PCBs are high volume products but also high mix. PCB assembly plants are automated to industry standards but require re-configuration for each part being run. Laser marking is introduced as the very first step in the assembly line to implement process control for the entire process.

PCBs are processed in "frames" larger than the typical mark field of a laser marker. The mark could be anywhere on the PCB. The existing solutions took the frame offline and positioned it underneath a standard laser marker using an XY table. This had a negative impact on both throughput, cost and footprint, all of which are at a premium on the manufacturing floor.

The innovation was to de-couple the cross-axis PCB positioning from the assembly line. The beam steering module position was automated at a right angle to the line while standard in-line automation would cycle the PCB in the process direction. The setup was automated using existing software to read in the frame code and locate the mark position for each frame.

The design enabled cost effective integration of any standard PCB handlers including the existing preferred supplier for most customers. It eliminated the extra cost of a non-standard XY table in the assembly line, the extra floor space, and the throughput hit require to position a frame under the laser. A provisional patent was filed.