Automated PCB etcher using image processing

• Main Authors: Chan, Byron, Chong, Richard C., Co, Andrew, Go Alcantara, Albert D., Ong, Walter C.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1995
• Subjects: Automatic control; Image processing > Digital techniques; Digital electronics; Electronic digital computers > Programming; Etchers
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/6012
• Institution: De La Salle University

The construction of an electronic circuit usually includes the etching of PCB. This involves the manual immersion of a PCB in an etching solution. Image processing has played a vital role in machine vision and in intelligent automation. This study aims to automate the process of PCB etching utilizing image processing techniques.The system is capable of etching an 8 X 6 PCB using a bubbler type of etching. The prototype captures the image of the PCB at different intervals using a Sony CCD video camera. The output of the camera is then digitized by a Video Blaster frame grabber card and store the images in the TIFF file format. The images are then processed using a 80486 PC. Image processing methods programmed in C would then enable the computer to detect if the PCB has been etched or not. The applicability of both gray-scale and colored images was tested on the system. The result of this study was that it was able to automate the detection of an etched PCB.