Buyer’s Guide: Benchmarking Equipment Against Your Needs
At this point in the equipment selection process, it’s just a matter of making a chart of your requirements alongside the specifications of the different machines you’re looking at.
Your requirements
You calculated your feeder slot requirements in section 4: Feeder Slot Requirements. You figured out your component and board specs and used the CPH calculator to determine your speed requirement in section 3: Identifying your product specifications. So all that’s left is to pop that information into the “PCB Requirement” column of your chart.
Equipment capabilities
Next, for each piece of equipment you’re looking at, you’ll fill in an “Equipment Data” column with the manufacturer’s specs. Of course, instead of “required” for feeder slots and placement speed, you’ll insert “feeder slots available” and “CPH rating.” Make sure to de-rate the CPH as discussed in section 2: How manufacturers specify equipment. You can use our CPH calculator to do that.
Some examples
We have put together a few examples of how to use the benchmarking chart:
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Our first example is for a low-volume assembler. Here are the details:
- Annual board requirement: 10,500
- Unique components per board: 43
- Placements per board: 225
- Board length: 7″
- Board width: 5″
- Minimum size component: 0603
- Maximum size component: SOIC8 (4.9mm X 6mm)
- Fine pitch requirement: 0.050″
And here is the chart comparing the assembler’s requirements against a specific pick and place machine:
PCB Requirement Equipment Data PCB Example 01 Model: 7722 Feeder Slots Feeder Slots Required 44 (42 8-mm & one 12-mm) 54 8-mm slots Tube/Stick Parts 0 8-stick feeder mounts on left side of system Matrix Tray Parts 0 JEDEC 330×135 for feeder base or PCB area Component Handling Smallest Part 0603 0201 (w/nozzle) Largest Part SOIC8 40 mm x 40 mm Smallest lead pitch 0.050″ 0.020″ Board Handling Board Size Minimum 5″ x 7″ 2″ x 2″ Board Size Maximum 15.4″ x 12.2″ Placement Speed Required Board CPH Requirement 1350 cph 1960 (de-rated by 30%) -
Our second example is for a mid-volume assembler. Here are the details:
- Annual board requirement: 22,000
- Unique components per board: 50
- Placements per board: 325
- Board length: 8″
- Board width: 10″
- Minimum size component: 0402
- Maximum size component: 28 mm x 28 mm
- Fine pitch requirement: 0.015″ Lead Pitch QFP 256
And here is the chart comparing the assembler’s requirements against a specific pick and place machine:
PCB Requirement Equipment Data PCB Example 02 Model: MC-385V2V Feeder Slots Feeder Slots Required 54 (45 8-mm + one stick feeder) 128 8-mm slots Tube/Stick Parts 5 lanes 10-lane feeder requires 9 slots Matrix Tray Parts 1 Component Handling Smallest Part 0402 01005 (w/nozzle) Largest Part 28 mm x 28 mm 150 mm x 100 mm Smallest lead pitch 0.015″ 0.012″ Board Handling Board Size Minimum 8″ x 10″ 2″ x 2″ Board Size Maximum 13.8″ x 17.1″ w/o tray holder
12.6″ x 8.6″ w/tray holderPlacement Speed Required Board CPH Requirement 4225 cph 4800 cph (de-rated by 20%) -
Our final example is for a mid-volume assembler dealing with a high component mix. Here are the details:
- Annual board requirement: 19,500
- Unique components per board: 89
- Placements per board: 213
- Board length: 12″
- Board width: 10″
- Minimum size component: 0201
- Maximum size component: BGA208 (23mm X 23mm)
- Fine pitch requirement: 0.050″ Ball Pitch BGA 208
A machine’s ability to hold multiple matrix tray parts will best accommodate the production need:
PCB Requirement Equipment Data PCB Example 03 Model: MC-388 Feeder Slots Feeder Slots Required 90 (81 8-mm & 9 stick feeders) 256 8-mm slots Tube/Stick Parts 8 Avail (subtract 9 slots per 10 sticks) Matrix Tray Parts 4 3 to 6 avail., full JEDEC location Component Handling Smallest Part 0201 01005 (w/nozzle) Largest Part 23 mm x 23 mm 100 mm x 150 mm Smallest lead pitch 0.050″ 0.012″ Board Handling Board Size Minimum 12″ x 10″ 2″ x 2″ Board Size Maximum 12.5″ x 47″ with conveyor
12.5″ x 43″ without conveyor
(It would be 16″ instead of 12.5″ without the matrix trays)Placement Speed Required Board CPH Requirement 2556 cph 4480 (de-rated by 30%)
Making the comparison
Once you have your chart completed, it will be easy to determine which machines won’t be suitable for your needs at all. That may narrow the field down to just one machine, which would make your decision a simple one! Or you may find yourself with a number of contenders still on the list.
This is where you compare warranties, availability of installation and training, level of service and support, software, options, and the qualities of the companies themselves: years in business, satisfied customers, etc.
You may have other questions when it comes to purchasing a pick and place machine, including:
- Should I buy used or new?
- What about assembling LED light panels?
- Should I buy a pick and place machine—or outsource my assembly needs?
- Should I buy a pick and place machine—or assemble my products by hand?
NEXT: Get Recommendations
This article is a part of the Pick & Place Equipment Buyer’s Guide.