Everything You Need To Know To Find The Best Smt Pcb Loader

A Guide to SMT Machines: What They Are and How to Choose

Nowadays, people’s life is inseparable from electronic products. And printed circuit boards, as the brain of electronic products, their demand is also increasing correspondingly. As a result, PCB manufacturers have tried their best to increase their output, and one of the effective ways is to introduce advanced SMT machines to their production lines. With these machines, even tiny electronic components can be assembled with fast speed and high precision.

With competitive price and timely delivery, Hayawin sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.

In this blog, we will introduce different types of SMT machines and their functions, and also provide some tips for selecting the right machines for your production line.

Different SMT Machines Used in PCB Assembly Process

According to the sequence of the SMT PCB assembly process, we will list the equipment used one by one as follows:

The Solder Paste Printing Machine

The first machine used in SMT PCB assembly is the Solder Paste Printing Machine, which holds the PCB in position in an automated paste printer, where a squeegee applies the correct amount of solder paste onto the pads. Subsequently, a blade scrapes the stencil, evenly distributing the solder paste in the designated areas where components will be affixed, leaving the remaining areas untouched. Finally, the machine removes the stencil. If everything has proceeded smoothly, the solder paste should now be in the appropriate locations for the later placement of components.

 The Solder Paste Inspection (SPI) Machine

Once the solder paste has been applied to the board, the following important step is to inspect whether the paste has been printed onto the board correctly. Poor solder paste printing is frequently the cause of SMD soldering issues, so this stage is critical. This is where an SPI machine steps in. This kind of machine can capture 3D images with cameras, and then evaluate the solder paste according to its volume, alignment, and height. It can also recognize unsuitable sizes and imperfections.

 Pick-and-Place Machine

A pick-and-place machine is the primary and most critical type of SMT machine. Its function is to pick up components and position them in their designated locations. There are three varieties of pick-and-place machines:

a)Manual pick-and-place-machines

Pick-and-place machines that are manually operated involve a person who picks and places SMDs using the machine. The accuracy of component placement depends entirely on the operator. Although such machines reduce the risk of misplacement, they may not ensure the accurate placement of components due to operator limitations. However, they are practical for de-soldering and resoldering specific components on a circuit board.

b) Semi-Automatic pick-and-place-machines

Semi-automatic pick-and-place machines combine manual and automatic machines, aiding the operator in reducing the risk of SMD misplacement. By providing a computerized visualization of the circuit board, these machines enable operators to accurately place components in their designated positions. Additionally, they provide an X and Y coordinate setup to help the operator accurately set the target to drop the surface mount device.

c) Automatic pick-and-place-machines

Automatic pick-and-place machines are advanced machines that take over semi-automatic machines. They eliminate human limitations and provide greater accuracy, making them an incredible invention. Some benefits of automatic pick-and-place machines include lower labor costs, high accuracy, and enhanced operating speed.

 SMT Assembling Curing Oven

After placing SMDs on the circuit boards, the solder paste needs to be cured to ensure that the SMDs adhere to the surface of the PCB. This can be achieved through SMT curing or baking ovens, which operate similarly to standard household ovens by providing high temperatures to melt the solder paste and turn it into a conducting adhesive.

The surface mount device soldering process involves two steps: adhesive curing and solder mask baking. This means that separate machines may be necessary for each step, or a single convection oven could be used for both operations. The decision to use a single convection oven for adhesive curing, solder paste baking, and reflow soldering will depend on the required quantity of circuit boards.

Reflow Soldering Machine

The reflow soldering machine is a critical component in the process of permanently attaching surface mount devices to a printed circuit board. This machine preheats the components and then melts the solder paste to form strong and long-lasting joints between the SMDs and the circuit board, all without causing any heat damage to the delicate SMDs.

Solvent Cleaning Equipment

Despite the precision and care that goes into the soldering process, there is always the possibility of flux and excess solder remaining on the PCB. This is where Solvent Cleaning Equipment comes in handy. The purpose of this specialized SMT Machine is to eliminate any leftover flux and solder from the PCB following the soldering process, thereby guaranteeing that the PCB is thoroughly cleaned and prepared for the next stage in the manufacturing process.

Repair and Inspection Equipment

The PCB Inspection Equipment is a highly sophisticated SMT Machine designed for inspecting and repairing printed circuit boards. The machine not only identifies any potential defects or faults on the circuit board but also aids in repairing and fixing them. The thorough inspection of the PCB is guaranteed by its highly precise and accurate measurements, which enable the identification and resolution of any issues before delivery of the final product.

How to Choose the Best SMT Machines

Choosing a suitable SMT machine for your assembly line is not an easy task, there are several factors you should consider before making the decision:

Component Placement Speed

The placement speed of the SMT placement machine is the focus of the initial research on the purchase of the placement machine. These placement machines vary in placement speed and it is important to choose one based on your production needs and budget. You can check them against the IPC standard, which defines the placement speed of their pick-and-place machines.

Placement Accuracy

Placement Accuracy is another important aspect one should consider. Machines with higher accuracy tend to perform better, leading to high-quality yields. The optimal SMT machine should have an accuracy of 0.″ and a fine pitch lead of 12mil to achieve the best accuracy.

Machine repeatability

When selecting an SMT machine, it’s important to not only consider its accuracy but also its ability to produce consistent results. This is known as repeatability and is a critical feature to look for, especially in machines that use programmed software solutions to operate.

Parts Size

Another important factor to consider is the part size. For example, a pick-and-place machine should be able to handle parts of sizes , , and . If the machine you have selected meets your other requirements but does not support these sizes, you can purchase an additional nozzle or feeder to enable the production of circuit boards with these sizes.

Top 5 SMT Machines Manufacturers 

Universal Instruments

Universal Instruments is a company that leads in technology and specializes in designing and producing precision automation solutions for the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing sector. Its range of core products comprises a comprehensive portfolio of surface mount platforms that offer exceptional performance and value for any production environment or budget.

YAMAHA MOTOR

Yamaha Motor is a leading manufacturer of Surface Mount Technology machines, offering a comprehensive range of high-quality equipment for electronic assembly. Their SMT machines are designed to optimize the production efficiency, accuracy, and reliability, allowing electronic manufacturers to achieve faster cycle times and higher yields.

FUJI CORPORATION

Fuji Corporation is a leading manufacturer of SMT machines, offering a wide range of machines to suit different production needs. Fuji’s SMT machines are capable of placing components on PCBs at high speeds with high precision, ensuring consistent quality. Some of the popular SMT machines offered by Fuji Corporation include the NXT series, the AIMEX series, and the AIMEX III series.

Panasonic

Panasonic is known for producing high-quality SMT machines that are well-regarded in the electronics manufacturing industry. Panasonic’s SMT machines are designed to handle a wide range of components and PCB sizes, allowing users to choose the machine that best fits their production needs. They offer a variety of models with different capabilities, from high-speed placement machines to more versatile machines that can handle a wider range of components.

DDM Novastar

DDM Novastar specializes in producing SMT machines for both automatic and manual SMT systems. Their equipment is relatively inexpensive, easy to use, and reliable, even for low-to-medium SMT applications. Some of the popular SMT machines offered by DDM Novastar include the SMT400 series, SMT800 series, and SMT915 series. These machines offer a range of capabilities and features, allowing users to choose the machine that best fits their production needs.

Final Thoughts

Now you have a better understanding of what SMT equipment is needed to assemble electronic boards, including how to choose suitable machines and which brands you can go for. But it may not be cost-efficient to purchase these expensive machines if you are producing small quantities of boards. In such cases, partnering with a dependable PCB manufacturer can be a superior option as they can provide quicker and more dependable services.  

Step-by-Step Guide to SMT PCB Assembly

Today, we’ll discuss a topic known as SMT PCB assembly. This might sound like a big and complicated topic but don’t worry. We’ll easily explain everything. 

Surface Mount Technology, or SMT, is a type of putting together circuit boards. PCB stands for Printed Circuit Board, which is the board that has all the electronic parts on it. 

Manufacturing electronic gadgets like smartphones, tablets, and PCs relies heavily on SMT PCB assembly. Special machines attach small parts like resistors, capacitors, and microchips to the PCB. This makes the devices work properly and look neat. 

We will learn more about SMT PCB assembly and its advantages and disadvantages in the rest of this guide. 

Are you ready to learn? Let’s get started!

How Does the SMT Mounter Machine Production Line Work

The advantage of the SMT mounter machine production line is that the assembly density is high, and it is easy to realize automation, thereby improving production efficiency and reducing costs. SMT mounter machine production line consists of three processes: applying solder paste, installing components and reflow process soldering. Among them, the installation of chip electronic components/devices is an important part of the whole surface mounting process. The problems it involves are more complex and difficult than other processes. The chip electronic component mounting equipment is the largest investment in the entire equipment.

Detailed Information about SMT mounter machine

SMT mounter machine is actually a kind of precision industrial robot, which is a combination of machine photoelectric and computer control technology. It realizes the fast and accurate connection of smc/smd components to the specified welding board position of the pcb board without damaging the components and the printed circuit board through functions such as absorption, replacement and positioning. There are three ways of component pairing: mechanical pairing, laser pairing and vision pairing. The installation machine is composed of a frame, an x-y motion mechanism (ball screw, linear guide, drive motor), a mounting head, a component feeder, a pcb bearing device, a device pair detection device and a computer control system. The movement of the whole machine is mainly realized through the x-y movement mechanism. The power is transmitted by the ball screw, and the direction movement is realized by rolling the linear orbital movement pair. This type of transmission not only has its own small motion resistance and compact structure, but also its high motion accuracy effectively ensures the positioning accuracy of each component.

How does the smt mounter machine production line work

SMT mounter machine identify important components, such as mounting spindles, movable/static lenses, suction cups, and feeding materials. Machine vision can automatically find the coordinates of these marking center systems, establish the conversion relationship between the placement machine's system coordinate system and the pcb and mounted component coordinate system, and calculate the precise coordinates of the placement machine's movement. The mount head captures the suction cup and absorbs the components according to the input package type and component number of the mounted element. The static lens detects, recognizes and matches the absorbing element according to the visual processing program; after the alignment is completed, the mounting head installs the component to the predetermined position on the pcb. The identification, intermediate, detection, installation and other actions of this series of components are automatically completed by the industrial control machine after obtaining the relevant data according to the corresponding instructions.

What is Surface Mount Technology?

Surface mount technology initially referred to as Planner Mounting, is a technique of mounting electronic components directly onto the surface of printed circuit boards instead of passing them from one side to another and soldering them. In IBM (mostly) introduced this way of soldering components by using SMT machines. Gradually the industry accepted the revolution of electronic components and started replacing through-hole components with surface-mount components, usually called surface-mount devices (SMDs). A prominent cause of the takeover of SMT over THT is its space-saving feature. In real-time, Surface Mount Devices save a lot of space and provide a better connection between the components and the circuit board.

Nowadays, the industry utilizes both types of components through holes and surface mounts in a single board to maximize performance. Because yet not all electronic components are eligible to adapt surface mount technology. For instance, large transformers and heat sinks.

In this article,

• What is an SMT Machine and What Does It Do?
• Types of Surface Mount Assembly Machine
• Top 10 SMT Assembly Machines
• How to Choose the Best SMT Assembly Machine?
• Top SMT Assembly Machine Brands according to the Location

What is an SMT Machine and What Does It Do?

An SMT machine is an automatic assembling machine used to assemble surface mount devices SMDs onto the circuit boards. Usually, an SMT machine is supposed to pick and place surface mount devices in their respective locations.  

The automation of SMT assembling has enabled the precise and fast assembly of electronic components. SMT machines aid the manufacturing process of printed circuit boards by minimizing the assembling time and potential errors regarding circuit board assembly.

Types of Surface Mount Assembly Machine

Surface mount assembling of electronic components does not involve a single automatic device. But, it requires six individual machines to carry out a single task of soldering surface mount components. In this article, we are discussing all six of them.

1. Pick-and-Place Machine

The first and most essential SMT machine is a pick-and-place machine. The purpose of a pick-and-place machine is to pick the components and place them in their respective locations. To accurately select and drop SMDs, the SMT pick-and-place machine uses the circuit board's layout, pick-and-place file, and Gerber file as references.

After the placement of the components completes, the circuit board goes to the soldering machine to cure the solder paste and avoid dry soldering.

The industry divides pick-and-place machines into three groups. These individual machines have various features and are equally significant in different factors.

The three types of pick-and-place-machines are:

a) Manual pick-and-place-machines

Manual pick-and-place machines involve a person who operates the machine to pick and place SMDs. The whole process of picking-and-placing components depends on the operator.

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In several ways, manual pick-and-place machines perform better. Such manual pick-and-place machines reduce the risk of placement errors. But, due to the operator's limitation, the manual pick-and-place machines do not ensure component placement accuracy.

However, manual machines are an excellent option for producing a large amount of hand-held work with potential accuracy. The manual pick-and-place machines are also practical for de-soldering and resoldering some particular components on the circuit board. Further manual machines are also ideal for customizing the SMD for high-speed unattended operations.

b) Semi-Automatic pick-and-place-machines

Semi-automatic pick-and-place machines are a combination of manual and automatic machines. These machines aid the operator and reduce the risk of SMD misplacement. The semi-automatic pick-and-place machines provide a computerized closer view of the circuit board that helps the operator to place the components precisely in their respective locations. Also, the semi-automatic pick-and-place machines provide a set-up of X and Y coordinates that assist the operator in accurately setting the target to drop the surface mount device. This feature of a semi-automatic SMT machine makes it easier to work with massive circuit boards with ultra-thin leads and solder pads.

c) Automatic pick-and-place-machines

Automatic pick-and-place machines take over semi-automatic machines with their advanced methods of component placements. Automatic pick-and-place machines are an immense invention as they eliminate human limitations and provide greater accuracy.

Some benefits of an automatic pick-and-place machine include lower labor costs, high accuracy, and enhanced operating speed.

2. Solder Paste Screen Printer

A solder paste screen printer has the function of printing solder paste before the pick-and-placement of components. It mainly consists of two main parts a squeegee blade that directs the poured solder paste in a particular direction and a PCB holder. 

But there are two types of solder printing used in the industry screen solder printing and stencil solder printing. The manufacturers usually prefer stencil solder printing due to its high accuracy and controlled process.

The price of an SMT solder paste printer varies depending on the machine's ability to handle the maximum size of the PCB and the speed of the equipment.

3. SMT Assembling Curing Oven

Right after the placement of SMDs, the circuit boards need to cure the solder paste to make the SMDs stick to the surface of the PCB. To do so, the circuit boards undergo SMT curing or baking ovens. The SMT curing or baking ovens function as standard household ovens. They provide high-temperature to melt the solder paste and make it a conducting adhesive.

The soldering of surface mount devices involves two steps, adhesive curing, and solder mask baking. Hence, it may require two separate machines for adhesive curing and solder mask baking. Otherwise, a single convection oven can serve both operations.

However, whether to use a single convention oven for adhesive curing, solder paste baking, and reflow soldering depends on the required quantity.

4. Reflow Soldering Machine

The reflow soldering machine carries out the process of permanently attaching the surface mount devices to the PCB. This machine is responsible for preheating the components and then melting the solder paste to form enduring joints between the SMDs and the circuit board without heat damaging the SMDs.

5. Solvent Cleaning Equipment

The soldering process leaves some broza and other sticky materials around the PCB. To clean this mess, the manufacturers use solvent-cleaning equipment. In short, solvent cleaning equipment is responsible for cleaning excess flux and solder from the circuit board left behind during the soldering process. 

6. Repair and Inspection of Equipment

The repair and inspection equipment is the last machine required to complete the SMT assembly process. The primary function of repair and inspection equipment is to inspect the circuit boards against potential errors. The equipment not only performs inspection but also fixes the detected defects. 

Soldering iron and hot air SMD rework stations are the two most common repair and inspection equipment.

Read Our Step-by-Step Guide to PCB Manufacturing Process

Top 10 SMT Assembly Machines

#1 Europlacer

Europlacer is another leading surface mount technology SMT machine brand. It provides a complete SMT Line Solution and assures a productivity solution that suits everybody's needs.

So, from the pick-and-place side, the best of Europlacer's production is  iineo+. Europlacer claims its iineo+ is a multi-function pick-and-place machine with the highest flexibility level and feeder count in the whole industry. The iineo+ is a modern integrated intelligence-based SMT machine with digital cameras that facilitate a close-up look at the circuit board. A worth-mentioning feature of iineo+ is its ability to produce extra-large circuit boards. It is capable of producing mm x 600 mm size boards. The iineo++ is one of those machines offering two rotatory heads on X/Y coordinates, each containing 8 or 12 smart nozzles, which help to deliver a maximum placement speed of 30,000 CPH (IPC: 24, 200CPH).

Features of iineo++

• Rotary heads with 8 or 12 nozzles
• Provides up to 4 internal Jedec trays
• Ability to test Components
• No limitations on nozzles regarding component types. Each nozzle is capable of placing any component.

#2 DDM Novastar

DDM Novastar is one of those leading SMT manufacturers that provides both manual and automatic SMT equipment. It offers a wide range of SMT assembly equipment. Including Manual and Automatic Stencil printers, pick-and-place systems, Benchtops, and Conveyorized and reflow ovens.

DDM Novatars's L-NP00 Benchtop Pick and Place System is an entry-level, low-cost automatic pick-and-place system that delivers in a ready-to-use condition. It is a considerably good system for Prototyping, pilot manufacturing, and low-volume production. The L-NP00 provides placement accuracy of up to 0.004 inches and a placement speed of up to 2,100 CPH.

The DDM Novastar also provides machines with higher capabilities. It was just an example of budget-friendly small-scale equipment.  

#3 Yamaha

Yamaha is a specialized company in manufacturing heavy equipment. Its quality can never be in doubt. Along with heavy motor equipment, Yamaha is a leading brand manufacturing high-quality surface mount technology SMT machines. The main focus of Yamaha is the pick-and-place machines that offer exciting placement solutions.

If you want to try something innovative with pick-and-place machines, Yamaha could be the best manufacturer for you to contact.

The Yamaha has an ongoing list of features that proves it a perfect SMT machine manufacturer. Some of them are as follows:

• Wide Range: Another factor that stands out the Yamaha is its wide range of SMT products. It offers almost everything required for the SMT assembling process ranging from Surface Mounters, Inspection Systems, SMD Storage Systems, Management Software, Solder Paste Printers, Flip Chip Bonder & Hybrid Placer, and Dispensers.
• Compatible Price: Despite being a big name Yamaha is budget-friendly; your budget does not matter; you will always have something from Yamaha that will surely meet your requirements.

#4 Mycronic

Mycronic is a reputable brand setting the standards of pick-and-place machines on another level. The MY300 of mycronic is its best version of the SMT machine. The operators of this machine state that they are confident about populating more boards with less floor space.

Features of Mycronic SMT Machine

The Mycronic surface mount technology machine has several features, some of which are as follows.

• Strong Software Suit of MY300: Mycronic offers a very user-friendly interface with its MY300. It also proposes a firm software suite that supports upgrading the software to the latest technology.
• Easy to Operate: An outstanding quality of MY300 is that it is easy to operate and eases the access of machine operators, other interactive crew, and engineers to the relevant information.
• More Work Less Effort: MY300 comes with an inventory management system. The MY300 merges innovative feeder technology and automatic storage with a material tracking feature. This feature of MY300 reduces human interference in the component loading process, which leads to fewer human errors and labor. With the inventory management of MY300, the material, and the information do not perform as bottlenecks anymore.

#5 Juki

Juki is an experienced, well-known name that produces the best quality SMT machines. The Juki has a lot to offer in the SMT industry, but its brand-new RX-8 has no match. It provides the highest placement rates per square meter and achieves placement of up to 100,000 CPH.

The high-speed compact modular mounter RX-8 supports a board size of 50×50～510mm*¹ *²×450mm and a component height of 3mm. It offers a placement accuracy of ±0.04mm (Cpk ≧1).

Other options from Juki include RX-6R/RX-6B and FX-3RA.

#6 Panasonic

Panasonic has been in the business for more than a century. The company has a firm reputation in the market and offers a complete SMT Line Solution consisting of 5 modules of screen printers, inspection, component placement, inspection, and curing oven. Panasonic focuses on providing Smart Factory Solutions. Their range of machines varies from entry-level to extreme-complex equipment.

Another high-end of Panasonic is that it provides Open Source Software. Its NPM-W2; is one of the best pick-and-place machines with Open Source Software. It offers two types of heads 'Lightweight 16-nozzle head' and '12-nozzle head'. Each category of nozzle head provides an option of High Production Mode On/Off. With high production mode ON on the 16-nozzle head, NPM-W2 provides a maximum placement speed of 38,500 CPH and an SMD placement accuracy of ±40 μm/chip.

#7 Universal Instruments

The universal instrument is well-known for its electronic automation and assembly equipment. The company offers a wide range of SMT machines for low to high budgets and production needs. From the wide range of universal SMT machines, its FUZION PLATFORM is one of the best SMT machine series that implement the latest head and feeder technologies and software suits. The Fuzion has nine different models with individual features that target specific problems. 

ADVANTISV PLATFORM is another series of SMT machines from the universal instrument. It is a pack of mid-range entry-level SMT machines that delivers budget-friendly performance without lacking performance.

#8 Assembleon (Kulicke & Soffa)

Kulicke & Soffa, formerly known as Assemblon, is another leading manufacturer and distributor of Semiconductor, LED, and electronic surface mount technology SMT machines. The company has been providing a reliable service since . Three of the most highlighted SMT assembly products of Kulicke & Soffa include iFlex, iX502/iX302, and Hybrid SiP. 

The Kulicke & Soffa's iFlex is a low-energy consuming sustainable, high-yield providing SMT pick-and-place machine. The iFlex has three available modules:

• T4: It offers Chip and IC shooting from M () to 17.5 x 17.5 x 15 mm at 51,000 CPH (IPC(A))
• T2: Provides Chip and IC shooting from M () to 45 x 45 x 21 mm at 24,300 CPH (IPC(A))
• H1: Offers End-of-line placer placing up to 120 x 52 x 25 mm at 7,500 CPH (IPC(A))

#9 FUJI Corporation

Fuji Corporation built electronic assembly machines and machine tools as their main products. The Fuji corporation provides complete SMT assembly equipment, including

• Mounters
• Printers
• Inserters
• Automatic warehouses
• Softwares
• Automatic Maintainance Units 
• Automation Units

Fuji has a list of brilliant SMT machines, all of which we are discussing in its brand-new NXTR S Model. Fuji's intention with its NXTR series is to smooth the future of smart factories. Hence, NXTR's S model comes with exciting features. Some of these are Real-time sensing placement, Optimized placement actions, and part-handling checks after their arrangement.

Features of NXTR S Model

Single Action Head Exchange: NXTR S allow operators to change the head without using tools. This feature of the S model enables hassle-free maintenance and troubleshooting.

Minimal Investment: It provides an option to upgrade the module by making additional investments on the scale of single modules to increase production capacity. 

Placement: The NXRT S Model can pick and place surface mount devices with all-time high accuracy of ±25 µm, plus it provides placement pressure control.

Placement Checks: The most compelling feature of this machine is its ability to inspect the SMD placement within the placement machine.

#10 Hanwha Precision Machinery

Hanwha Precision Machinery built its first chip mounter in , and since then, it has facilitated the SMT assembling industry with the state of the art SMT machines. The Hanwha Precision Machinery offers a wide range of SMT assembling equipment, including surface mount technology mounters, semiconductor equipment, insertion, and assembly automation equipment, and integrated software solutions.

The most highlighted features of the company are its focus on innovation, versatility, and efficiency.

Some of the best SMT machines of 

Hanwha Precision Machinery includes:

• XM520 (100,000 CPH, Optimum)
• HM520 (80,000 CPH)
• DECAN F2 (80,000 CPH)
• SM481 PLUS (40,000 CPH, Optimum, Fly+Fix Camera)

How to Choose the Best SMT Assembly Machine?

1. SMD Positioning System

There are mainly three methods available to position a surface mount device accurately. 

• No Feedback System
• Rotary Encoders System
• Linear Encoders System

a) No Feedback System

No Feedback System uses stepper motors to position SMDs in their respective locations by following the number of steps in each X-Y axis. This system is a low-cost option. The only downside is that it does not accurately indicate whether the component is placed in its accurate position.

b) Rotary Encoders

The rotary encoders system uses an encoder mounted on the motor shaft of the SMT pick-and-place machine. This encoder sends back the SMD's position to the control system. But the drawback of this system is that it only sends back the position of the machine and not the actual component. Hence, this system of tracking placement positions is also not 100% reliable.

However, this system provides better details than the No Feedback System. Further, this system is low-cost and widely used in entry-level machines and provides a placement accuracy of ±0.005".

c) Linear Encoder

Linear Encoder Placement System utilizes linear scales with encoders. The linear scales are mounted on the X-Y axes table, while the encoder is attached to the traveling path that carries the components. It is the only method that provides the actual position of the SMD back to the control system.

However, the quality comes at a price. The linear encoder positioning system is usually higher in cost but provides the best performance and an accuracy of ±0.".

2. Component Placement Speed

The component placement speed of an SMT pick-and-place machine defines its suitability for an organization. Though we have different sizes of organizations, their desired component placement speed varies depending on their production requirements and budget. Hence, the placement speed of the SMT machine is of great importance to study at the initial stages of buying an SMT machine.

Further, the placement rate of an SMT machine elaborates on its productivity and the speed of picking and inspecting the surface mount devices before their positioning on the printed circuit boards.

So, before short-listing any SMT machine, check that against IPC standards. IPC is a standard manufacturer used to define the placement speed of their pick-and-place machines.

For an additional note, the placement speed mentioned by the manufacturers is usually 30%-40% extra than the actual value. So, to find an approximate placement speed of a pick-and-place SMT machine decreases the given placement rate by 30% or 40%.

While selecting an SMT pick-and-place machine, you should consider that the component placement speed also depends on the size of the circuit board, type of components, and feeders. If the surface area of the circuit board is large, the machine head has to travel all the way long from one side to another to place components, which will decrease the placement speed and increase the time taken to complete a board.

3. Feeder Slots and their Capacity

The SMT pick-and-place machines come up with different numbers of feeder slots and their maximum capacity to store the surface mount devices. The feeder slots and their volume somehow influence the production speed. Thus, when ordering a pick-and-place machine, one should always consider their requirement regarding the component quantity to take out a job successfully. It may be possible for small and dedicated assembly providers to calculate their needs, but for large-scale assembling houses, it is hard to estimate their upcoming requirements. Hence, it is better to select a machine with a larger feeder. Otherwise, order one that suits your needs best.

Bottom Line: To get higher quality production select a machine with a Linear Encoder positioning system. However, if you're short on budget or getting started in the field. Rotary Encoder Systems may get your job done.

4. Placement Accuracy

Placement Accuracy is another factor one should consider while making an SMT pick-and-place machine purchase. It is highly significant to check placement accuracy as it plays a crucial role in the performance and quality of the circuit board. Machines with higher accuracy always perform better and produce a high-quality yield.

The ideal machine should have an accuracy of 0. and a fine pitch lead of 12 mil.

5. Parts Size

The part size is another crucial factor to consider. On a random note, a pick-and-place machine should be able to work with these three sizes , , and . If the pick-and-place equipment that you have selected because it meets your other requirements and does not support these sizes, what you could do is buy an additional nozzle or feeder to produce circuit boards with these sizes.

6. Software

Software is one of the most important factors to consider while buying a pick-and-place SMT machine, as it enables the coordination between the operator and the machine. Any SMT machine of low to mid-volume range should deliver these three primary functions.

• Easy Coordination and updated graphical unit interface like Windows. 
• Flexibility to move from one design to another without spending too much time.
• The machine should provide qualitative offline software to ease optimization.

Top SMT Assembly Machine Brands according to the Location

China

Ridong, Jingtuo, Itech, Hopesun Equipment, Autotronik, etc., are some local Chinese brands that provide high-quality SMT machines.

USA

In the US, Universal, Mycronic, and DDM Novastar are some of the most trustworthy and reliable names among consumers. 

Japan

Panasonic, Juki, Yamaha, Fuji

Europe

Assembleon and Mydata

Korea

Samsung

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit SMT PCB Conveyor.

Conclusion