Improvement Measures for Material Loss in SMT Chip Processing

Purchasing additional components to maintain the operation of surface mount technology (SMT) production lines is the main focus of losses. During the SMT manufacturing process, certain components will be lost. Losses can ensure that the contract manufacturer has sufficient available components to complete the work without causing machine downtime.

How is the loss calculated?

The losses should be estimated by the SMT engineering team based on their equipment experience. The main factors affecting loss estimation are packaging size and component cost, followed by batch size. The two main factors are lead length and placement loss. For example, most SMT placement machines require a certain length of guide to feed the reel into the machine. The number of units per inch of lead length will affect the loss calculation. Moreover, SMT may "lose" parts through incorrect selection. As parts become smaller, more precise, and assembly picking rates improve, the phenomenon of incorrect picking will also increase. Due to the possibility of a certain proportion of parts being mistakenly installed, the estimated loss will increase with the increase of batch size.

Usually, engineers consider the loss level of very small low value components to avoid losing a fraction of the cost of the parts and causing the production line to stall. The most expensive parts wear very little.

The actual loss should be calculated based on the information provided by the company's SMT manufacturing equipment.

Reduce losses

An important aspect of loss is understanding how to reduce the number of additional components required in manufacturing. By utilizing the rolls of components instead of strips or loose parts, the loss of components in the picking and placing machine can be minimized, and you can make purchases at discounted prices. In addition, proper maintenance and calibration of the feeder, as well as regular maintenance and inspection of SMT equipment, will reduce the speed of component loss. The cost of loss should be carefully weighed against the possibility of stopping the production line.