I have very little knowledge of pick and place machines or assembly, and was hoping someone could give me some advice of where to start looking. I do learn quickly so I am not afraid of challenges or learning through mistakes.
I need to produce about 500 - 1000 boards a month, each board having about 400 components total (150 unique parts) including BGA's and CSPs.
This production is too small to get good pricing from the Chinese suppliers, yet too complex to be done by the local facilities. The people that will do it won't do it at the priority level I want or at a budget I can afford.
When you also factor in shipping, VAT and import hassles doing everything in house looks attractive.
I'm in Bangkok, and operator time is essentially free. I've thought about 10 guys with soldering irons. Unfortunately, the BGA components make this impractical, and I need better process reliability than full manual assembly can provide.
What else do I need besides a pick and place machine and a reflow oven if I wanted to do this myself? I can afford to do most jobs by hand as long as it isn't delicate work. Are there places where I could outsource the X-Ray BGA inspection if I have problems, or would I need to purchase my own inspection station?
Can anyone recommend low cost equipment that would fit my needs? What is the lowest budget I could realistically get away with to acquire the necessary equipment second hand? Where is a good place to purchase it? I have considered buying at auction but I don't really know what I need.
Any advice is appreciated.
Chris
reply »