Considering the global uncertainty today, a lot of companies are looking at onshoring some or all of their production. If your company is looking at installing a new SMT or Through-Hole assembly line, or interested in modifying one, it can be challenging; dealing with multiple vendors who supply 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 when you are running a business.

• Collaborating with our pick and place partners, Restronics Mid Atlantic will help coordinate and manage this herculean task. Partnering with our SMT pick and place partner experts, we can:
• Source all the machines that are needed for the line (even if we do not have a direct relationship with them).
• Manage the delivery logistics, making sure everything arrives on time and together.
• Manage the installation and line bring up.
• Manage the SW compatibility between the different machines from the different manufacturers.
• Ensure your people are trained.

WHAT IS SMT ASSEMBLY?

SMT (Surface Mounting Technology) is a process to manufacture electronic circuits by putting components directly on the board’s surface. SMT assembly is an updated alternative to the through-hole method of PCB manufacturing, which was developed in the 1970s and 1980s.

As electronics manufacturing continued to gain momentum, a more efficient, better process became necessary. 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 involving the use of leads on the components being inserted into pre-drilled holes in printed circuit boards (PCB). These are then soldered to pads on the alternate side either by the manual assembly (placement by hand) or through automated insertion mount machines.

The quality of the solder joint 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 equates to the quality of the connection itself. How the solder joint looks is less important but is often indicative of the quality of the solder joint.