Automatic Inspection of Boards after the Mounting process [RICOH SC-20 internal case study]

NEW

Automated inspection of board mounting condition by SC-20 (hot-melt, chip LED).
A mechanism to trigger SC-20’s inspection by sliding the fixed jig under the camera, was established to improve work efficiency.

Example where the inspection accuracy, inspection efficiency and worker’s workload were all improved through utilizing dedicated jigs and limit switches.

Inspection Method

To prevent missing hot-melts and chip LEDs in the board mounting process, the introduction of a production warranty system was required to be installed prior to the start of the production process.

By introducing SC-20 and specially creating a device using jigs and switches to simplify operations during inspections, a system to carry out the inspection without unnecessary man-hours, was established.

By creating a fixed jig using a 3D printer, a device to move the inspection product directly under SC-20 using a sliding mechanism was constructed.

Checkpoints were set for chip LEDs and hot-melts using SC-20's [Shape] matching function. (Since the shape of the hot melt is not consistent, the [Inversion] function* in [Shape] matching mode may be used to enable precise inspection.)

Using SC-20's external device linkage function so that the limit switch installed in the back of the mechanism turns “ON” when the product slides in and inspection starts.

The inspector only needs to set the product on the jig and slide it to the back of the system to complete the inspection, thus speeding up the inspection process.

Inversion” = Inverting judgment logic. In the default logic, items with shapes similar to the master image will be judged as “OK”, while when using this reverse function, the camera will judge items with shapes different from the master image, as “OK”.

Effects after the Installation

Issues before the installation

Visual inspection required much man-hours to check all 10 points.
In considering the introduction of SC-20, automation seemed difficult due to the unstable shapes of hot-melt.

There were issues with manual inspection leakage, heavy workload, and work efficiency.

before the installation (image)

Improvements made after the installation

Visual inspections were eliminated, and inspectors may now start the automated inspection simply by setting and sliding in the product.
The hot melt inspection setup method was successfully established, automating the inspection process. Inspection omissions are now preventable.

Inspection omissions due to personalized tasks were resolved, improving both heavy workload and work efficiency!

after the installation (image)