Durable energy supply systems for electronics production positioning systems

• What was needed: energy chain from the E6 programme and energy chain from the E3 programme as preassembled readychain® systems
• Requirements: continuous operation of the system 24 hours a day, seven days a week requires high availability; low vibration and low abrasion are crucial for a trouble-free and error-free manufacturing process
• Industry: mechanical engineering, laser exposure systems
• Success for the customer: energy chains from the E6 and E3 programme are suitable for the cleanroom, run quietly, are therefore particularly low-noise and low-vibration and offer almost complete freedom from wear; the pre-assembled readychain® systems significantly reduce the project planning and assembly work for the customer

In the production of smartphone circuit boards, a significant increase in throughput can now be achieved compared to the past thanks to a special exposure principle using laser technology. At the same time, manufacturing costs are significantly reduced: important arguments in the mass production of electronic equipment.
Jena-based drive technology GmbH supplies precisely these exposure and laser structuring systems, which are later installed as mechatronic subsystems in the respective die systems. 
Today, around 140 PCBs can be exposed per hour. At least 30 smartphones with individual circuit boards with different circuit functions are assembled from a complete circuit board, a so-called panel. The continuous operation of these systems places particular demands on all machine components. The highly complex systems are in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. System downtime is therefore expensive and simply cannot be allowed to occur. Although the actual production conditions are unproblematic, the long downtimes make robust and reliable components essential, even in the subsystem.
The exposure table is a key component of the system. It has a size of 27" x 27". After loading, the PCBs are exposed. The table is lowered, transported to the rear and unloaded again. In the meantime, a second table has been loaded. The exposure process starts again. It is important for the scanning process that the movement is completely smooth and jerk-free so that there is no interference when writing to the PCBs. For the energy supply solution, this means that it must run absolutely smoothly and quietly at the same time. In addition to the uniform movement profile and smooth running, low vibration and low abrasion are crucial for a trouble-free and error-free manufacturing process.

Completely pre-assembled energy supply systems from igus® including strain relief, connector, guide trough and mounting plates are used to safely guide the drive, measuring system and compressed air lines as well as other media in the positioning unit. The main advantage of the so-called readychains is that they significantly reduce the project planning and, above all, the assembly work.
While two particularly quiet energy chains from the E6 programme prove their strength on the Y-axis over a length of approx. 2 m, the highly flexible energy chain from the T3 programme demonstrates its performance over a length of just under 400 mm on the Z-axis. Both systems are suitable for production under clean room conditions, which also prevail during the exposure of the PCBs and which is why virtually no abrasion may be generated.
The energy chain system E6 is particularly low-noise and low-vibration, which fits perfectly with the low-vibration drive concept of the linear motors in this application. The so-called polygon effect, which can occur when the energy chain unwinds, is reduced to a minimum. As there can only be a maximum of 2 µm between the target and actual position, absolutely uniform running is required. In this application, all cables are guided safely on the Y-axis with an inner height of 40 mm and a bend radius of 63 mm.
The energy chain system T3 is used on the Z-axis. It also combines smooth running with low noise levels. It is also easy to install. The interlocking side bands replace the conventional pin/bore connection and prevent relative movements between the joints. This results in almost complete freedom from wear, which makes cleanroom applications possible. The geometry of the T-belt means that virtually no polygon effect is created when the belt is laid down. It runs very harmoniously and smoothly and is therefore particularly low vibration and quiet. The solution is suitable for applications with low filling weights and short strokes due to its low dead weight.