Nidec Control Techniques has been at the forefront of customer-focused motor drive technology. Some of the manufacturing tasks can be strenuous work for the operators, potentially leading to repetitive strain injury (RSI). One task which had become a particular concern was inserting large capacitors into a tight interference fit on a circuit board as part of Nidec’s Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly. Nidec wanted to automate this task to reduce the chances of RSI and allow operators to work on less repetitive jobs.

The team at Absolute Robotics integrated a cell to work side by side with the operators to deliver the full power conditioning board build. Using the collaborative robot’s built-in vision and bespoke end-of-arm tooling for Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly. The large capacitors are picked up and shown to a laser scanner. The scanner examines the exact location of three narrow pins, allowing the robot to calculate the adjustments needed to precisely place the capacitor. Once all the capacitors have been placed, which varies depending on the board type, it then passes the board to the next operator who completes the build.

Nidec Control Techniques have now lowered the risk of RSI for its employees, allowing them to concentrate on less repetitive tasks. It’s important for all companies to look after their staff; Nidec Control Techniques, like many others, found that collaborative robots are a great way to help achieve this.