So I build a fair bit of SMD boards by hand for testing and small runs. As things grow I’m looking to move past tweezers but still want to be able to assemble things myself with a bit of help.
I saw this machine and thought that might be a nice help to help assemble things better. A lot of my boards have 50-100 components on them and it really sucks if one is a bit off from a shaky hand. Was wondering if anyone either had feedback on this OR a different one to recommend. Budget is in the 1k or less range preferably.
Also interested in options for solder paste, right now I get stencils made and use paste and a spreader but the shipping for stencils gets quite expensive so wondering if there was a better option. We have a laser cutter if that would work for anything?
You might look at the Lite Placer, it’s a bit over your budget, but it’s extremely capable.
There is also a claimed $300 DIY placer project on Hackaday.
Good luck. Personally, I’ve been pretty happy with the Seeedstudio and JLCPCB PCBA services.