A Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) is a piece of electrical equipment that supports and connects the electrical and electronic components. It uses conductive tracks, pads, and features that are etched from copper layers, laminated on or between the sheet layers of a substrate that is non-conductive. The components are usually soldered on the PCB to connect them electrically and mechanically.
How to Get a Custom PCBA
Step1. The first step in designing a custom PCB is in creating a schematic view. ;
The required component is placed on a canvas and their pins are connected with lines that represent the electrical connections. The components usually are taken from a component library which is a part of the design software.
There may be multiple variations of the same components depending upon the type of package being used e.g. dual inline package or a surface mounted chip. The packages may seem the same in the schematic view but are very different in the layout view where the board is actually designed.
Apart from the components and their electrical connections, power, and ground signals are also needed. Also, connectors have to be placed on the PCB to make a place for power and ground. The board also needs to be connected to external devices such as potentiometers and LEDs etc.
Step 2. Once everything is placed in its place, an electric rule check is run to ensure no evident faults. ;
These may include breaks in wires or connections or any missing connection to ground or power etc. Once the schematic is done, the board layout view is checked.
Step 3. The components are moved at proper places that make good sense.
Step 4. For the board production, signals are assigned to each layer and varying signals on a single layer cannot touch.
Step 5. After the signals are laid, a design rule check needs to run to ensure proper placement of holes, traces, etc. These rules can be customized as well.
Step 6. If the design is approved, the design files can be uploaded. ;
Automatic Guided Vehicles
Computer-controlled and wheel-based, automatic guided vehicles (AGV) are load carriers that travel along the floor of a facility without an onboard operator or driver. Their movement is directed by a combination of software and sensor-based guidance systems. Because they move on a predictable path with precisely controlled acceleration and deceleration and include automatic obstacle detection bumpers, AGV ;provides safe movement of loads. Typical AGV applications include transportation of raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods in support of manufacturing production lines, and storage/retrieval or other movements in support of picking in warehousing and distribution applications.
What Is an Automatic Guided Vehicle?
There are several types of AGVs. These include:
Automated carts - The simplest kind of AGV with minimal features for the lowest cost implementation.
Unit load AGVs - Individual vehicles that transport loads (typically pallets, bins, carts, or bundles) on forks or on the AGV's deck. Roll-handling AGVs specifically handle heavy rolls of steel or paper.
Tugger AGVs – Powered units pulling a series of non-motorized trailers that each carries a load.
Automated forklift AGVs - An existing forklift truck whose controls have been converted to allow unmanned operation
Typically battery-powered, AGV systems consist of multiple vehicles that navigate along pre-defined guide paths. Vehicles navigate in the facility using several guidance technologies including floor-surface mounted magnetic tape or bars, lasers, optical sensors, and magnet/gyroscope-based inertial guidance. These guidance technologies make it easy to change the routes and expand the AGV system in response to facility changes for a flexible and scalable material handling solution.
For real-time control and monitoring of multiple AGVs, computer-based software uses wireless connections to collect data about each unit’s current location, then interfaces with software for destination and routing logic. The software directs the vehicles' travel by wirelessly communicating specific tasks to the AGVs via radio frequency (RF). Instructions include stops, starts, changing speed, lifting, lowering, multi-point turns, reverses, diverging from the guide path, and interfacing with other material handling equipment and systems—both automated and static.
