Well, I thing mowing his lawn will get your farther, but if you insist....
Fids - Fiducial registration seems to be a bear with most machines. Especially now that most boards are shipped form over seas, the quality is all over the map. Plus the fact that the alignment of copper to board edge changes drastically, fiducial find is another area for improvement. Make recognition and the ability to adjust easy and through the software. Copy what the screen printer guys are doing � they seem to be light years ahead of the placement machine guys. Also, how about NO FIDS. Can you make it so you can place with no fids? As dumb as it sounds, it would be nice from time to time.
Hardware - Board sensors should be adjustable. Nothing sucks more that a large hole or gap in a board and the machine sees it as two boards.
Board support � make it automatic or semi-automatic. If you do, also make it so you can turn it off. This should be part of the board program software as well. How about something besides pins and holes in the base that clog with dropped parts? Edge board clamping is nice, but what if you could turn it off if needed?
Feeders � Seems like feeders are always designed by a guy that has never used one before. If they aren't hard to load, they are as fragile as a Quality Engineer's ego. 50 moving parts that need replacement after 100,000 placements is ridiculous. Anything made from plastic should be melted down and used as a "Try Again Stupid" trophy for the guy that designed it. Make the feeder adjustable between the various pitches so I don�t have to buy twice as many feeder (I know your Marketing guy just sh*t his pants). Make more that just tape and reel feeders.
Tray parts � Again this area of the machine seems to be developed by a different dept. Make it simple and easy to use. Make it a part of the machine � not something that dangles off the side of it like a diseased tick.
Software - Make it simple to use. Anything that is like Windows or Windows based is nice. Companies that have some creature buried in a dark room making his own version of how Windows "should�ve been" is no good. Organize Windows or screens so they are related or fairly accessible without having to drop out of one window just to tweak another, and then drill back into the original window. Make converting a program that runs on my left-to-right line work on my right-to-left line without having to recreate it. Special touch screen tools? Who thought this was a good idea? Part recognition should not be limited to the 5 different SOICs that your company uses to build your machines. There are more parts out there or will be out there than you are aware of. Make the software flexible so we can teach new or goofy parts on our own and call them what we want. Off line programming is a must.
PM - Most machines have to be down when performing preventative maintenance. Perhaps there could be a way to work around that without sacrificing safety? Zerk or grease fittings should be put in one location so the maintenance guy doesn't have to practice yoga with a grease gun. How about filters. Why are there filters for each nozzle? Why not just one filter since all you�re doing is keeping the vacuum clean. Sales may suffer, but maintenance will love it. Can anyone design a machine with an oil filter? I know draining and refilling 5 gallons of oil a month is great for sales, but what a waste. A perfectly designed oil filter would work wonders here. If you DO make your machine a monthly oil change machine, put a drain plug on it! Also put it in a spot where a 5 gallon can will fit. Sucking oil out with pumps is slow and painful. If you have a vacuum that handles all the cut tape scrap, make the scrap bin a garbage can or at least design the box you use able to pour the scrap into a garbage can. Making an extra large bin if fine, until little, 98 pound Maria has to empty it.
Other - If this is a turret machine, design the software so one or two heads can have a different nozzle configuration. Flexibility is always nice. Changing nozzles should be done automatically. If not, make them easy to change. A keyboard and monitor that does nothing so that the operators and techs that think they know more than anyone else can type away without affecting the actual machine.
This is just scratching the surface, but it should be enough for your Sales and Marketing people to hate you. And remember, a sharp mower blade means you have to cut less.
reply »