Pick-and-place assembly G-Code

Right now, this code translates a KiCAD RPT file to G-Code for pick-and-place assembly on a 3D printer. You need vacuum needle and solenoids.

(this is based on https://github.com/hzeller/rpt2paste and will eventually be merged to one program useful for everything.)

General setup

Currently, the setup for rpt2pnp is relatively simple: you place the board on the bed, and the tapes with opened 'lids' straight on the same bed. You tell rpt2pnp where the board and the tapes are, and it generates G-Code to do the operation.

There is not yet the concept of a feeder.

Using

In general, you invoke rpt2pnp with an option to tell what to do and a KiCAD rpt file.

To do the pick-and-place operation, you need a configuration file with the origin of the board and the locations of the tapes. Given an rpt file, rpt2pnp can generate a template configuration that you need to modify.

The invocation without parameters shows the usage:

 Usage: ./rpt2pnp <options> <rpt-file>
 Options:
    -h      : Create homer input from rpt
    -t      : Create config template from rpt to stdout. Needs editing.
 [Operations]
    -c <config> : Use long config from -t
    -C <config> : Use homer config created via homer from -h
    -p      : Pick'n place. Requires a config and rpt.
    -P      : Output as PostScript.

So a manual workflow would typically be

 $ ./rpt2pnp -t mykicadfile.rpt > config.txt

Now you need to edit the configuration to get the locations right. Then with

 $ ./rpt2pnp -c config.txt -p mykicadfile.rpt > pick-n-place.gcode

You generate the gcode that you can send to your machine.

If you want to create the configuration with a different program (e.g. https://github.com/jerkey/homer ), then use the -h option to create a homer template

 $ ./rpt2pnp -h mykicadfile.rpt > homer-input.txt

.. Then create a configuration with homer, and input it via the -C option

 $ ./rpt2pnp -C config.txt -p mykicadfile.rpt > pick-n-place.gcode

Configuration

This describes the 'long' configuration created with -t. The configuration file consists of

Board section. Describes board and its origin. (TODO: give sample component positions)
Tape section: Describing the tapes that carry components, uniquely identified by <footprint>@<component> (e.g. SMD_Packages:SMD-0805@2.2k). Each tape has an origin and a spacing describing how far components are apart.

The template output creates a configuration including descriptions; you need to modify all the numbers to match what you have on the bed. It typically looks like this:

 Board:
 origin: 100 100 # x/y origin of the board
 
 # This template provides one <footprint>@<component> per tape,
 # but if you have multiple components that are indeed the same
 # e.g. smd0805@100n smd0805@0.1uF, then you can just put them
 # space delimited behind each Tape:
 #   Tape: smd0805@100n smd0805@0.1uF
 # Each Tape section requires
 #   'origin:', which is the (x/y/z) position of
 # the top of the first component (z: pick-up-height). And
 #   'spacing:', (dx,dy) to the next one
 #
 # Also there are the following optional parameters
 #angle: 0     # Optional: Default rotation of component on tape.
 #count: 1000  # Optional: available count on tape

 Tape: Capacitors_SMD:c_0805@C
 origin:  10 20 2 # fill me
 spacing: 4 0   # fill me
 
 Tape: SMD_Packages:SM0805@2.2k
 origin:  10 20 2 # fill me
 spacing: 4 0   # fill me

G-Code

Right now, the G-Code for processing steps is hardcoded in constant strings in gcode-picknplace.cc.

Shortcomings

Numerous. To be addressed soon.

So far only tested with a very simple setup. One thing missing for instance is configuration of board-thickness; right now that is hardcoded in #define TAPE_TO_BOARD_DIFFZ, but it really should be a parameter in the 'Board' part of the configuration.

Also, the 'origin' of the board is somewhat useless unless you really know where that is. Better would be to give the positions of a few select components on the board (much easier to spot with a camera), and have rpt2pnp calculate the origin (and possibly rotation) of the board.