The fully automated assembly station VersaGlue takes components, such as lenses or dies from a loading area and mounts them by epoxy gluing with UV or thermal curing.
The large work area of up to 1000 mm x 1000 mm provides space for the positioning of device trays and support systems. The parts are presented manually or fully automated. Feeders or stop-motion conveyor belts bring the parts to the working area and collect the finished product.
The VersaGlue processes optoelectronic elements like VCSELs, photo diodes, laser dies and micro optics with highest precision while the passive placement of fiber ribbon cables is another major application.
Repeatable Positioning
Thorough design and continuous optimization of all functional groups lead to superior mechanical stability. Mechanical references with tight tolerances provide a repeatable manufacturing operation from device to device.
The pick-and-place motion system consists of high-precision motion stages with crossed-roller bearings. They are equipped with linear or brushless DC servo motors with optical position feedback for repeatable high-velocity positioning.
The camera system moves independently from the pick-and-place motion stack and carries the syringe or epoxy stamping tool for the resin. This assembly also holds the UV lamps or the light guides.
The motion stages are mounted onto a vibration-isolated structure. This solid set-up makes VersaGlue insensitive against disturbing external influences and provides a high stability during the assembly procedure.
Pick-Up with 360° Capability
The devices to be mounted are picked up from a custom loading jig or directly from a waffle or Gel-Pak. The pickup tool is centered underneath a rotational stage with a large aperture. The machine vision system recognizes the orientation of the device and brings the gripping tool into the correct rotational position for the placement. A preorientation of the components is not necessary.
Gripping with Force Detection
Different sizes of the devices to be picked are addressed with various sizes and shapes of the gripper tips and jaws. The force measurement allows for applying a repeatable pressure during the bonding procedure.
Benefits of VersaGlue
- Fast precision placement
- Modular design
- Large selection of grippers
- LED illumination with various colors
- Advanced machine vision
- Upgradeable to active alignment
Assembly Process
The epoxy is applied with a dispenser or with a stamping tool. The machine vision system monitors this procedure. After the epoxy is applied and the component is in place, UV guides or UV-LEDs are shuttled into position for the curing procedure.
The syringes of the dispenser or the stamping tool are mounted to the motion system of the camera which moves independently from the pick-and-place stages. They are mounted in a way that the camera monitors the application of the resin.
Powerful Machine Vision Capability
The VersaGlue Stations use automated machine vision algorithms. These include pattern recognition, object detection, edge detection and autofocus. The parts and features on the devices are automatically detected which allows for a repeatable gripping position.
Advanced Camera Systems
Several CCD cameras determine the position and orientation of the parts to be joined. The image acquisition with pulsed LEDs eliminates the disturbing ambient influences. Cameras observing a large working area and parallel cameras with high resolution reduce the image acquisition time substantially.
Adjustable Illumination in various Colors
Various brightness settings of the LED illumination provide ideal imaging conditions. Different colors help to identify even difficult surfaces and features which are hard to see. Standard illumination consists of coaxial lighting through the lens, a ring light from top and side-mounted LEDs with diffusors.
Integration into Production Lines
VersaGlue can be easily integrated into production lines. It communicates with other machinery in protocols like Smema. The system software allows integration with Material Execution Systems and the mechanical design takes the needs for the smooth transport of the work pieces into account.
Process Software
The automated processes run in the TestMaster process software. This software works with a direct user interface for teaching positions and adapting the process parameters.
The automated process flow is programmed in the YASE sequence editor. The customer has full access rights to this programming and can modify the processes as required.
This structure provides a smooth and secure operation of the systems in high technology production environments.
Process Monitoring
Digital inputs on the general machine control or on the motion controller are permanently monitored and can be displayed. Depending on the process, automated actions follow when an interlock or emergency function change the status. Also a possible power, pressure or vacuum outage can be detected. An automated shut-down can be executed depending on the conditions.
Remote Access
The remote access software works over a secured internet connection. The fast and easy access saves time in case any support or trouble shooting needs to be performed on the system. For safety reasons, nanosystec is only allowed to access the system when the user accepts. For each event, a new session is started.
