A Guide To Component Placement by Michael Keens

There are many different types of component placement machine (also known as pick and place machines) available on the market with the same aim of placing surface mount components as accurately and quickly as possible.

As the variety of available components has increased, so has the capability of these machines and so it can be a daunting prospect having to decide on a particular manufacturer. The range of products to be manufactured will have a large bearing on the decision as some machines are designed specifically for speed whereas others are more focused on flexibility.

The machines designed for speed are generally referred to as ‘chip shooters’ and can achieve component placement rates of up to 100,000 cph (components per hour). The flexible placers can handle components ranging from 01005 to 150mm connectors and have the ability to inspect/place micro BGA (Ball-Grid-Array) and PoP (Package-on-Package) devices.