At product changeover, the system is reset in seconds for the next board and with each pin having a stroke of 23mm, the Grid-Lok® pins can handle virtually any SMT component height.

The system can be operated in one of two modes selected from a dedicated palm sized control module. In manual mode the module pin support configuration is setup using a ‘Golden’ board whilst in automatic or ‘Stealth Mode’ the system sets and resets for each individual board that is handled by the printer.
With the system in ‘Stealth Mode’ the speed of the setting and resetting of the tooling is handled fully automatically and Grid-Lok® is fast enough to keep pace with the printer and line beat rate without affecting the machines capability. This gives the advantage that the support system is set in a configuration, which is dedicated to the product being printed at the time the print medium is deposited on the substrate.

The modular design of Grid-Lok® allows the flexibility to handle various sizes of boards, while the independent control system installs inside or near the printer depending upon the machines configuration.
The Grid-Lok® system is quickly and easily configurable for a wide variety of products. With the push of a single button in manual mode or fully automatically in Stealth mode, each pin in the array smoothly moves upwards on a cushion of air pressure. Each pin individually locks in place when the compliant ESD Safe tip comes in contact with the board surface, components or stencil (to provide ProFlow® support). Once set, the modules maintain their configuration until reset by again pressing one button in manual mode or alternatively automatically reset by the machine in Stealth mode.

The pin set sequence takes about two seconds total. With the ‘air bearing’ technology of the Grid-Lok® modules allowing for extremely low pin setting pressures. In many cases, the machine operator does not need to access the tooling plate of the machine once the modules are in position. No programming means the operator and engineer are free to pursue other activities.

Each of the six modules supplied in a Grid-Lok® system are securely held onto the tooling table via magnetic bases, and are easily reconfigured for different product widths from 50 mm (2 inches) with one module up to 510 mm (20 inches) with six modules. Power and air are provided to the control module direct from the printing machine, and pneumatic tubing is routed to the modules via a dedicated distribution manifold.

Contact DEK for more information