Pick and place is the step in PCB assembly where surface-mount parts are taken from their packaging and set onto solder paste on the board. Factories do it with automatic machines. For prototypes and short runs, most engineers and makers do it by hand, or with a manual pick-and-place setup. This guide covers the manual and low-volume options, how parts get fed to you, and how to plan a bench that places SMD parts quickly and repeatably.
SMD or SMT? SMD (surface-mount device) is the part: the resistor, capacitor or IC. SMT (surface-mount technology) is the process of assembling those parts onto pads on the board surface. People search for both, and an "SMD pick and place" and an "SMT pick and place" are the same thing. More: SMD vs SMT explained.
Ways to place SMD parts on a prototype PCB
| Method | How it works | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Tweezers | Grip the part by its sides and set it on the paste. | A handful of parts; larger packages. |
| Vacuum pick-up pen | A hand-held nozzle holds the part by suction; release to drop it. | Small boards, 0603 and larger, odd-shaped parts. |
| Manual pick-and-place machine | A vacuum spindle on a guided arm or gantry. You move it by hand; the machine steadies the motion, and a microscope or camera helps you aim. | Fine-pitch parts, 0402 and smaller, repeat boards, operators who place all day. |
| Desktop automatic pick-and-place | A small machine places parts from feeders under program control. | Repeated batches, where programming and setup time pays back. |
All four depend on the same thing: getting each part presented in a known place, the right way up, without hunting through a strip of tape. That's the job of a feeder.
Feeding parts: cut tape, strips and tape feeders
Most SMD parts for prototypes arrive as cut tape: short strips of carrier tape with a clear cover tape sealed over the pockets. Standard carrier tape widths are 8, 12, 16, 24 and 32 mm. Common ways to work from cut tape:
- Loose strips taped to the bench. Free, but you peel the cover tape by hand, parts spill and the strip drifts.
- Strip holders and trays. Hold strips flat in a row. You still peel the cover tape and find the next pocket yourself.
- Manual tape feeders. Hold the strip, advance it one pocket at a time and peel the cover tape back for you, so the next part waits at a fixed pick point.
- Reel feeders. Built for full reels on automatic machines; oversized for most prototype work.
Our SMT Caddy MTI manual SMD tape feeder is built for this step. It clips onto standard 35 mm DIN rail. One fingertip or stylus press on the plunger advances the tape up to 6 mm and peels the cover tape back, clear of the pick zone. No motors, no electronics. Each feeder is only 2 mm wider than its tape (10 mm for 8 mm tape), so a rail packs densely. The base unit takes 8 mm tape, and extension kits take it to 12, 16, 24 and 32 mm. The MTI is generic: use it with tweezers, a vacuum pen, or a manual or home-built pick-and-place setup.
"Couldn't I 3D-print a feeder?"
Many people do, and printed strip holders work for occasional builds. What a molded feeder adds:
- Static control. The MTI is molded in liquid crystal polymer with 30% carbon fiber. It is electrically conductive, so static drains to the grounded DIN rail instead of building up next to your parts. Common printing plastics are insulators.
- Stiffness. The material's tensile modulus is about 32 GPa, more than ten times that of standard engineering plastics. Thin walls stay straight, so feeders sit 2 mm wider than the tape.
- Repeatability. Every molded feeder is the same, so a bench of 20 or 50 behaves the same way.
- Time. No print, tune and reprint cycle; the feeder is ready to load.
The full comparison, with sourced figures: 3D-printed SMD feeder vs a molded SMT tape feeder.
Solder paste and reflow, briefly
Placement sits between paste and reflow. Apply paste through a stencil (or with a dispenser for one-off boards), place parts while the paste is still tacky, then reflow in an oven, on a hot plate or with hot air. Paste gives you working time, but not unlimited time; a well-organized feeder bench is what keeps placement inside that window. More bench tips are on our support page.
Choosing a setup
| Your situation | A sensible starting point |
|---|---|
| A few prototype boards a year, mostly 0805 and larger | Tweezers or a vacuum pen, plus manual tape feeders for the parts you use most. |
| Regular prototypes, 0603/0402 parts, dozens of part types | A vacuum pen or manual pick-and-place, with a DIN-rail bank of tape feeders, one per part type, labeled. |
| Lab or company building small batches of the same board | A manual pick-and-place station with a full feeder bank, or a desktop automatic machine once setup time pays back. |
Bench setup checklist
- Mount a 35 mm DIN rail on or near the work surface, and connect it to your ESD bench ground (steel rail, or aluminum rail with the anodizing bared at the contact point).
- Bank the feeders in BOM order, one part type per feeder, and label each one with its value or BOM line (feeder labels).
- Keep the pick points in one row at a consistent height, so your hand or the spindle travels the same path every time.
- Light the work area brightly, and use magnification for 0603 and smaller.
- Wear an ESD wrist strap or use a grounded arm rest.
Manual pick-and-place systems from SMT Caddy
We have built manual SMT pick-and-place equipment since 2016. The SMT Caddy Model A is a benchtop manual pick-and-place station: a hand-guided vacuum spindle on a two-axis gantry, a 5 MP digital microscope, a laser landing guide and motorized tape feeders, for boards up to 320 × 180 mm. See the Model A overview, or browse all pick-and-place tools. Model A uses its own Model A Tape Feeder Kits; the MTI does not fit Model A feeder banks.
Buying for a lab or company? We issue quotes and invoices and accept purchase orders. Contact us.
Pick and place: common questions
What is a pick-and-place machine?
A machine that picks surface-mount parts from their packaging and places them on solder paste on a PCB. Automatic machines do it under program control; manual machines guide a vacuum pickup that you move by hand.
What is a manual pick and place?
A setup where a person does the placing, assisted by a guided vacuum spindle, magnification and feeders. It needs no programming, so it suits prototypes and frequently changing designs.
What is an SMT tape feeder?
A device that holds SMD component tape, advances it one pocket at a time and removes the cover tape, so the next part is ready at the same pick point.
Which tape widths are common?
8 mm (most resistors, capacitors and small ICs), then 12, 16, 24 and 32 mm for larger packages.
Does the MTI work with SMT Caddy Model A?
No. The MTI is a DIN-rail feeder for any manual setup. Model A uses Model A Tape Feeder Kits.