Trade.Information

Product Name: XHAC Handler

Product Description

The accelerator handler is a machine that automates the loading and unloading of a shaker with DIL14 or DIL16 devices. A "shaker" is a machine that subjects the device under test to a lot of G-forces while they are being electrically tested. The shaker and the electric tester itself are not part of the accelerator handler described here. Note that this handler could be used to load and unload other DIL test equipment too. The acceleration handler basically consists of 4 functional units: The input module. This module can be loaded with tubes containing devices to be tested. Every input module can hold 4 tubes. As an option, a second input module can be mounted on the handler, bringing the total number of input tubes to 8. The output module with sorting unit. This module consists of a sorting unit that distributes the tested devices to the "good tubes", containing the approved devices, and the "bad tubes", containing the rejected devices. The output module itself can hold 8 empty tubes to be filled with devices. The division between the number of good and bad tubes is software selectable by the operator. There can be 1 to 4 tubes for the rejected devices, the remaining tubes are for the good devices. A robot. The robot moves the untested devices from the input module to the shaker and the tested devices from the shaker to the output module. The robot has two 4-fold grippers. A pneumatically operated (opening and closing) contact block, mounted on the shaker. These 4 functional units are mounted on a single solid frame that is anchored to the floor. The handler has a screen (fence) for safety of the operator when the robot is moving. The handler can be loaded and unloaded with devices by the operator while the handler is working. The handler can also be used in "manual mode" whereby the contact block is loaded and unloaded with devices by an operator. This mode is intended in case a mechanical failure should happen to the robot or input or output modules or a special type of device, that is out of specifications, should be tested. For manual mode, the handler has to be electrically functional. General Operation Input module is filled with 4 tubes with devices to be tested. When the optional 2nd input module is present, this can be filled with tubes too. Output module is filled with 8 empty tubes. All device handling is done 4 devices at the time because the shaker is 4-fold (4 devices are tested at the same time). The robot picks up 4 devices from the input module and moves them to the shaker. When the robot has arrived at the shaker, it first removes the tested devices from the contact block with its 4 grippers that are still free (the robot has 2 units of 4 grippers: 1 unit for the new devices and 1 unit for the tested devices). After removing the tested devices, the contact block is empty, so the new devices can be inserted in the contact block. The robot now moves the tested devices to the output module and delivers them in the sorting unit. The sorting unit delivers the good devices in the good tubes and the bad devices in the bad tube(s). All the good devices are put in the same tube. When the tube is full, the system switches to the next empty tube and start filling this. A LED indicates which tubes are full so these can already be removed by the operator. The robot starts a new cycle by again picking up 4 new devices in the input module. Unlike the output module where a tube is filled one after the other, in the input module the tubes are emptied all 4 at the same time because the robot gripper is 4-fold. This generally means that the 4 tubes will be empty all at the same time. The input module has a small buffer of about 10 devices per tube, so when all tubes are empty the operator has some time to replace the empty tubes with filled ones without the handler coming to a halt due to the lack of new devices. In case the optional second input module is used, the system will automatically switch to the second input module when the first is empty, thus creating more time for the operator to replace the empty tubes.

Company Details

It may seem unusual that any “new” ATE provider could enter the commercial marketplace with a proven track record of over eight years industry-leading experience plus an installed base of more than 500 testers already in the field. But XPEQT is... more