PCB Equiptment sites, NEED HELP!!

PCBAssembler · Mar 2, 2011

Hey Everyone, Im new here so hopefully i can find the help needed!

And i put this thread in the right area ( if not, can you please move it to the right place )
Im a circuit board assembler but do everything by hand. Im looking to upgrade my department but Im VERY new to the equipment that can be used to make my life easier!!

Im looking to purchase some equipment such as:

Re flow oven
Semi Auto pick and place
Rotary PCB cutter
Stencil and Templates ( or are those the same thing, different names?)

Is there anything else I may need for my department?

And MOST IMPORTANTLY, what are some great sites (with great deals is always helpful on the budget) that I can research some of this equipment to buy? Im not familiar with brand names in which who is good or better or who is no good at all.

What are some sites I should check out that has equipment like what im looking for??

The help is VERY much appreciated.
Thanks guys

PCBAssembler · Mar 8, 2011

Websites needed: Help muchly appreciated!

( I hope this is posted in the correct area, if not could it please be changed. Im new, be easy on me haha )

Does anyone know of any good manufacture sites that I can purchase this equipment:

Re flow oven
Semi Auto pick and place
Rotary PCB cutter
Stencil and Templates ( or are those the same thing, different names?)

The help is VERY much appreciated.

Thanks everyone.

(*steve*) · Mar 9, 2011

There is no need to start multiple threads.

Perhaps you can explain what you want to do.

The answers to the questions you ask vary a lot depending on quantity.

I would assume you want a reflow oven that has boards passing through on a conveyor belt, not one where you manually place a couple of boards in it and let it run a cycle, then unload it, and put more in...

Semi-automatic pick and place? What do you mean by this?

I went here and couldn't find anything called "semi-automatic".

Rotary PCB cutter? Are you making your own PCBs? If not, why not get them manufactured with cutouts etc.

What do you need to cut? straight lines, curved cutouts, somthing else?

I'm not sure I can really help you, but maybe someone can if you describe your requirements a little better.

PCBAssembler · Mar 10, 2011

It is for low volume production. Im looking to expand my department. I have 5 different boards that have to be stuffed, 10 at a time...and right now I do it all manual by hand. Ive been asked to research this equipment to expand my department to make it easier and produce the boards quicker.

Actually, I am only looking for a reflow oven where you can put in a few boards, run cycle, then redo with other boards....

And honestly, I dont know what i mean by semi auto pick and place ( haha ) my boss requested for me to look for a machine that is semi automatic. Is there no such thing? Does he not know what hes talking about? Im sure he doesnt know more about this either.

He also asked me to get a rotary PCB cutter. Is there no such thing? He requested that as well.

From my understanding, I need to cut the boards....straight lines then.

Sorry, like i said, this is all new to me. Im trying to explain myself the best I can.

(*steve*) · Mar 11, 2011

I'd go to the site I linked to (or google for something similar) and try to figure out what your boss wants (point him at the link perhaps). I would imagine the effort of programming a pick and place machine would be large compared with the savings in time if you only have a few boards to make. They may also be limited in the number of reels they can hold, so if you have many different components you may have to pass the board through several times. The manual ones which support your arm may be better for very low volumes. (I do things entirely manually)

For a reflow oven, you'd probably be looking at one of the smaller units that have something like a 180 x 230 mm space inside. You can find them on eBay, although you may wish to find one elsewhere. Search on ebay for "reflow oven"

I cut PCB material with a sheet metal cutter designed for up to 3mm sheet metal. It's a bit like this. Obviously not to be used on boards that are already populated!