We’ve seen pick and place tools in the form of tweezers, mechanical pencils adapted to aquarium pumps, but never as a 3D printed tool optimized for standard blunt-nose needles in a comfortable, ergonomic shape.
[Zapta] created this 3D printed SMD hand picker to populate a few boards. The tool is mostly 3D printed parts that come together for an airtight enclosure. The needles are the standard eBay affair, with the smallest he could find easily lifting 0402 and 0603 components from their tape reel. There’s also the option to switch over to larger needles for bigger components.
There are files available for two versions of this vacuum picker – one with a hole in the handle for those of us who would rather connect this thing directly to a modified aquarium pump, and one for the geniuses among us who use a foot pedal and pneumatic valve to release the tiny part. Other than the pump, the only a few bits of tubing are required to turn this bit of 3D printed plastic into a useful tool.
Great little tool. I might give that a go.
Side note, it looks like he used Slic3er. There was a bug or perhaps a feature that allowed the printer to start a layer on a random point. But it would stay approximately in the same area several times, then jump to another spot, then back. Not very random. You can see that in the seam of the handle in the photo. They fixed it in newer versions.
That’s what she said. Happy new years
I wonder if having just a rubber bag/ball in a foot pedal would work, without any pump. Squeeze the air prior to picking up a part, then lift the pedal.
Cool idea!
I don’t have a pneumatic valve. I use a simple foot operated switch that powers an aquarium pump.
Did read SM tools, picture seemed adequate … re-read … found the D. Happy New Year!
I’m waiting for my SMD vacuum pen to arrive ..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Easy-Picker-Vacuum-Pen-Hand-Pick-Up-Vacuum-Sucking-Tool-2014-IC-SMD-9776-/121378399718?pt=AU_HandTools&hash=item1c42b765e6
And one book, “Swedish-made Penis Enlargers And Me: This Sort of Thing Is My Bag Baby”, by Austin Powers.