Automatic component insertion provides the consistency required to
ensure the highest levels of circuit board quality, throughput, and
process control. When properly planned and implemented, automatic
component insertion provides significant cost savings in the
printed circuit board assembly process.
The benefits realized from automating circuit board assembly processes
span all areas of manufacturing. Ultimately, all of these
benefits result in improved products and reduced production costs.
Three key inputs affect the economics and logistics of PC board
assembly: (1) the circuit boards, (2) the equipment used to assemble
the boards, and (3) the components to be inserted. By precisely
understanding and standardizing these three primary elements,
manufacturers can improve the quality of the finished boards,
increase the throughput of the assembly equipment and the system,
and more precisely define the process control standards to provide a
basis for future applications. Standardizing these elements reduces
process variability, which leads to increased insertion reliability,
improved product quality, enhanced system price/performance and,
ultimately, reduced production costs.