NEW!! We just introduced a neat little manual pick and place machine: SMT Caddy!

[SMT Caddy]

A new, affordable tool for building your own boards:



SMTCaddy.com

https://youtu.be/JStbyvxd7bg

It's packed with convenience features for prototyping and short runs, motorized tape feeders, a very versatile digital microscope, color touchscreen, custom software, etc., and it's made in sunny California!

Please feel free to contact us for any additional info: info@SMTCaddy.com

[BNElecEng]

Very cool idea. Do you have any plans to ship to the UK?

[asmi]

You have very interesting meaning of word "affordable". $2800 is not affordable since many automatic PnP machines are in the same price ballpark.

* asmi went back to manually place parts...

[SMT Caddy]

Thank You! This was a "necessity is mother of all inventions" moment. Got tired of going out for custom boards and prototypes, and didn't like any of the available solutions for tools, so, we made our own machine

Due to the tax and certification overheads, we decided to stick with the US market for now, but, we plan to partner up with an EU distributor, soon. Sorry for the inconvenience! you can take it up with the regulatory authorities making it rather impossible to work internationally unless you're Google!

[photon]

I really like your work.

[hermit]

You have very interesting meaning of word "affordable". $2800 is not affordable since many automatic PnP machines are in the same price ballpark.

* asmi went back to manually place parts...

Maybe they need to hire someone to do a proper film.  I had to stop watching.  Moving text while trying to watch what was going on when they could have used some of the ample dead space to do that.  Seriously, cut the crap and give the details.  You are trying to sell to technical people here.

[ataradov]

I had to stop watching.

Same here. It is like somebody just got after effects and got their money worth .

Can you show a complete process of stuffing a medium size board with no jump cuts.

I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of the moving display.

[ovnr]

moving display

Oh look, my interest just flew out the window into the chilly night, and I didn't even have to watch the video.

[SMT Caddy]

We'll post another video soon, with emphasis only on P&P. We'll add a link to this thread.

The system offers an HDMI port for an external display as well. You can duplicate the video on another 1080P monitor. Though, this will require a 'dangling' cord. The moving display, though unorthodox at first glance, is something you quickly acclimate to. Most of us have actually grown to like it

Considering that the camera (and other accessories) will need to move on the gantry, and the CCD interface cables, etc., are far more sensitive to length and flex, the controller climbed up on the gantry very quickly! The highest-end HDMI cables will not tolerate continuous flex through the tracks; a few thousand cycles and you'll lose your video! Some imports would not consider such issues. A continuous flex HDMI cable is 3 times the width of the existing track, not to mention the exorbitant cost. We couldn't tolerate a dangling cable (though not immune to the flex scenario); we opted for reliability here, hence, a moving display

Always open to improvement ideas and suggestions

[sleemanj]

Price is crazy, but that's what you get for "Made in USA" I guess, it's also rather highly spec'd for a manual system.

It doesn't look like there is much in the way of damping on the axes, that's something worth considering I'd think.

[DerekG]

Due to the tax and certification overheads, we decided to stick with the US market for now, but, we plan to partner up with an EU distributor, soon. Sorry for the inconvenience! you can take it up with the regulatory authorities making it rather impossible to work internationally unless you're Google!

Geeeez ...................... this is not the way to run a business.

How hard is it to get an account with FedEx or DHL, pack the item up securely & send it to your customers overseas?

You get a signature on delivery & accept payment by Paypal or into your bank etc before shipping.

But please, put your video camera on a stand & redo your video like a professional ............. if you are serious about wanting to truly enter this market.

[Mr. Scram]

Geeeez ...................... this is not the way to run a business.

How hard is it to get an account with FedEx or DHL, pack the item up securely & send it to your customers overseas?

You get a signature on delivery & accept payment by Paypal or into your bank etc before shipping.

But please, put your video camera on a stand & redo your video like a professional ............. if you are serious about wanting to truly enter this market.

I hate to say it, but it's not that easy. You need to do a fair bit of homework before you can sell overseas. I've come to realize that developing the product is often the easy part, and that dealing with all the certifications and the other shenanigans is what complicates things. Even something as simple as VAT can turn into a headache. In some easily encountered cases, you're required to register as a company in the country you sell to, and report your VAT there separately. This means hiring one or more local experts to support you and help you navigate this fully unfamiliar environment. This may have to be repeated for every country you sell to.

So no, it's not as easy as throwing it in a box and slapping on a sticker. The grown up world is stupid like that, but it is what it is.

[ovnr]

Considering that the camera (and other accessories) will need to move on the gantry, and the CCD interface cables, etc., are far more sensitive to length and flex, the controller climbed up on the gantry very quickly! The highest-end HDMI cables will not tolerate continuous flex through the tracks; a few thousand cycles and you'll lose your video! Some imports would not consider such issues. A continuous flex HDMI cable is 3 times the width of the existing track, not to mention the exorbitant cost. We couldn't tolerate a dangling cable (though not immune to the flex scenario); we opted for reliability here, hence, a moving display

You do realize that the Raspi camera CSI cable is a flex cable? Like those used in inkjet printers and scanners, which do this sort of thing all day long without breaking a sweat? And that they work fine up to at least 50 cm?

Also, I thought reducing the weight of moving parts was a big deal, since that also drops the noise (less banging around), allows higher speeds (less inertia) and smaller motors?

[DerekG]

The grown up world is stupid like that, but it is what it is.

Yes, you are right, but there is another way to circumvent a lot of this. The supplier states that they will ship to a reshipping agent in their own country, then the overseas purchaser organises everything off their own back to get the item to its destination.

The overseas company is then simply importing a product that they already own as the sale clearly took place within the USA. This simplifies the paperwork in their own country.

For example we use these two companies for getting product out of the USA. Total costs normally run from US$80 to US$160 depending on the weight & destination of the package.

https://secure.comgateway.com

https://www.reship.com

[mikeselectricstuff]

Nice idea but way too complicated and hence too expensive.

[Mr. Scram]

Yes, you are right, but there is another way to circumvent a lot of this. The supplier states that they will ship to a reshipping agent in their own country, then the overseas purchaser organises everything off their own back to get the item to its destination.

The overseas company is then simply importing a product that they already own as the sale clearly took place within the USA. This simplifies the paperwork in their own country.

For example we use these two companies for getting product out of the USA. Total costs normally run from US$80 to US$160 depending on the weight & destination of the package.

https://secure.comgateway.com

https://www.reship.com

Considering sales in the US aren't a problem, this is already a viable method. I do think you have to be careful of combining the service with the sale, though, as different tax agencies might view it is as a trick to circumvent regulations. The wrath of the taxman is not something to be fancied. Of course, it also shifts the burden on the customer, which isn't ideal either.

Selling it just in the US, leaving it up to the customer to figure it out if he really wants one seems a sensible route, at least if you don't want to get entangled in international tomfoolery.

[Mr. Scram]

Nice idea but way too complicated and hence too expensive.

While I appreciate your comments and insights, adding a constructive element to the criticism would be welcome

[mikeselectricstuff]

Nice idea but way too complicated and hence too expensive.

While I appreciate your comments and insights, adding a constructive element to the criticism would be welcome

Simplify, to reduce cost.
All you need is a magnifier - fixed lens with maybe 2x software zoom is probably all that's needed.
 I can't see that  all the other stuff adds much to productivity. A built-in web browser... seriously?

Compared to a normal hand-placement flow of picking from tape with a foot-operated vacuum pen, the things that would obviously improve this significantly are the hand steady , the rotatable pick head and the integrated magnifier. Anything more is diminishing returns.

Having to un-reel, cut tape and re-reel them on to low-capacity feeders is pretty awkward and wasteful

And if you are going to  have a computer in there and be charging that much, I'd expect it to have position encoders so I could upload a pick/place file and have it dynamically overlay part types on the PCB view. 

[DerekG]

One thing to watch is lead in the solder & the components if shipping to the EU. For one-offs & for prototype/testing purposes, imports into the EU with lead are possible, but for production volumes, lead will often prohibit the importation. In such cases the manufacturer must provide written documentation stating no lead is used in the product. A declaration re CE certification will also be required - but this is usually already required for sales within the US as well so should not be an issue.

[SMT Caddy]

Selling it just in the US, leaving it up to the customer to figure it out if he really wants one seems a sensible route, at least if you don't want to get entangled in international tomfoolery.

Our exact mentality. Circumventing the tax implications in any way is not safe, nor ethical. The laws are generally legislated without consideration for small business; they often carry the burden though!

There are also various other regulations to consider, e.g., CE, CSA, etc., depending on the country/region of interest.

Thank you for your valuable input and discussion.

[mairo]

One big fail in the machine IMHO is that the operator needs to use his/her two hands to operate the machine (correct me if i am wrong)- one hand to move the pick up/place head and the other hand to switch ON/OFF the vacuum. In all $2k+ manual and asemi automatic pick and place machines (e.g. LPKF, Mechatronika, Dima,  FRITSCH, Essemtec, Atco, old OKIs ...) this function is implemented and extremely useful, even a machine that seems to be priced lower than yours has this function:
 http://www.esdshop.eu/shop/?page=vyrobok&psk=34&rozbal=23&id=260&lang=en

I have found that the camera function is only really useful in the LPKF machines as there the operator can lock the rotation on the head and by observing the camera can align very accurately by moving the bed a large pin count/small pitch components.

The machine can get some potential if it includes the automatic pressure ON/OFF function. The small PCB footprint may be good for some, but it also will be limiting factor for others. The feeder count is also very low.

[abraxa]

It does look like a nice product but even if I were in the market for one, I'd still prefer a vacuum pen. The reason is that I'm not impressed by the placement accuracy in the video, especially the 0402 caps. I can do very precise movements when holding a pen while my wrist rests flat on a surface (e.g. a table). With your machine, there is no wrist support since only the arm is supported and the control stick is facing up, not sideways like a pen. I can see how both reduce accuracy, and the video is a nice example of how it takes quite a while for the operator to put down the cap - and even then it's not properly aligned.

I do very much like the idea of the magnetic table but as Mike has pointed out, the lack of overlay on the display would've made it *that* much better. Even more so if the next part would be automatically de-reeled as well. However, with the placement mechanism being the way it is, I still would be concerned about placement speed and quality of the end result.

[EncomLab]

http://vpapanik.blogspot.com/2012/11/low-budget-manual-pick-place.html  This guy has the right idea- and just 100 euro.

[jmelson]

Due to the tax and certification overheads, we decided to stick with the US market for now, but, we plan to partner up with an EU distributor, soon. Sorry for the inconvenience! you can take it up with the regulatory authorities making it rather impossible to work internationally unless you're Google!

Geeeez ...................... this is not the way to run a business.

How hard is it to get an account with FedEx or DHL, pack the item up securely & send it to your customers overseas?

You get a signature on delivery & accept payment by Paypal or into your bank etc before shipping.

Right!  I am a ONE MAN business, and I sell to anywhere in the world, from the US.  Even China and Russia.  (Well, OK, not Palestine and North Korea.)    I have a FedEx account, PayPal and a credit card merchant account, and run  my own web store.  I get a LOT of international orders, it runs around 30 international right now.   My items are less expensive than a P&P machine, but if I can do it, really any business can.

You do have to come up with a harmonized tariff number for your items.  The Dept. of Commerce can help you get the number, but it is a lot faster to look it up on their web site.

Jon

[Mr. Scram]

Right!  I am a ONE MAN business, and I sell to anywhere in the world, from the US.  Even China and Russia.  (Well, OK, not Palestine and North Korea.)    I have a FedEx account, PayPal and a credit card merchant account, and run  my own web store.  I get a LOT of international orders, it runs around 30 international right now.   My items are less expensive than a P&P machine, but if I can do it, really any business can.

You do have to come up with a harmonized tariff number for your items.  The Dept. of Commerce can help you get the number, but it is a lot faster to look it up on their web site.

Jon

Do your products need to comply with regulations as varied and complex as those of electronics and if so, do they? Do you comply with the tax laws of the countries you sell to?