Considering the today’s global uncertainty, a lot of companies are investigating repatriating all or some of their production. If you’re looking at installing a new SMT or Through-Hole assembly line, or you want to modify one, it can be a daunting task; dealing with multiple vendors that supply complex (and expensive) machines or tools, each with different lead times, shipping logistics, set up procedures and software compatibility issues. It can be a project management nightmare, especially if you’re trying to run a business.

• Collaborating with our pick and place partners, Restronics Florida can help coordinate and manage this herculean task. By partnering with our SMT pick and place partner experts, we can:
• Source all the machines needed for the line (even if we do not have a direct relationship with them).
• Manage the delivery logistics, making sure everything arrives on time and together.
• Manage the installation and line bring up.
• Manage the software compatibility between the different machines from the different manufacturers.
• Ensure your people are trained.

WHAT IS SMT ASSEMBLY?

SMT (Surface Mounting Technology) is a way to produce electronic circuits by placing components directly onto the board’s surface. SMT assembly is an updated alternative to the through-hole method of PCB manufacturing, which that originated in the 1970s and 1980s.

As electronics manufacturing continued to gain momentum, a more efficient, smoother process was needed. SMT assembly was born out of this need.

WHAT IS THROUGH-HOLE ASSEMBLY?

Through-hole technology (also spelled "thru-hole") describes the mounting scheme used for electronic components involving the use of leads on the components that are inserted into holes drilled in printed circuit boards (PCB). These leads are then soldered to pads on the opposite side either by the manual assembly (manually placing components by hand) or by the use of automated insertion mount machines.

Solder joint quality is important for a few reasons. The solder joint is the actual connection between the component and the board. The quality of the solder joint equates to the quality of the connection itself. How the solder joint looks is less important but is often indicative of the quality of the solder joint.