Pick-and-Place Selection: Beyond Headline CPH
Choose an SMT pick-and-place machine using board cycle time, component coverage, feeders and changeover evidence—not headline speed alone.
4 min read
The right pick-and-place machine is the one that produces your required board mix with acceptable quality and manageable changeovers. The largest components-per-hour number is a screening metric, not a production plan.
Before requesting proposals, define a representative set of assemblies. Include the board that dominates volume, the board with the widest component range and the board that creates the hardest setup. A supplier can then propose a configuration against real work rather than a favorable example.
Translate your production target into placement demand
Start with required good panels per shift, placements per panel and available operating time. Distinguish a panel from an individual PCB: a six-up panel with 120 placements per PCB contains 720 placements, not 120.
For example, a target of 500 panels per eight-hour shift with 600 placements per panel represents 300,000 placements. Dividing by eight gives 37,500 placements per hour before allowing for changeovers, stoppages or quality losses. This arithmetic does not mean a machine rated at 37,500 CPH will meet the target.
Now estimate actual running time. If planned setup and other scheduled activities leave six hours for production, the required running rate becomes 50,000 placements per hour. Validate that estimate with measured board cycle times and the complete line—not a generic percentage discount applied to brochure speed.
Ask what conditions sit behind the speed claim
Manufacturers qualify throughput for good reason. Yamaha’s YSM40R specification, for example, describes mounting capability under optimum conditions and identifies the associated head configuration. The useful lesson is to compare conditions, not just numbers.
Ask each supplier for:
- The head and camera configuration used for the quoted speed.
- Component packages, feeder arrangement and board pattern behind that result.
- Estimated cycle time for each of your representative boards.
- Time included for transfer, fiducials, recognition and nozzle changes.
- Any operations excluded from the estimate.
If two proposals use different assumptions, request a normalized comparison. Do not present an optimum speed as guaranteed output for a mixed assembly.
Check the complete component list
A machine can handle most placements and still fail the project because of one connector, shield or fine-pitch device. Build a coverage sheet with package dimensions, height, packaging format, placement requirements and proposed handling method.
Check metric versus imperial naming for small passives. A bare designation such as “0201” is not enough without the dimensional convention. Confirm the smallest part, largest body, tallest component and any unusual pickup surface.
Also identify parts that need force control, special nozzles or additional vision. Confirm these capabilities for the ordered head, not for a different configuration in the same product family.
Include feeders and changeovers in the purchase decision
Count actual tape widths and tray requirements. Feeder capacity expressed as equivalent 8 mm positions is not the same as the number of different parts your mixed-width setup can accommodate.
For high-mix manufacturing, compare the time from the last accepted panel of product A to the first accepted panel of product B. Include program selection, material verification, feeder movement, nozzle setup, board support and first-article approval.
Ask what can be prepared offline and what requires the line to stop. Price the feeder pool, carts, setup tools and software needed for that workflow. An apparently inexpensive base machine can become a different investment after these items are included.
Use FAROAD specifications as a shortlist, not a promise
The CPM-F6 product page lists a maximum PCB size of 510 × 570 mm. It distinguishes optimum placement speeds of 42,000 CPH for the high-speed head and 18,000 CPH for the multifunctional head. These are configuration-specific values; do not add them together to create an assumed output.
The same page lists optional feeder-related accessories and different component envelopes for the two heads. Use this information to build a preliminary match, then request a BOM-based assessment of the configuration proposed for your boards.
Explore the broader pick-and-place machine range if your mix needs a different balance of speed, component coverage and board format.
Compare proposals with a practical scorecard
Production capacity — Board-specific cycle estimate with stated assumptions.
Component coverage — BOM mapping to head, vision, nozzle and feeder.
Setup effort — Representative changeover demonstration.
Quality — Agreed placement checks on representative assemblies.
Integration — Confirmed mechanical transfer and required data exchange.
Ownership — Itemized options, consumables, training and support terms.
Weight the categories according to your business. A high-volume line may prioritize sustained board output; an EMS operation with short lots may gain more from setup efficiency and component flexibility.
Define the trial before agreeing to buy
A useful demonstration includes your component mix, repeat runs and a product change. Record cycle time separately from shift output. Review pickup errors, rejected components, first-article time and operator intervention rather than measuring only the fastest board.
Agree what data you will receive and how placement quality will be checked. If testing is part of the purchase decision, specify who provides boards and materials and whether the test is included in the project scope.
Request a configuration, not simply a machine price
Prepare the BOM, placement coordinates, board drawing, component packages, target output, lot sizes, shifts and existing line details. State which requirements are mandatory and which are preferences.
Send FAROAD a quote request asking for a component-coverage assessment, a board-cycle estimate and an itemized configuration. The strongest buying decision is supported by evidence that the whole job fits—not by one favorable CPH headline.