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Peripheral Equipment in SMT Production Lines

Peripheral equipment in an SMT (Surface Mount Technology) production line plays a critical role in supporting the core machines—printer, pick-and-place machine, and reflow oven—to achieve automation, efficiency, and reliability. According to the production flow and functional requirements, these auxiliary devices can be categorized as follows:

I. Transfer and Linking Equipment

1. Automatic Loader

   • Function: Positioned at the beginning of the line, automatically feeds PCBs into downstream equipment based on request signals.

   • Variants: Combined magazine/vacuum loader for flexible loading modes.

2. Automatic Unloader (PCB Stacker)

   • Function: Located at the end of the line, automatically collects and stores processed PCBs.

   • Intelligent option: NG/OK sorter integrated with AOI feedback to separate defective and good boards.

3. Conveyor (Linking Station)

   • Function: Connects equipment along the production line, enables PCB buffering, transfer, or in-line inspection/manual insertion.

4. Shuttle Conveyor

   • Function: Bridges single-lane and dual-lane equipment (e.g., single-lane pick-and-place → dual-lane reflow), enabling “merge” or “split” operations to reduce equipment costs.

   • Special type: Corner conveyor designed for factory space optimization.

II. Inspection and Rework Support Equipment

1. Multi-function Buffer

   • Function: Temporarily stores NG boards after AOI/SPI inspection, automatically diverts them to manual rework while passing good boards to the next stage.

2. NG Buffer Conveyor

   • Function: Uses lifting mechanism to hold defective boards; simpler structure compared to a multi-function buffer.

3. Rework Stations

   • Composition: Includes soldering irons, rework benches, and related tools for repairing defective PCBs.

III. Process Support Equipment

1. Inverter (Flipper Unit)

   • Function: Automatically flips PCBs by 180° for continuous double-sided assembly processes.

2. Automatic PCB Stacker

   • Function: Stacks PCBs at the line entrance and pushes them onto the conveyor; also serves as a buffer conveyor.

3. Solder Paste Mixer

   • Function: Uniformly mixes solder powder and flux to improve printing quality and reduce human error.

4. Cleaning Equipment

   • Function: Removes soldering residues (e.g., flux) to ensure electrical reliability (can be omitted in no-clean processes).

IV. Other Auxiliary Equipment

• Dispensing Machine: Alternative to stencil printing, suitable for small-batch, high-mix solder paste or adhesive dispensing.

• Solder Paste Inspection (SPI) System: Measures solder paste thickness, coverage, and volume distribution (formally an inspection tool, but often considered an auxiliary).

• Baking Oven: Pre-bakes PCBs to remove moisture and prevent voids during reflow soldering.

Conclusion

SMT peripheral equipment centers around automated transfer (loaders/unloaders, conveyors), process support (flippers, solder paste mixers), and quality control/diversion (buffers, NG sorters), together enabling a high-efficiency, low-cost, and high-yield flexible production line. The actual configuration should be tailored to factory layout, production scale, and process complexity.