S-600-OF Hybrid Placement Machine: SMD and Through-Hole Components on One Platform

Most EMS lines still need two machines to finish one mixed-technology board: an SMT Pick and Place platform for surface-mount parts, and a separate insertion machine for through-hole parts. Southern Machinery's S-600-OF is documented to collapse that split. It is a six-head, seven-camera placement machine that the manufacturer describes as placing both surface-mount and through-hole components, on a published PCB envelope of 400 x 360 mm, with an SMEMA-compatible inline conveyor. This guide explains what the S-600-OF is used for, what its published specifications actually say, where it fits in a complete PCB assembly line, and which parameters an EMS or ODM buyer should confirm before requesting a quote.

What is the S-600-OF used for?

The S-600-OF is a hybrid multi-function placement machine from Southern Machinery. The company's own product page describes it as "a revolutionary new concept from Southern Machinery" that "allows the placement or insertion of both surface mount and through-hole components."

Concretely, one machine is documented to:

• place standard SMD components, from 0402 chips up to 15 mm x 15 mm parts — resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, IC, SOT, SOP, QFP and CSP packages;
• place or insert certain THT components using dedicated THT component feeders fitted to the same feeder rack;
• run both component types in the same build on the same PCB, instead of routing the board through two separate platforms.

The page positions it as a "High-Speed, High-Mix PCB mounting machine" that is "specially designed for handling small electronics PCBs, with high-precision and quick turn-around times." That framing matters: this is a platform aimed at mixed-technology, high-mix production, not at the absolute highest throughput on a single component type.

Why the SMT/THT split is usually the real bottleneck

Mixed-technology boards are the norm in several high-volume categories: LED drivers, power supplies and ballasts, appliance control boards, industrial controllers and instrument PCBs. Each of these carries fine-pitch SMD work and a handful of through-hole parts that must be inserted and soldered.

On a traditional layout those two jobs sit on two different machines. That creates three predictable costs:

1. Two setups, two queues. The board waits in line twice, and a changeover on either platform stalls the other stage.

2. Extra handling. Every board moves between the placement platform and the insertion platform, adding handling risk and WIP.

3. Underused capacity on both machines. The SMT platform idles while it waits on THT, and the THT machine runs at its own slower cadence.

Consolidating the two placement stages onto one platform is the design problem the S-600-OF addresses.

What the S-600-OF does differently

Six heads, bottom vision and a seven-camera vision system

The S-600-OF is built "upon the same architecture as Southern Machinery's popular OF Series of SMT placement machines," and uses the S-OF Series' heavy-duty ball-screw and linear-encoded drive train. Its six pick-up heads work with bottom vision to place major SMD types accurately, including 0402 chips, IC, 0.5 mm pitch QFPs and LEDs — and, per the manufacturer, some THT components.

The published general specification lists 7 cameras, a teaching/fiducial recognition camera for programming and operation, and machine vision calibration systems.

One feeder rack for tape, tube/stick and THT

This is the practically important detail for high-mix work. The feeder rack can accommodate "a mix of tape feeders and IC tube/stick feeders, or 5 THT component feeders" — up to 30 SMD feeders or 5 THT component feeders in the published specification.

That means the platform is not restricted to reel tape. Stick and tube packaging for ICs and odd parts can be loaded alongside standard SMD tape, which is what makes true high-mix changeover possible without re-racking the whole machine.

Custom nozzles and a fixed bottom camera

Customized Nozzles are available, and nozzles are changed manually. A bottom fixed-camera vision system provides fast alignment, while the heavy-duty uni-body construction and ball-screw drive support smooth, high-speed movement with high accuracy and repeatability.

S-600-OF published specifications

The following figures are published on Southern Machinery's S-600-OF product page. They are reproduced here as published:

• Nozzles / heads: six
• Feeder capacity: up to 30 SMD feeders, or 5 THT component feeders
• PCB size: maximum 400 mm x 360 mm; minimum 50 mm x 50 mm
• PCB thickness: 0.5–3.0 mm
• Nozzle change: variety of Nozzles, replaced manually
• Placement speed, spec: 25,000 CPH spec speed (SMD), or 6,000 CPH spec speed (THT)
• Placement speed, practical: to 18,000 CPH (published in the feature list)
• Cameras: 7
• Control platform, as documented: Windows XP operating system, LED monitor
• Vision calibration: machine vision calibration systems; published component line-up 0402 (inch) up to under-15 IC
• Air source: 0.55 MPa
• Power supply: single phase 220V, 50Hz, 2.0 kW
• Dimensions: 1300 x 1380 x 1790 mm (L x W x H)
• Net weight: 1050 kg
• Component range: SMDs from 0402 to 15 mm x 15 mm, including resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, IC, SOT, SOP, QFP and CSP, plus THT components
• Line interface: SMEMA-compatible inline conveyor

Two of those numbers deserve a reader's attention. First, spec speed and practical speed are different figures — 25,000 CPH (SMD) and 6,000 CPH (THT) are the published spec speeds, while the feature list states a practical placement speed of 18,000 CPH. Real throughput on the line always depends on the component mix, feeder layout and board layout, so quote-stage discussion should use the practical figure, not the headline. Second, the SMD and THT speeds are published separately because THT placement runs at a very different cadence from chip placement.

Typical application scenarios

The S-600-OF suits mixed-technology PCBA work where boards are small and the mix changes often:

• LED lighting and LED driver boards — the product page carries LED, LED display, LED lamp and LED tube tags, and the placement head is documented for LED components. This includes boards where a driver stage sits alongside through-hole connectors.
• Power supply and ballast boards — typically SMD control circuitry plus THT magnetics, connectors or large capacitors.
• Appliance control boards — air conditioner, TV, microwave, induction cooker and similar control PCBs, where a small board carries both SMD and a few through-hole parts.
• Industrial control and instrumentation — panels and instrument boards with moderate volume and frequent model changes.
• Quick-turn and high-mix electronics — where the cost of a dedicated second platform cannot be justified by volume.

For very high THT volumes, a dedicated radial, axial or odd-form insertion platform remains the right tool — Southern Machinery also builds dedicated THT auto insertion equipment for that case. The S-600-OF is the mixed-technology answer.

How the S-600-OF fits into a complete PCB assembly line

Southern Machinery supplies SMT, THT, Wave Soldering, board handling and inspection equipment, so a full line around the S-600-OF can be configured end to end. A typical sequence looks like this:

1. Board handling — PCB magazine loader feeding bare boards into the line.

2. Solder paste printing — Stencil Printer, followed by SPI for solder paste inspection.

3. Placement — the S-600-OF, handling the SMD placement run and the THT component placement covered by its dedicated THT feeders.

4. Reflow Oven — reflow of the SMD joints (lead-free or tin-lead, per the process).

5. Inspection — AOI after reflow for placement and joint verification.

6. THT stage, if needed — for the through-hole parts the platform does not cover, an inline insertion or manual station.

7. Wave Soldering — through-hole joints soldered at the wave.

8. Post-soldering processing — lead cutting, PCBA cleaning, and a final AOI or X-ray check where required.

9. Unloading — magazine unloader or an output conveyor.

The S-600-OF's SMEMA-compatible inline conveyor is the documented handshake that lets it sit inside that chain rather than operate as an island.

Interfaces to confirm in writing

SMEMA compatibility is published for the S-600-OF. Other line-integration items — the specific conveyor height, transport direction, upstream/downstream handshake signals, and whether the machine reports production data to a MES — should be confirmed in writing with Southern Machinery at configuration stage, because they depend on the line you are building around it.

Key selection parameters checklist

Before requesting a quote, confirm each of these against your actual product mix. Southern Machinery can advise on the right configuration, but the buyer needs to supply the inputs:

• Smallest chip size you place, and whether 0402 is genuinely in scope for your products.
• Largest component: up to 15 mm x 15 mm per the published range — check your largest SMD and any larger odd-form parts.
• THT component list: which through-hole parts are in scope to be machine-placed, and in what lead spacing, taped or loose format.
• PCB envelope: 50 x 50 mm minimum to 400 x 360 mm maximum, and PCB thickness 0.5–3.0 mm. Confirm your largest and smallest boards.
• Feeder mix: how many tape feeders versus tube/stick feeders versus THT component feeders you need — remembering the published ceiling of 30 SMD feeders or 5 THT feeders.
• Nozzle set: which standard and custom Nozzles your component range requires, and how often changeover happens.
• Vision requirements: whether bottom vision plus the 7-camera system covers your finest pitch (0.5 mm QFP is documented).
• Line fit: conveyor direction, height, SMEMA handshake and MES/data requirements.
• Utilities: single-phase 220V 50Hz at 2.0 kW, and an air supply at 0.55 MPa.
• Floor and footprint: 1300 x 1380 x 1790 mm, 1050 kg net — check floor loading and access routes.
• Control platform and support: the page documents Windows XP; confirm what is currently shipped, plus training, spare parts and service coverage.

ROI, quality and capacity angle

The economic case for the S-600-OF is not built on a single throughput number — it is built on consolidation and changeover.

Capacity. One platform covering both SMD and THT placement removes a queue. The board is placed once, in one program, rather than visiting two machines and waiting between them.

Quality. A bottom fixed-camera vision system plus a ball-screw, linear-encoded drive train and heavy-duty uni-body construction are the documented basis for accuracy and repeatability. Fewer transfers between machines also means fewer handling opportunities for ESD damage or board damage — worth noting for EMS shops running automotive, medical or industrial work where traceability matters.

High-mix economics. Stick/tube feeding alongside tape feeding, plus custom Nozzles, is what lets one platform serve many products. For an EMS factory running dozens of small boards per month, that combination reduces the number of machines and setups needed to keep the line productive — and fewer platforms means less floor space, less maintenance and a shorter capital list.

Where it does not replace anything. For high-volume through-hole assembly, a dedicated auto insertion machine still wins on cost per insertion. Treat the S-600-OF as the mixed-technology tool, not as a substitute for high-volume THT automation.

What Southern Machinery does not publish on this page

To keep this guide honest about its sources: the S-600-OF product page does not publish a price, lead time, warranty term, certification list, customer names, payback period or savings percentage, and it does not publish machine-level yield or defect-rate figures. Those must come from a direct quotation and discussion with Southern Machinery. If a number is not in the published specification list above, treat it as a question to ask — not an assumption to carry into a budget.

Frequently asked questions

Can the S-600-OF place both SMD and THT components?

Yes, according to Southern Machinery. The product page states the machine "allows the placement or insertion of both surface mount and through-hole components," with the feeder rack accepting up to 30 SMD feeders or 5 THT component feeders.

What is the S-600-OF placement speed?

The published specification lists 25,000 CPH spec speed for SMD and 6,000 CPH spec speed for THT. The feature list separately states a practical placement speed of up to 18,000 CPH. Spec speed and practical speed are different measures; use the practical figure for capacity planning.

What PCB sizes does the S-600-OF accept?

Maximum 400 mm x 360 mm and minimum 50 mm x 50 mm, with a PCB thickness range of 0.5–3.0 mm, as published.

How many feeders can it carry?

Up to 30 SMD feeders, or 5 THT component feeders. The rack accepts a mix of tape feeders and IC tube/stick feeders.

Is the S-600-OF SMEMA compatible?

The product page lists an SMEMA-compatible inline conveyor, which is what allows the platform to sit inline rather than run as a standalone island. Confirm exact handshake details at configuration stage.

Does the S-600-OF replace a dedicated THT insertion machine?

No. It is designed for mixed-technology, high-mix PCBA work where SMD and a limited set of through-hole parts are placed on one platform. For high-volume through-hole insertion, a dedicated radial, axial or odd-form auto insertion machine remains the more productive and lower-cost-per-insertion choice.

What components can the six heads place?

SMDs from 0402 to 15 mm x 15 mm — resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, IC, SOT, SOP, QFP and CSP packages — plus THT components, using the published machine vision calibration and bottom vision alignment.

Next steps

Southern Machinery has supplied SMT and THT PCB assembly automation equipment since 2011, is based in Shenzhen, China, and serves 237+ customers worldwide across EMS, ODM and OEM electronics manufacturing.

To work out whether the S-600-OF is the right configuration for your product mix, send your component list, board dimensions and feeder requirements to jasonwu@smthelp.com and ask for a configuration recommendation. You can browse the full equipment catalogue at file.autoinsertion.com, and view machine photos and product albums at ph.smthelp.com.