SMT Placement for ICs, Connectors and Odd-Shaped Components

Accurate component placement is a basic requirement for any pick and place machine. The first step towards accurate placement is accurate centering, or measurement of the component’s position on the placement head. One of the most widely used centering methods for ICs, connectors, and odd‐shaped components are a camera based system that measures the component position relative to a known point. Camera based centering systems include three main elements: lighting, camera, and software. Each of these elements are critical to obtaining an accurate measurement of the component and ultimately for accurate component placement on the PCB. As the old adage goes, the system is only as strong as its weakest link....