Design and Implementation of SCARA-Based Electronics Assembly Solution

Small-scale electronics manufacturers have difficulty maintaining the same level of throughput as large-scale ones because they mainly rely on manual labor. In comparison, a typical company to which a small-scale electronics manufacturer is likened will undertake batch production orders, rendering investments in capital-intensive, high-capacity automation equipment impractical. SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robotic Arm) robots are increasingly used in contemporary industries for assembly operations, which often demand speed and precision, particularly where horizontal movement and minimal vertical compliance are involved. Due to their compact structure and the ability to perform repetitive tasks with high accuracy, they are predominantly used in automated manufacturing environments. This work proposes to bring the benefits of SCARA robots for small manufacturers by developing a low-cost highly configurable SCARA robot especially for electronics assembly. It uses a custom 3D printed cycloidal drive with a NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) 23 stepper motor, made open loop to decrease complexity and costs, and preliminary cycloidal drive experiments showed the theoretical accuracy to be 0.05 degrees but in practical tests delivered 0.046 degrees of accuracy and a measured backlash of 0.439 degrees. These results show the high precision, and repeatability and possible assurance to be delivered on performance by the robot in electronics assembly tasks. As an accessible and flexible automation solution, this initiative aims to empower small-scale manufacturers to have better productivity and independence from labor dependency and compatibility with the ever-growing current trend of adopting automation across all sectors.