Automated vision system checks surface mount components

摘要

Over the past several decades, surface mount technology has become the preferred means by which small components are mounted onto printed circuit boards. As the technology has increased in popularity, it has replaced older through-hole technology that involved inserting components with leads into holes drilled in a circuit board and soldered to pads on the opposite side. Today, surface-mounted components (SMCs) such as resistors and capacitors are used in large quantities in the manufacture of all forms of electronic equipment. Although they perform the same function as their leaded predecessors, their construction is markedly different - instead of leads, they feature metal connections at either end. As such, they are smaller than their leaded counterparts and easier to place using automated assembly equipment.