Optical Pick and Place Machine

Abstract

The current market does not contain a low-cost machine capable of building optical surface mounted devices (SMDs). This project attempts to design a machine capable of handling optical parts which are highly sensitive components that rely on accurate placement. The machine will be a mixture of existing technology and specifically designed parts. This machine was designed around a Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machine frame (OpenBuilds). A controller conducts all actions performed by the machine. These actions include motion along x-, y-, and z-axes along with rotational motion. There is also a dual-camera subsystem which helps the user to determine ideal optical part placement. The machine is reprogrammable by using opensource software. Overall, it will provide optical SMD design capability to a larger population by decreasing the cost of such a machine.