This section provides an overview for mounters as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 16 mounter manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked mounter companies as of November, 2024: 1.Electronic Manufacturing Services Group, Inc., 2.SHIBUYA CORPORATION, 3.Newbury Electronics.
Table of Contents
Mounters are devices that mount electronic components on the surface of printed circuit boards.
Also called a surface mounter or chip mounter, it mounts components of various shapes and sizes at high speed and with high precision. There are two types of mounters: rotary mounters and modular mounters. In recent years, modular mounters, which are compact and have faster mounting speeds, have become the mainstream.
Surface mounting, also called SMT (Surface Mount Technology), is one of the board mounting methods. Electronic components such as IC chips and capacitors are mounted on the surface of a printed circuit board, and the electrodes are fixed in a reflow oven by bonding them with solder paste.
Compared to insertion mounting, where component leads are inserted into holes, this method saves space and has become the mainstream mounting method in recent years. For small-lot production with a small number of boards and components, manual solder mounting by hand is also possible.
There are many boards that are surface-mounted using Mounters, and they can be found almost anywhere that requires boards for electrical circuits. Examples of surface-mounted boards in use are as follows
They are used in many familiar objects that require circuit boards for electrical circuits. Surface mounting consists of a printing process, a mounting process, and a reflow process. In the printing process, adhesive is applied to the printed circuit board by cream solder printing or dispensing, and Mounters are required to mount electronic components on it. Heat is then applied in a reflow oven to blend the solder and adhesive with the components and adhere the components.
In recent years, the size of electronic components has become less than a few millimeters, making it difficult to mount them by hand. Mounters, which can realize accurate and high-speed mounting of components, are indispensable equipment for board mounting. Mounters that can handle a wide variety of electronic components, including odd-shaped and large components, are available.
Mounters are devices that mount components on printed circuit boards to which solder printing or adhesive has been applied in the previous process. Components set in the feeder are picked up by the suction nozzles in the device and mounted at the designated positions on the board. The structure of the Mounters is as follows
Mounters are used for mounting electronic components by surface mounting, so after the components are placed using the mounter, the soldering process takes place. Depending on the soldering process, pretreatment before using Mounters is different. In most cases, solder is applied using a cream solder printer or adhesive is applied using a dispenser as pretreatment.
After the board has been pre-processed, electronic components such as chips to be placed are grouped together and placed in the mounter's feeder. The electronic components are automatically fed from the feeder, and the nozzle of the device sucks the components under negative pressure. The suctioned nozzle moves directly to the top of the board, and the electronic components can be placed and positioned at the set location on the board.
Mounters can be divided into rotary mounters and modular mounters. The mainstream is the modular mounter, which has become smaller and more convenient in recent years. Rotary mounters use a rotary head to pick up and place electronic components. Modular mounters use XY robot axes to move the head to pick up and place the components.
Mounters in recent years have made it possible to mount electronic components in place with high speed and accuracy. The improved performance of the component recognition camera enables highly accurate mounting by measuring and correcting the position of the board and the mounting position of components.
There are two types of Mounters: modular type and rotary type.
Modular type mounters are currently the most common type of mounters, with a suction header attached to the end of an XY robot, which picks up the component to be mounted and carries it to the mounting position on the board.
While the equipment can be made compact, the disadvantage is that the suction head must be moved in the XY direction each time a component is picked up, resulting in a longer tact time than with the rotary type.
The rotary type has multiple suction heads on a rotating rotary section and can pick up multiple parts in a single pick-up operation. While the rotary type has the advantage of high-speed mounting, it has the disadvantage of large equipment and high maintenance costs.
In addition, it is necessary to set a large number of parts at a time, which is no longer suitable for today's market, where small-quantity, high-mix production is required. For this reason, most mounter manufacturers have now discontinued production of the rotary type.
The following are things to consider when selecting a mounter.
The speed of mounting a single component varies from about 0.1 second to about 1 second, depending on the mounter model.
For mounting technologies that require miniaturization and high density of components, such as boards for smartphones, an error of about 0.1 mm is required. For circuit boards that do not require high density mounting, a mounting accuracy of about 0.2mm is sufficient.
When not only chip components wound on tape but also large tray-supplied surface-mounted components are to be mixed on a circuit board, a large mounter capable of setting a special parts feeder is required.
Mounter feeders are automatic parts feeders that feed electronic components into the equipment. Electronic components are delivered in reel or tray packaging and set in the feeder.
The parts are fed through the feeder into the equipment, and the feeder is an important device for ensuring that the parts are loaded in a constant direction without tilting. The use of a batch feeder exchange cart allows the feeders to be removed and attached from the main unit in a batch, and optimization can be achieved for each cart, thereby reducing the number of setup man-hours.
The feeder size should be selected to suit the packing configuration of the following parts.
In the reel tape-sharing type, which is the most common delivery form, electronic components are attached to paper tape or plastic embossed tape, which is covered with a thin plastic film tape called cover tape. This mechanism feeds components into the equipment while peeling off the cover tape inside the feeder.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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AEROTECH creates solutions for motion and positioning of devices. Customers are from industries as diverse as data storage, medical devices, and aerospace. AEROTECH develops controllers, drives, motors, and other parts for motion and positioning devices and offers custom-engineered motion systems. AEROTECH’s serves both manufacturers of individual parts as well as equipment operators offering full range of support rom design to manufacturing to deployment.
Electronic Manufacturing Services Group Inc., established in 1995, is a manufacturer of electronic assembly devices in Pennsylvania, USA. The company provides a full range of electronic assembly devices, including automated surface mount technology and thru-hole equipment setup, which can handle both board-level and complete box-build assemblies, including customized packaging. The company is an integral part of the design process, offering services related to PCB assembly, board layout, and engineering. The company provides products that meet the unique needs of its customers, with the expertise and resources to support a wide range of electronic assembly projects, from initial design to production.
Carlton Industries Corporation, established in 1995 and headquartered in Hamden, Connecticut, is a manufacturer of electronic printed board assemblies, electrical-mechanical box builds, and cable assemblies. The company engages in semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing, along with computer and electronic product manufacturing. These diverse products cater to various industries, including food production, jewelry making, packaging, and healthcare, where it serves as essential components in equipment control, laser engravers, packaging processes, and medical scanners. The company has several certifications, including ISO 9001:2015, AS9100D, and ISO 13485:2016.
Panasonic Corporation of North America is a global sustainable technology solutions provider established in 1918 by Konosuke Matsushita. The company was established on the philosophy that "business is ultimately for the betterment of our society". The company offers electronic components and devices that support Electric Vehicle charging applications. Panasonic also offers a total suite of digital and automation technologies to the manufacturing sector including electronics assembly equipment and advanced robotics for industrial automation. The company has technology solutions for education, entertainment, media, and sports as well as energy and utilities.
FUJI CORPORATION was established in 1959 and is a manufacturer of electronic assembly equipments and machine tools based in Chiryu, Aichi, Japan. The company manufactures various products such as SMT equipments, compact multijoint robot, mobility support robot, atmospheric pressure plasma, and public stocker system. The products are sold under brand of Quist for the public stocker system and FPM-Trinity for the electronic 3D printer lineup. The company has participated and showcased the products on various exhibitions such as SMTA International 2023, NEPCON Asia 2023, MECT 2023, and Productronica 2023.
Shibuya Corporation, founded in 1931, is a Japan-based manufacturer and retailer of industrial systems and equipment. Their product portfolio is available in various categories, including packaging plant business, mechatronics, agricultural and regenerative medicine. The packaging plant segment includes various equipment and systems used in the bottling, packaging, food processing and pharmaceutical industries. The agricultural division includes grading & analyzing systems such as fruit, welsh onion, and flowering plant grading systems. The mechatronics system segment includes medical equipment such as dialysis systems, medical lasers, and UV Light treatment systems. The division also includes semiconductor manufacturing and cutting processing systems.
Newbury Electronics was founded in 1956 and is an electronics manufacturer based in Newbury, United Kingdom. The company's core services revolve around the design, prototyping, and assembly of PCBs, which includes providing solutions for PCB layout, manufacturing, and assembly. The company also works closely with its clients to design and manufacture electronic components that meet specific requirements and standards. Other services include rapid prototyping, which allows clients to test and refine electronic designs before moving to full-scale production. The company serves various industry sectors, including industrial, automotive, aerospace, and more, with the ability to adapt to different client needs.
Hang Zhou Tronstol Technology Co. Ltd., established in 2010, is a manufacturer of equipment and machinery for the electronics manufacturing industry based in Zhejiang, China. The company specializes in pick-and-place machines, which are essential components in the assembly of electronic products, especially on printed circuit boards (PCBs). These machines are used to automatically place electronic components, such as resistors, capacitors, integrated circuits, and other small parts, onto PCBs with precision and efficiency. The company also offers other SMT (Surface Mount Technology) equipment and machinery, including reflow ovens, stencil printers, conveyors, and other accessories.
Qioptiq Photonics GmbH & Co. KG is based in Göttingen, Germany, and is a photonics manufacturer that was founded in 2005 before being acquired by Excelitas Technologies Corp. in 2013. The company produces standard and custom optical systems, components, and software. These include fixed beam expanders, flat optical rail systems, and lens configuration software. The company also offers optical system and lens design, coating, and polishing services. Its products are used by clients in the semiconductor, defense, and research sectors.
Siemens Manufacturing, a division of Siemens AG, has been a manufacturer of advanced solutions and technology in Munich, Germany, since 1963. The company is a multinational conglomerate with operations in various sectors, including industry, energy, healthcare, and infrastructure. The company primarily provides cutting-edge manufacturing technology, automation, and digitalization solutions to multiple industries, offering a comprehensive suite of products and services to help companies optimize its manufacturing processes and improve efficiency. The company is also involved in advanced robotic systems for various manufacturing applications and emphasizes sustainable solutions that reduce energy consumption and environmental impact.
Artifex Engineering GmbH & Co. KG, a company established in 2001 and based in Emden, Niedersachsen, is a manufacturer and supplier of measuring instruments and optical components. Its specialization is manufacturing measuring instruments such as optical power meters, trans-impedance amplifiers, integrating spheres, and pulsed laser diode drivers. It also manufactures optical components, including beamsplitters, optical filters and lenses, polarization optics, laser lighthouses, and composite optics. The company has obtained ISO 9001:2015 certification. Its manufactured products are utilized for industrial and metrological industries across Germany and the UK.
Panasonic Connect Co. Ltd. is based in Tokyo, Japan, and is a manufacturer and service provider specializing in B2B products that was established in 2022 as a spin-off from Panasonic Corporation. The company offers its Zetes brand supply chain manager that utilizes RFID and facial recognition technologies, and its Autonomous Supply Chain brand planning solution which integrates an AI-based supply chain platform. It also offers installation and personnel training services for customers requiring additional assistance. The company mainly serves clients in the retail, transportation, and logistics industries.
Gemini Tec Ltd., founded in 1994, is an electronic manufacturing services (EMS) provider based in North Hampshire, UK. The company operates from a 30,000-square-foot facility designed for building surface-mount printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs), including high-mix and highly complex electronics. The company offers a fully inclusive service that covers the entire process from concept to completion and supports clients with PCB design layout, new product introduction (NPI) processes, and full-scale production with product assembly. It works closely with clients and encourages collaboration to develop concepts and designs that maximize the worth it brings to the project.
Advanced Technology & Manufacturing (ATMWA) is an Australian Electronic Manufacturing Service (EMS) provider established in 1995. The company specializes in printed circuit boards (PCBs) and electronic product assembly. Its services cover the entire electronics manufacturing process, including materials procurement and management, through-hole assembly, surface mount assembly, prototyping PCBs, and more. The company serves various industry sectors, including industrial, mining, medical, automotive, and communications, highlighting its adaptability to various industries' specific needs and standards.
Production Logix, established in 1997, is an electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider based in South Africa. The company offers comprehensive electronics manufacturing and engineering services, covering a broad spectrum of industries. EMS providers play a critical role in the electronics manufacturing industry, offering services that span from developing and assembling electronic components to supply chain solutions. The company's services encompass the entire electronics manufacturing process, from prototyping to complete box assembly. These processes include surface mount technology (SMT), through-hole technology (THT), assembly, manufacturing, and more.
Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Electronic Manufacturing Services Group, Inc. |
13.3%
|
2 | SHIBUYA CORPORATION |
13.3%
|
3 | Newbury Electronics |
11.1%
|
4 | Carlton Industries Corporation |
11.1%
|
5 | Eyotec |
8.9%
|
6 | Qioptiq Photonics GmbH & Co. KG |
6.7%
|
7 | Advanced Technology & Manufacturing |
6.7%
|
8 | Hang Zhou Tronstol technology Co., Ltd. |
6.7%
|
9 | Gemini Tec Ltd |
4.4%
|
10 | Siemens Manufacturing |
4.4%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the mounter page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
United States of America | 4 | 33.3% |
Japan | 2 | 16.7% |
United Kingdom | 2 | 16.7% |
China | 1 | 8.3% |
Germany | 1 | 8.3% |
Australia | 1 | 8.3% |
South Africa | 1 | 8.3% |