Thank you jmelson! I do have some experience designing stencils and apertures, I make all of my own part libraries and footprints and I'm very anal about it. I've spent too long researching this topic to make the best footprints and stencil apertures feasible for my work. Knock on wood, I've been stenciling boards by hand down to chip-scale microBGAs and so far everything has worked well. For production I know the game is different but I feel ready for the challenge at the entry level.
I see that Philips Assembleon doesn't exist but apparently the same machines are being sold/serviced under a new name. Am I mistaken on this? There's a difference between "doesn't exist" and "changed ownership." I'm still trying to get in touch with a sales engineer from K&S to confirm this.
There are a few Juki machines I see available, any idea how those compare in terms of parts/software/etc? What about Samsung?
On the feeder front, Yamaha feeders and Assembleon feeders (which from the 2000s era seem to be compatible) are pretty cheap on eBay. I feel like I could get almost 100 feeders for <$10k.
I certainly wouldn't say I need 8 nozzles but if the machine works, the feeders are reliable, and the price is right, why not? My thought is that low speed or hobby-grade machines will turn every timeline into a tight timeline. For example, I have to assemble 5k boards by the end of the year, with ~105 components on each. If an Assembleon could realistically place 10k CPH, that means it needs to run for 7 8-hour shifts. That's a week and a half. On the contrary a 1k CPH machine would require over 2 months! AND that's assuming that the lower grade machine works perfectly that entire time. I'd need to purchase 3-4 Neoden 4s to feel comfortable and I'm very skeptical of that option vs. even a heavily used pro machine. If I have 6 weeks and the Assembleon breaks down for 3 of them, I still come out ahead. So if I have access to the speed I much prefer to take advantage of it. Provided of course that spares are available and don't cost a truly stupid amount of money.
I am also inquiring on SMTNet but I know how very seasoned professionals typically respond to this kind of request. All about ROI, save for the big machines, etc... In my case if I can get the 5k boards done then all of the equipment is bought and paid for, and I'm getting the industrial space + electricity for a song. That means I'll own a working SMT line debt-free as soon as this order is out. Even if it makes $0 thereafter in profit that's a win in my book. Just need to get there!