SMALLSMT Vision Placer Pick & Place machines

[kaz911]

So will you offer a good discount for EEVBlog? (Some competitor are selling for less ... with free shipping

and how does one get shipping from Germany? The shop is not quite clear on that - or i'm tired.

[Smallsmt]

So will you offer a good discount for EEVBlog? (Some competitor are selling for less ... with free shipping

and how does one get shipping from Germany? The shop is not quite clear on that - or i'm tired.

Free shipping is possible ask sunny for a quote.
We have stock in Germany import tax already paid but invoice comes from China!

[kaz911]

So will you offer a good discount for EEVBlog? (Some competitor are selling for less ... with free shipping

and how does one get shipping from Germany? The shop is not quite clear on that - or i'm tired.

Free shipping is possible ask sunny for a quote.
We have stock in Germany import tax already paid but invoice comes from China!

Just checked your profile - are you in Bielefeld? Next to Bertelsmann & Miele in Guter-slow ... (Or Gutersloch) I worked there for a few years.

[harry4516]

VP30xx

We plan to start sales in January 2018

now its January 2018, please update us on the actual status. Thanks.

[Smallsmt]

I can't finish the development in time because of high development costs.
The electronics development is still in progress and I keep you informed when there is light on the horizon.

We released some new machines covering part of this VP30XX functionality.

Aktually there is a V2 software update covering some nice functions.
Our new VP-2500HP-CL32 is selling very good!

-Integrated paste and glue dispenser option possible!
-Ball screw servo motor machine.
-Linear guide lines.
-A lot of feeder lines  >> 32 CL feeder and 1x20 and 1x24 line push feeder plus up to 4 vibration feeder units!

https://www.smallsmt.biz/vp2500hpcl32-pnp-machine/

[Smallsmt]

We have new offer for VP-2500D  machine for 4995usd

Up to 20x 8mm push feeder North side included! 16 / 12mm feeder layout possible customization included.
26x push feeder West side included!
6 slot nozzle changer included!
Small tray included
Vibration feeder included!

Part size from 0402 to 20x20mm possible 0.65mm pitch standard

https://www.smallsmt.biz/vision-placer-budget-pick-and-place-machine/

[TJ232]

Hi Michael,

Are they are delivered from China?
Software support is done from China or Germany?

Any news about the "made in Germany" VP30xx series?

Cheers,
TJ.

[Smallsmt]

Hi TJ,

yes all of our VP2XXX machines delivered from China and V2 software support is done from Germany.

The VP30xx series is still on the way need still additional 50000€ to complete development hopefuilly finished this year.

Our mechanics is 100% finished but electronics and software still need time (money).

After final calculations no VP30XX will be sold below 25000€.
Regards
Michael

[harry4516]

>25k, thats a lot of money for a machine with only one software specialist.
If you retire, the customers are lost :-)

[mrpackethead]

>25k, thats a lot of money for a machine with only one software specialist.
If you retire, the customers are lost :-)

Small SMT has a big team of people working on it.  I just checked Micheal told me that quite a long time ago. Maybe things have changed.

[Smallsmt]

>25k, thats a lot of money for a machine with only one software specialist.
If you retire, the customers are lost :-)

We are still a team working on this project that's the reason for the high development costs!

I think you receive this problem in many ways if other companies stop working it is the same.
Our machines are modular build and it's allways possible to operate using a different software system like OpenPNP or what else.
If we close our company I will post the source code for futher development.

But finally we are still increasing our company and for the next 20 years there are no plans to close our company

In the past years we constantly developed new products and with over 100 machines sold all over the world we are quite happy about the results.

The VP-30XX is one line of machines we want to sell against competitors like Fritsch, Mechatronika, Autotronic ....
It's a totally different design using industrial grade parts from FESTO, MITSUBISHI, HIWIN and German custom build parts.
But finally our price is still below the other machines suppliers asking for.

Our current product range is from small hobbyist machine like VP-2000S to big VP-2500HP-CL32 fullfilling the needs of different sized customer needs on a very good price. We added dispenser option to our machines this year and doing continous software development.
 

[Kjelt]

What is your view on:
1) Using ballscrews with zero backlash ballnuts
Vs
2) Using belt driven soluion.

I see you make both machines.
I wonder since 1 has a inherit higher accuracy but is probably slower what the performance differences are.

[Smallsmt]

What is your view on:
1) Using ballscrews with zero backlash ballnuts
Vs
2) Using belt driven soluion.

I see you make both machines.
I wonder since 1 has a inherit higher accuracy but is probably slower what the performance differences are.

A belt machine need calibration if temperature change and over operation time (belt tension changes).
If no position feed back system used the precision of this kind machines is ok for >0.5mm pin pitch and 0402 placement.

Our VP-30XX use belt drive but has AC servo motors and linear measurement system on X and Y axis plus spindle drive on Z axis to compensate belt depending deviations.

The ball screw machine need only single time calibration and position is stable over long time. Our HIWIN ball screws receive 0.03mm precision over 300mm distance.
Over all precision for our HP machines is about 0.05mm.

The placement speed for belt and ball screw machine is equal because it depend on physical limits. You can't use higher speed without loosing precision.

VP2500D
- Belt machine need slower acceleration and break curve because belt is working like a spring when head stops. The head shaking when movement stops will decrease precision or you need to use slower Z axis speed.
VP-2500DP / VP-2500DP-CL16 / VP-2500DP-CL32
- Belt machine has closed loop stepper driver but belt tension will influence the final position so we don't have absolute position.

VP-2500HP / VP-2800HP / VP-2500HP-CL32
- Ball screw spindle machine has no head shaking because immediately stops on position only the servo motor regulation may need a short time to stabilize.
- Ball screw spindle machine use encoder in AC servo motors and are mounted directly to the spindle. We receive absolute position at high precision.

Another point if you use round rail linear guides you receive additional vibrations and head shaking because structure is not as strong as profile rail linear guide systems we use.
Profile rail linear guide systems have more rigidity and precision.

Finally the combination of profile rail linear guide systems plus ball screw spindles using AC servo motor drive with encoders receive the best precision. >> HP machine
For Z axis precision we use a linear belt drive instead of a simple spring and rocker arm system.
 

   

[Kjelt]

Thanks  that is a very interesting and nice solution to compensate for the belt parameters.
Am I mistaken or is the linear measurement system almost as expensive as a ballscrew spindle?
You probably need two axis on the X and thus two spindles and two motors which add up to the cost.

The servos could start and stop without vibration if you tune them on the system, pretty tough to get the PID perfect though but it can be done.

[IconicPCB]

It is even tougher to get linear feedback on belt driven axis.
As already pointed out any a belt will act as a spring and any slack in the belt will result in servo oscillations.

[Smallsmt]

It is even tougher to get linear feedback on belt driven axis.
As already pointed out any a belt will act as a spring and any slack in the belt will result in servo oscillations.

Ball screw is always better but if you need long axis it's too complicated to use ball screws.

[Kjelt]

Depends on what  you call long.
Till one meter a ball screw is quite ok uptil 8 m/min perhaps even more.
Longer axis I think you have to switch to rack and pinion mechanisms.

[Smallsmt]

Depends on what  you call long.
Till one meter a ball screw is quite ok uptil 8 m/min perhaps even more.
Longer axis I think you have to switch to rack and pinion mechanisms.

If the spindle is more than 800mm long.

[Smallsmt]

End of next month we release a new machine called VP-2800HP-CL64.

It has 64 CL feeder slots and 35x8mm push feeder. You can add 2 vibration feeder an North and one on South side.
We use new HD USB bootom cameras and double precision ball screw spindle.
Y axis has double linear guide line for high stablity.
The working area is bigger than 600x400mm.

We offer double with 6 slot nozzle changer and quad head version without nozzle changer.

[Kjelt]

Looks very nice, only one motor for the X axis is that enough for P&P ? With CNC they usually take 2 motors.
Price indication?

[Smallsmt]

Looks very nice, only one motor for the X axis is that enough for P&P ? With CNC they usually take 2 motors.
Price indication?

It has 1000W AC servo on Y axis and 400W on X so its is 100% more than our previous VP-2500HP-CL32 400W / 200W.
If you use 2x Spindle and 2x Servo motors on Y it's not easy to synchronize.
We use 3 linear guide lines and one powerfull AC servo instead. Compared to VP-2500HP-CL32 has 2 linear guide lines on Y.

Price indication about 15000usd.
The double precision spindles and bigger machine design are more expensive.
But machine is still cheap compared to other same quality machines.

[Kjelt]

It has 1000W AC servo on Y axis and 400W on X so its is 100% more than our previous VP-2500HP-CL32 400W / 200W.
If you use 2x Spindle and 2x Servo motors on Y it's not easy to synchronize.

Well it is not difficult.
It requires two homesensors (not perfectly aligned) and a one time calibration at factory time to determine the exact offset (in steps) between the two homesensors and you are done.
At init startup time you home once on the master Y1 axis, then home on the slave Y2 axis, if the offset is off from the factory offset you give the off axis the necessary steps and done (if you want to be picky you repeat the entire homing sequence).
This is how the cnc machines do it. They call it "tandem axes homing".
But it will cost extra ofcourse in an extra motor and spindle which adds up.
So for P&P where you do not encounter large forces this is more then good enough.

[mrpackethead]

Nice renderings.. Got any videos of the prototypes running?

[Smallsmt]

Nice renderings.. Got any videos of the prototypes running?

Next month!
Still in production the renderings are from construction files.

But what's the difference to our VP2500HP-CL32 ?? nothing!

If it's really interesting for you please watch the videos here https://www.smallsmt.biz/vp2500hpcl32-pnp-machine/

[Smallsmt]

We released our new desktop PNP VP-2800HP-CL22 a ball screw spindle machine using 22 CL feeder, 35x 8mm push feeder and 2 vibration feeder plus 300x400mm work area and 2 or 4 heads.



Please view our web information.
https://www.smallsmt.biz/vp2800hpcl22-pnp-machine/


QFP208 placement
https://youtu.be/flwlLsKl2Oc

placement result