Solder Stencil Alternative: Could LumenPnP Pasting Utility Eliminate the Need for Purchasing Solder Stencils?
In a groundbreaking development for the electronics industry, Stephen Hawes has introduced his LumenPnP Pasting Utility, a game-changing tool that automates the process of solder paste application on Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs).
The LumenPnP Utility bypasses the need for solder stencils by utilising machine-vision with fiducial calibration and WebAssembly running in a browser. This innovative system precisely aligns and dispenses solder paste onto PCB pads, eliminating the traditional step of making and using physical solder stencils.
Fiducial marks on the PCB serve as guides for the automatic alignment with the vision system, ensuring precise placement despite variations in board positioning. The utility is a web-based tool that runs in-browser using WebAssembly, enabling fast local processing without server dependency.
Upon initial use, users jog the camera to home the fiducials. Subsequent boards self-calibrate automatically, making the process efficient and user-friendly. The tool processes Gerber files (standard PCB manufacturing data) to generate paste dispensing paths (G-code). Calibration for dispenser Z-height, nozzle offsets, and motion parameters is included for accurate paste deposition.
Job settings in the LumenPnP Pasting Utility include nozzle offset calibration, dispense degrees, retraction degrees, and dwell milliseconds. The utility's machine-vision for fiducial calibration is powered by the OpenCV library.
Stephen Hawes, the brainchild behind this innovation, claims that with the LumenPnP Utility, there is no need to buy solder stencils. He developed the utility after struggling with the process of making stencils.
To use the LumenPnP Utility, users simply load Gerber files as part of the job initialization process. Once calibrated, the WebAssembly running in a Chrome tab connects to the LumenPnP hardware and performs the entire pasting job automatically.
Stephen Hawes uses a fiber laser to print PCBs and an oven for reflow. He demonstrates the use of the LumenPnP Utility in a video, where he jogs the camera to the home fiducial. The initial setup of the board is required only once for self-calibration of subsequent board prints using the fiducials.
The LumenPnP Pasting Utility website can be found at https://paste.opulo.io/. While the printed solder paste is not yet as precise as with traditional stencils, the technique shows promising results and convenience advantages, allowing rapid prototyping without stencil fabrication.
The LumenPnP Pasting Utility, a groundbreaking technology in data-and-cloud-computing, operates as a web-based tool that automates the solder paste application on Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), eliminating the need for traditional solder stencils. This innovative system utilizes machine-vision with fiducial calibration and WebAssembly, running in a browser for efficient and user-friendly PCB assembly.
