Manual Board Population/SMT Factory Tour

Shenzhen Adventure Day 25

When you make a lot of a board, you get a fully automated SMT line. But what about when you only make 5? Programming a SMT line takes time and is expensive. So you can do the dumb thing – do them by hand!

Yes, even though the components are tiny the employees are highly skilled with surgically precise hands.

When you’re getting hand done SMT, it’s obviously at a smaller scale, so things are a bit more laid back you could say.

E.g., there was a random cat hanging out.

First, schematics and PCBs come in and are marked up to help the workers place parts.

Silk screens get made to put the solder paste down.

Parts get carefully placed onto the boards.

The workers have really steady hands :)

Lastly, as with any SMT process, the boards get sent to the oven.