With all the today’s global uncertainty, a lot of companies are looking at bringing back some or all of their production back home. If your company is looking at installing a new SMT or Through-Hole assembly line, or looking to modify one, it can be daunting; working with multiple vendors who supply exceedingly complex (and expensive) machines or tools, all with different shipping lead times and logistics, set up procedures, and software compatibility issues. It can be a project management nightmare, especially if you are trying to run your business.

• Teaming up with our pick and place partners, Restronics Northern California can help coordinate and manage this herculean task. Working with our SMT pick and place partner experts, we can:
• Source all the machines needed for your line (even if we do not have a direct relationship with the manufacturer).
• Manage the delivery logistics, being 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 method to make electronic circuits by placing components right on the circuit board’s surface. SMT assembly is an updated alternative to the through-hole method of PCB manufacturing, 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") references the mounting scheme used for electronic components that involve 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 by either manual assembly (hand placement) or by the use of automated insertion mount machines.

Solder joint quality is important for a few reasons. The solder joint is the connection between the component and the circuit board. The quality of the solder joint is essentially the quality of the connection itself. The appearance of the solder joint is less important but is usually indicative of the quality of the solder joint.