Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Best Practices for Electronic Component Salvaging
Global Citizenship: Together for a Perfect PCB Solution
Smart Automation: Odd-form Assembly—Dedicated Insertion Equipment Matters
A Robot's Place in SMT
October 15, 2014 | Scott Zerkle, Yamaha Motor IM America Inc.Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Issues in the SMT Process
The SMT industry’s one constant is change. Standards are continually updated and components are miniaturized for space savings. In addition to the changes that come, the industry is also faced with continuing to deal with areas that fail to change and update. A typical PCB manufacturer lays out a line based on the need to put solder paste on a PCB, place parts in the paste, and then reflow the product (Figure 1). The board size, typical components placed, and the required speed for the line are then considered.
Eventually, a SMT manufacturing line is purchased that can handle a large majority of the process needs. In almost all cases, there will be a component that cannot be handled by the automated process currently in use on the factory floor. This problem is not caused by the engineer who specified the line, nor is it the chosen vendor’s false advertising. This problem plagues virtually all PCB manufacturers because it is not cost-effective to purchase a specialty machine to handle a component that is expected to go away and not be used any more, or the component that is through-hole and was expected to be replaced by a SMT component soon.
Manufacturers are expected to build as demanded and very often that demand is outside of the specifications which they thought were adequate, but the quantity does not justify new special equipment. PCB manufacturers, for example, face the challenge of placing very large connectors, whose size is outside the specifications of SMT machines (Figure 2). Some manufacturers use through-hole components in products (Figure 3), though not enough need exists to justify purchasing a through-hole machine.
Infrequently used components may fail to justify standard packaging for use, and oddly shaped parts may simply be beyond the scope of what a standard SMT machine can handle. In addition to the difficulty in managing the changes in size and type of component for placement, manufacturers must also consider the cost-effectiveness of any solution they devise for managing these “out-of-spec” placement issues. Rarely do these issues justify the expense of purchasing a specialty machine. Rather, the manufacturer finds it more cost effective and more realistic to manage these processes with human resources.
Read the full article here.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2014 issue of SMT Magazine.
Share on:
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Best Practices for Electronic Component Salvaging
09/17/2025 | Nash Bell -- Column: Knocking Down the Bone PileElectronic component salvaging is the practice of recovering high-value devices from PCBs taken from obsolete or superseded electronic products. These components can be reused in new assemblies, reducing dependence on newly purchased parts that may be costly or subject to long lead times.
ICAPE Group Unveils Exclusive Report on Sustainability in Electronics Manufacturing
09/15/2025 | ICAPE GroupICAPE Group, a global leader in printed circuit boards (PCBs) and custom electronics manufacturing, today announces the launch of its 2025 Industry Outlook & Innovation Report: Sustainability in Electronics Manufacturing. This exclusive report is accompanied by fresh insights from a dedicated Statista survey of 100 electronics manufacturing professionals, commissioned by ICAPE Group.
Advanced Packaging-to-Board-Level Integration: Needs and Challenges
09/15/2025 | Devan Iyer and Matt Kelly, Global Electronics AssociationHPC data center markets now demand components with the highest processing and communication rates (low latencies and high bandwidth, often both simultaneously) and highest capacities with extreme requirements for advanced packaging solutions at both the component level and system level. Insatiable demands have been projected for heterogeneous compute, memory, storage, and data communications. Interconnect has become one of the most important pillars of compute for these systems.
Smart Automation: Odd-form Assembly—Dedicated Insertion Equipment Matters
09/09/2025 | Josh Casper -- Column: Smart AutomationLarge, irregular, or mechanically unique parts, often referred to as odd-form components, have never truly disappeared from electronics manufacturing. While many in the industry have been pursuing miniaturization, faster placement speeds, and higher-density PCBs, certain market sectors are moving in the opposite direction.
Talking with Tamara: Floor Planning Policies
09/04/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineTamara Jovanovic is an electrical engineer with Masimo, a medical equipment manufacturer. She’s been designing PCBs for seven years and earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering in 2022. I asked Tamara to share her thoughts on floor planning—the challenges, techniques, and advice for designers setting up floor planning strategies.