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points by Animats 1 day ago | 0 comments
So how is the part feeder setup automated? That's the big problem for short runs. Board making, solder paste, pick and place, reflow, and inspection were all automated already. The usual short run setup bottleneck is that someone has to put the tapes of parts into the feeders, then load the feeders onto the pick and place machine.

The video doesn't show how that happens. The robotic systems seem to be moving boards around, not parts. Yet that's the big manual part.

[–] seddona 9 hours ago
The Grid is basically a big parts logistics system, no feeders to load.
[–] Animats 4 hours ago
At some point, the pick and place machines, which can handle a limited number of different components at one time, have to be loaded with something. How does that work?