zetaPick & Place

What is a zeta Pick and Place machine?

zetaPick&Place is a type of robotic machine used for the precise placement of a wide range of electronic components onto printed circuit boards. zetaPick&Place machines are relatively complex and are used for assembling printed circuit boards. As the name suggests, zetaPick&Place machines pick up components and place them onto the circuit board. The machine has a head mounted on a bracket that can pick up and place components in reels, tubes, or trays on the circuit board. The heads use a small vacuum attachment to pick up chips and then release them onto the board. With advances in feeding technology, the reel format has become the preferred method of presenting parts to the assembly machine. Early feeders were much bulkier, and as a result, they were not designed for the mobile part of the system. Instead, the circuit board itself was placed on a moving platform, which aligned the areas of the board that needed to be filled with the feeder head from above. Accurate positioning is crucial because some components are very small.

To improve efficiency, zetaScout can be used as a monitoring system for the work area. This system allows for real-time tracking of the placement process, providing valuable data for process optimization. The zetaPick&Place machine is pre-programmed with information about the positions of the components so that it knows where to place them. This program is usually developed directly from the design of the printed circuit board.