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0 pointscushychicken4y ago0 comments

I imagine having two little microbots working like tweezers. Theoretically, it's possible to manipulate the field to make one of the robots rotate. Two magnets rotating in tandem could make something like a tiny pair of tweezers.

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5 comments · 2 top-level

amelius4y ago· 3 in thread

The problem: there is solderpaste on the board before placement. Therefore, you have to bring the components to the board from above and push them into the solder paste. The suction based pick and place machines are well suited for this task. Tiny robots walking over the board (with lots of obstructions such as solder-paste and through holes) are not such a good match.

ncmncm4y ago

Suspend the board upside-down above the robots. They just need to smoosh parts on from below.

I.e., not practical, but fun to think about.

nynx4y ago

Actually, I bet this would be possible if the bots had a tiny magnetically actuated suction piston. You’d have to figure out how to create electromagnetic force in the z-direction independently from the x-y force though. Not sure if that’s possible.

Heavy components could be held by multiple bots.

cushychickenOP4y ago

Why couldn't the bots apply the paste as well?

I think of this being a tiny version of a home SMT assembly where you're dispensing paste and placing components manually, one at a time.

I also suspect that you can have the target PCB separate from the one the magnets move on.

Or have them be asymmetrical, one has the half-tweezer at the left side the frame, the other at the right.

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