Extended dynamic point specification approach to sequencing robot moves for PCB assembly

Abstract

In PCB assembly planning, most of the current works solved the assembly sequence and feeder assignment problem directly. They have not decomposed the problem into subproblems. Consequently, the problem remains very complex and, therefore, it is hard to solve. Few research works considered about the detail on how to determine the optimal picking points (or placement points), but results are still limited. The extension of these works is necessary. This paper extends the point specification problem based on the Dynamic Pick and Place (DPP) model, namely, the Extended Dynamic Pick and Place (EDPP0 model. The EDPP determined the picking/placement point coordinates from global consideration of point relationship in the system. The whole system is analysed to establish the new model. From this guideline the system is modelled in a systematic scheme based on the objectives of each object in the systems (robot arm, feeder rack, board table). These objectives should be satisfied together to reach the global objective of the system. Numerical experiment shows that the EDPP model is better than the DPP model in terms of total assembly time.