Populating a board with tiny SMT parts can be really tricky ... First up is the manual pick-and-place machine. Wait, what? A manual pick-and-place? It’s essentially an un-driven 2-axis machine ...

This actually makes sense even if you’re getting boards assembled for you, because through-hole pads are a lot more expensive than SMT parts ... fully automatic pick-and-place.

Keep the line moving. Reel splicing allows operators to join two reels together without interrupting production. Operators can quickly create a seamless transition between reels using a splicing kit ...