An SMT pick and place machine is a type of automated equipment used in the electronics assembly industry for the assembly of surface mount technology (SMT) components. It is designed to pick up small electrical components—such as capacitors, resistors, and integrated circuits—from a component reel or tray, place them accurately onto a printed circuit board (PCB) or substrate.
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The SMT pick and place machine is a highly precise piece of equipment that can rapidly pick components from reels or trays, inspect them on the fly and place them accurately on the bare PCB. This makes it an efficient tool for businesses that need to manufacture large quantities of electronics components quickly and accurately.
SMT pick and place machines are available in both batch and in-line automated versions, allowing businesses to choose the one that best meets their needs. The cost of these machines can vary widely depending on size and features, making them accessible to all budgets. In addition, they offer a high degree of accuracy and consistency for surface mount technology components, making them ideal for assembly line production. With the right machine, businesses can produce highly reliable PCB assemblies in house.
Batch pick and place equipment is best for low volume SMT requirements when high speed is not necessary. These types of machines require an operator to load the bare PCB into the machine but the workplace and components are all organized for some level of process control. More common are fully automated in-line pick and place machines where the components required for the particular PCB are loaded on the machine and the component pick up and placement is done automatically by a robotic vacuum head. The machine is programmed to optimize the pick and placement for each PCB, knowing what components are required for that PCB, where the components are located on the placement machine and where the bare PCB is located in the working area.
Pick and place equipment can provide manufacturers with the ability to control manufacturing and deliveries of final product better than when PCB assembly is outsourced. By automating the pick and place process, manufacturers are able to reduce overall labor costs as well as improve productivity. Automated pick and place systems can also help to control inventory and order fulfillment due to its ability to quickly respond to changing demand for final product. Manufacturers that use pick and place automation are often able to reduce their production costs while improving efficiency and accuracy. The reduced overhead and improved productivity lead to increased profits for manufacturers, allowing them to better compete in their respective markets.
In summary, having the ability to build PCB’s in house with pick and place equipment provides manufacturers with several significant cost-saving benefits that enable them to remain competitive in their respective industries.
All automated pick and place machines have some basic elements. There is the ability to hold the bare PCB in place so the robotic head can accurately place the components, the machine also needs to hold a wide range of components on tape and reel or in trays. And then there is the pick and place head, some machines have only 1 pick up nozzle and some have 15 or more. The more pick up nozzles the faster the machine can assemble components on the PCB.
Higher speed machines will automatically transport the bare PCB into position in the machine and ready the board for placement by accurately locating the board using a top-down camera for alignment. Typical machines will hold a minimum of 100 individual components feeders and some room for components that come on trays and not on reels. Some machines can hold up to 200+ different component types when they come on reels.
The main factor of all pick and place machines is the head, the head generally has a quantity of individually controlled vacuum pick up nozzles that are mounted on an X-Y gantry. The entire head assembly moves over to the feeder locations to pick up the required components, then once those components are on the head they travel over to the bare board location and they are individually placed onto the correct location of the PCB. This happens very fast with slow machines placing between 1,000 and 5,000 components per hour and fast machines placing upwards of 90,000 components per hour
It is important to remember that each PCB must have its own program or instructions as to which components are to be placed in which locations on the bare PCB. This instruction set will let the operator know what components should be placed in each feeder location on the machine. It will also enable the engineer to know how long it will take to build or assemble the components on each PCB. In this way they can know how many PCB’s can be assembled in each shift or day.
Once the in line pick and place machine is set up, it can build PCB’s in a “hands-free” mode with bare PCB’s transported into the machine automatically and once all components are placed they fully assembled PCB transports out into the next stage of assembly, this is either automated visual inspection or directly into a reflow oven where all components are soldered into place.
When selecting SMT pick and place equipment, consider the following factors:
Speed: The speed of the machine is an important factor as it will determine how quickly you can assemble PCB’s as well as the ability to change from one PCB to another. Make sure you choose a machine that has a high enough cycle rate to meet your production needs.
Flexibility: This is another key factor when selecting a type of pick and place machine. Some machines are “built for speed” and others are designed for maximum flexibility. You need to understand the requirements of your own companies production requirements. Machines can sometimes be considered designed for High - Mix, Low volume (maximum flexibility) or for high-volume and low mix (generally very high speed and not designed for switching to different products multiple times / day.
Accuracy: Accuracy is a critical factor when selecting SMT pick and place equipment. Almost all pick and place machines are highly accurate but if the build is for semiconductor and die placement a very high degree of accuracy may be required. Most pick and place machines are accurate to 1 or 2 thousands but die placement machines need to be accurate to 10 - 15 microns. Choose a machine that meets your accuracy requirements.
Support: Adding pick and place equipment without having the required level of support could make the investment in equipment ineffective. The best machines in the world are useless if they are idle and not producing PCB’s. Companies must make the necessary investment in trained personnel and in proper support from all departments in the company. You will need full support from a variety of departments in your own company including engineering for accurate and updated data about each PCB to be built and the revision level, purchasing so that you have all the components in stock that are required for each build, material handling and management so that the right components are delivered to the machine when it is time to build PCB’s and manufacturing so that they are trained on how to use the pick and place machine effectively.
Features: Each SMT pick and place machine offers different features. Some machines offer additional capabilities like solder paste or glue dispensing, electrical testing of chip components on the fly, some offer placement inspection cameras. Consider what features are important for your application and select a machine that offers them.
By considering these factors, you will be able to find an SMT pick and place machine that meets your needs. It is important to understand your companies needs and select equipment that meets the majority of those requirements. With the right equipment in place, you can ensure your production line runs efficiently and effectively.
The cost of a SMT pick and place machine can vary significantly depending on its size, features, and capabilities. While cost should not be the only factor in deciding on an SMT pick and place machine, it is an important one to consider. In general pick and place machines start at approx $150,000 and can go up to $400,000. This is without the additional investment in component feeders which can add up to 50% to the cost.
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The total cost of ownership (including maintenance and consumables) should also be taken into consideration when selecting a pick and place machine. By choosing the right size, feature set, and capabilities for the specific application, it is possible to get the best value for your money and ensure that you purchase the right pick and place machine for the job.
Conclusion
By investing in automated pick and place equipment, manufacturers are able to reap the benefits of increased efficiency, improved deliveries, reduced inventory and improved quality control. All of these factors lead to improved cost structure and both tangible and intangible benefits of in-house production. The improvements in automation, the lack of qualified manual assemblers for PCB’s and the reshoring of PCB assembly from overseas to the US makes this a great time to evaluate bring SMT and PCB assembly back in house.
Pick and place automation machines have numerous applications, from building complicated prototypes, to mass-producing consumer products, to assembling complex medical and military electronics. However, a pick and place machine is just one example of robotic part handling machines and processes available in automated manufacturing.
When the focus is narrowed to a single function or area of operation, there is not a simple one-size-fits-all solution. Before investing in a pick and place robot, conduct a full-scale professional analysis of production requirements and bills of materials. If that sounds overwhelming or intimidating, our project management experts can guide you through the process.
The main reason for investing in assembly (line) automation is efficiency. The argument for automation is made succinctly in Min Zhou and Renjie Jiang’s paper on automation strategy:
“a 1% improvement in efficiency over a long period of operation can lead to more economic benefits and a lower average cost expenditure.”
Although it may be clear WHY you would consider automation, the question of WHERE to improve efficiency may not be as explicit. Here are three questions to help contextualize how pick and place automation can increase your particular warehouse or factory throughput.
For many years, those watching and analyzing the development of automation have predicted the increased use of and reliance on machines for production. When many of these original projections were made, the cost to automate was prohibitively expensive for small or average-sized manufacturing assembly lines.
However, as industrial robot integrators have progressively optimized their own processes, automation in manufacturing has become more accessible, which comes at a time of absolute necessity. Companies have considered pick and place machines to enhance material handling coordination for a long time.
Recently, rising employment costs have made it increasingly necessary to automate manufacturing processes. In , Reuters reported that “Labor costs surged 5.1% on a year-on-year basis, the largest rise since the current series started in , after rising 4.5% in the first quarter.” Clearly, now is the time for automating processes to reduce the dependence on human labor.
It may seem contradictory to include this point since we just mentioned the reduction in human labor. However, the human component of manufacturing is never going to be zero (at least, not anytime soon). Instead, the trend suggests an increased collaboration between robots and humans rather than outright replacement. Consequently, pick and place automation should highlight improving the working conditions for the humans involved in the process.
Measures like digital twin technology are already integrated into many assembly lines to raise safety and production standards in manufacturing. Digital twinning itself is part of a broader practice called virtual commissioning, which has proven to be immensely beneficial on the factory floor, and can contribute to “avoiding the risk of damaging [a] device during commissioning while ensuring the safety of the personnel.”
In the broader conversion of pick and place automation—how to use it and how to benefit from it—allocate time for discussing vision system inspection. This technique is good for your workers and your bottom line. While moving physical products down the assembly line more quickly and efficiently, investments in doing this as safely as possible provide an undisputed benefit to companies and their employees. When thinking about automation, think about safety, too.
Under the general heading of “efficiency” fall the objectives of boosting inventory control and maximizing existing square footage usage. Both directly and indirectly, a pick and place machine can help by moving products more quickly and effectively. This helps keep excess inventory at a minimum, which in turn improves customer satisfaction, completes product lines, and alleviates lead time uncertainty.
While a pick and place machine’s placement speed can positively impact production volume, look closely at a machine’s components per hour (CPH) or parts per hour (PPH). Machines may be able to handle the necessary components for your assembly line, but you must also determine how quickly they can process them.
Additionally, to get the most benefit out of a pick and place system, examine the method used to determine the order in which the objects are picked up. Machines are only able to do what they are built and programmed to do. If there is a restriction on the capability of how a machine maneuvers, it’s best to know that ahead of time. It may not be the best solution for your particular manufacturing assembly line.
+Vantage is a global company with offices and support centers worldwide. If you are ready to implement pick and place machines in your manufacturing line, we are an automation company you can trust.
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