Your PCB assembly line has been working fine for a number of years, but suddenly you’re noticing a drop in quality or output. Maybe you walk in one day to find an essential unit completely dead. How do you know whether it’s time to repair or replace your SMT equipment? At Capital Equipment Exchange, we’ve put together some factors to help you decide.

All Types Of SMT Machines Need Repair Or Replacement

Failures or interruptions can happen anywhere along your SMT manufacturing line. After all, complete production setup involves many types of precision machines all working together in top condition.

• Pick & Place Machines
• Reflow Ovens
• SMT Screen Printers
• Wave Soldering Equipment
• Conveyors & Feeders
• Fluid Dispensers
• Assembly & Inspection Machines

Possible Signs It’s Time For A Repair

Maintenance is step one in making sure your SMT machines last and continuously work the way you want them to. Think about the number of functions they complete day-after-day. Thousands upon thousands of high-precision processes put your equipment under a lot of stress. Eventually, repairs will be needed to keep even well-maintained equipment running smoothly efficiently. It’s important to know what to look out for.

• Vacuum Loss
• Gripper Issues
• Worn Shock Absorbers
• Unwanted Bridging
• Insufficient Solder Fills
• Tombstoning / Lifting Chips
• Voids In Solder Joints
• Spattering Or Random Balls Of Solder After Reflow
• Dirty Ventilation Or Filtration
• Compromised Electronic Connections
• Shortened Or Worn Pick & Place Nozzles
• Suddenly Higher Rejection Rates At Inspection
• ESD Circuit Board Damage

Pretty Good Signs You May Want A Replacement

Eventually, all the wear and tear will add up, and it will be time to replace SMT equipment with new or used PCB manufacturing machines. Popular pick and place machines, screen printers, and reflow ovens will usually have a strong community of knowledgeable fans and easy-to-source repair parts. Once your model is truly obsolete, no longer responds to regular maintenance and repair, or experiences a fatal outage, it may be more beneficial to replace the unit.

• Consistently Reduced Precision
• Consistently Reduced Output
• Damaged Boards & Required Rework Increases
• Can’t Find Repair Parts Or Support
• No Longer Safe To Operate

Used SMT Equipment For Affordable Replacements

At Capital Equipment Exchange, we regularly make high-quality replacement parts available for situations where repairs are possible. When that isn’t the case, we encourage you to explore the affordability of used SMT equipment. You may be able to source the same model you’re used to or even upgrade to a newer model by the same brand you’ve come to trust. If you don’t see what you want in our inventory, make sure to drop us a line. We may have what you need on the way or be able to recommend wallet-friendly options that will work even better for you.