No SMT machine can place accurately and run efficiently without good nozzles and feeders.
This is at the heart of the part placement process. If the machine is either unable to pick parts
consistently or hold on to the parts during the transport from feeder to PCB defects will result.
Proper feeder and nozzle maintenance is critical.

Nozzles are the first and last thing to touch all parts placed. They have to hold the part during
transport to the board while the machine is moving and/or rotating. The lack of proper nozzle
maintenance and/or poor quality nozzles will lead to part issues, machine issues, and other
process problems.

Feeder performance will degrade without proper maintenance. Regular cleaning, lubrication,
and calibration are essential. Feeder neglect will lead to:

     1. Mispicking of parts
     2. Misplacement of parts
     3. “Tombstoning” of parts
     4. Flipped parts

Issues related to improper nozzle/feeder maintenance or use of poor quality nozzles are often
the same. Here are some of the most common problems:

     1. Poor pickup location on part. It will cause a loss of vacuum and result in parts
      shifting on the nozzle during transport.

     2. Short/worn nozzles result in poor pickup and can cause the part not to be
      imbedded into the paste. When the part is not placed into the paste correctly there
      is not enough surface tension to hold the part while the PCB is moving. Parts will shift.

     3. Sticking nozzles may be responsible for many issues as it drastically changes the
      height at which the nozzle is presented.

     4. Higher than normal rejection rate at part inspection caused by:
         • Parts not being presented to the nozzle in a consistent position
         • Nozzle lighting being poor
            - Degradation of reflective disks over time
            - Dirty reflective disks
            - Poor quality of reflective disks
         • Nozzle height incorrect
         • Stuck nozzles from part height incorrectly set in program
           - Nozzles worn beyond their tolerances
           - Incorrect length tolerances on nozzles

In summary nozzles and feeders touch thousands of parts per hour. They are highly
critical to the pick and place process. The need for proper preventative feeder and nozzle
maintenance along with the use of high quality nozzles are essential to your process. Nozzles
should be purchased only through SMT Research or Fuji.