of greater backward linkage effects. A detailed examination of the supply chains of the subsidiaries of foreign microcomputer assemblers shows that the vast majority of components and parts were imported from the Far East and, to a lesser extent, the USA. It is shown that efficiency in technical information exchange was a relatively insignificant driver for buyer-supplier proximity, and how this fact was related to the particular way NHVP manifested itself m the microcomputer hardware industry. Similarly, in relation to most material inputs, logistical efficiency did not lead to buyer-suppher proximity. It is shown that the supply chains generally involved inbound inventories, stored in local warehouses - ‘hubs’ - from where the manufacturing lines were supplied on a very frequent basis. This logistical solution should, however, not be interpreted as sub-optimal. A detailed examination of the key logistics data shows that the inbound logistics pipelines were tightly managed and that inventory levels and shipment frequencies were consistent with modem comprehensive logistics management principles. The dissertation also explores the actual impact that the NHVP plants had on the quality and competitiveness of their local suppliers in non-core regions. The findings show that, although the subsidiaries of the foreign microcomputer assemblers created few local linkages, they had a significant positive impact on the quality and competitiveness of nearly all local suppliers they were dealing with