Learn how SMT component packaging affects electronic manufacturing
Surface mount technology, or SMT, places electronic components onto printed circuits boards (PCBs) by machine or by hand. These components, which include parts such as relays and capacitors, can be placed on both sides of the board, and with higher densities.
In the video above, the SMT equipment that you’ll see is our Mycronic pick-and-place machine. This automated system can put down as many as 30,000 parts per hour. It’s a lot faster than the 15 parts per minute that’s typical with manual board assembly.
Packaging and Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA)
The way SMT components are packaged, or presented, for automated printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), determines how we load them into our Mycronic machine – or if we assemble your boards by hand instead. As you’ll see in video, Z-AXIS supports different types of SMT component packaging:
- Full reels
- Trays
- Mini reels
- Tubes
- Tape
- Bulk packaging
Full Reels
Full reels are the most efficient way to package high volumes of electronic components. They can contain as many as 10,000 parts on up to 20 yards of continuous tape. The leader, the starting section of tape, feeds into the pick-and-place machine but then gets thrown away.
If you don’t have a leader, you have to throw away the parts at the beginning. This is a concern if the parts are expensive. The fact that we can use shorter leaders for less waste is one of the advantages of our automated SMT equipment.
Trays and SMT Component Packaging
Trays are a packaging method that don’t use tape. They hold less parts then reels so they’re great for smaller jobs. At Z-AXIS, we can also create custom trays to hold small quantities like cut tape to present to the pick-and-place machine.
The tray feeder that you’ll see in the video sends the parts to our automated SMT equipment. It has eight trays in all. Each tray has the same outside dimensions, and there are pedestal pockets for efficient processing.
Mini Reels and Tubes
Mini reels are another SMT component packaging option. They’re often used with higher value parts, and for higher volumes. A distributor can reduce a full reel to a mini reel and provide only the number of parts that you need. That’s a good way to reduce costs, especially with expensive components. The distributor will add a leader so there is no waste.
Tubes and Tape
Tubes are another SMT component packaging method. Typically, they’re used with heavier parts such as relays, and with lower volumes or integrated circuits (ICs). Because they’re only 18 inches long, tubes have to be changed out more often. Our video shows how they’re loaded.
For lower volume work, continuous tape or cut tape are also options. The challenge, however, is that an operator has to peel the tape away. With cut tapes, parts are usually picked and placed by hand. That means you can’t take advantage of automated assembly.
Bulk Packaging
Finally, there’s bulk packaging. It puts components in bags, which means an operator needs to handle them. Bags might be fine for expensive parts, but manual labor adds time and costs.
Partnering with Z-AXIS is your ticket to faster, more cost-effective PCB assembly. We can also populate boards by hand if that’s what you need, so contact us to discuss your application.