Pick-and-place equipment and SMT assembly are at the heart of the electronics manufacturing process. At Restronics Northwest, the sales staff has far-reaching experience with pick and place devices. As components get smaller, new technology may be required, and as volumes rise, current technology may need to be replaced or upgraded for enhanced productivity. As organizations re-shore PCB production, there’s growing demand for increased speed and capabilities. Around the country, supply chain problems and the need for better control over delivery cost and time are fueling a desire for boosted performance of P&P equipment.

The need for new product introduction (NPI) equipment is growing, and it must be easy to utilize and adaptable, along with dispense paste or adhesive, and also place components. Doing this, users can produce small numbers of PCBs without having to wait for stencils to come through and then making adjustments, then waiting again for fresh, altered stencils to arrive. While these devices aren’t the fastest, they can provide a lot of versatility for extremely low volume and high mix situations. Furthermore, many of these devices can pick and place parts like odd-shaped parts and connectors that unreachable to most high-speed SMT equipment.

The most recent generation of SMT P&P equipment features dual lanes of operation for ultra-high speed applications, interchangeable pick and place heads for high speed and large component placement, and electric component verification. Some systems place pieces at speeds of up to 90,000 CPH (components per hour). True CPH speeds can be determined off-line to give accurate speed and time for constructing specific PCBs. With pick and place equipment, off-line programming and line balancing are generally standard features to optimize feeder set up and reduce turnaround time. Most tasks are set up on feeder carts that can be wheeled into place before the job begins. This minimizes feeder setup and turnaround time.

Restronics Northwest's expert personnel can assist you in all areas of picking and placing SMT technology.