S3010A Radial Insertion Machine by Southern Machinery: Smart Factory Inline THT Automation

Watch in Action: S3010A Radial Insertion machine for Smart EMS factory PCB assembly

What Is This Machine Used For?

What does the S3010A radial insertion machine do?

The S3010A automatically inserts vertical tape-packed radial-lead components — electrolytic capacitors, transistors, LEDs, key switches, resistors, connectors, and fuse blocks — into a PCB at up to 18,000 PCS/H. It replaces manual through-hole assembly with a servo-driven insertion head and an "N"-type clinch base that forms and locks each lead on the underside of the board.

Why is it described as a "smart EMS factory" machine?

Because it is engineered for inline, connected production rather than isolated offline work. A 10-station Feeder, machine-vision coordinate correction, and 0°–360° insertion in 1° increments let it hold tight tolerances while handing boards straight down the line to the next THT or Wave Soldering stage.

Who is it for?

EMS and ODM manufacturers running mixed SMT/THT boards — power supply, LED lighting, home appliance, and automotive electronics producers who need dependable radial insertion without a dedicated bench of operators.

Typical Application Scenarios

Power supply & energy-saving products — vehicle power supplies, energy-saving power supplies, and electronic ballasts, where banks of radial electrolytic capacitors and resistors must be inserted consistently and with correct polarity.
LED lighting & display — LED drivers and control boards that mix surface-mount and radial through-hole parts on the same PCB.
Home appliances — air conditioner, TV, microwave, induction cooker, and electric kettle control boards with high radial-component counts.
Vehicle electronics — car audio and vehicle power-supply modules that demand repeatable insertion quality for long field life.

How It Integrates Into a Complete PCB Assembly Line

The S3010A is an inline THT station, not a standalone island. In a typical full-line setup:

Upstream — an axial insertion machine (such as the S4000) places axial-lead resistors and jumper wires, and an SMT line completes surface-mount placement and Reflow Oven soldering.
Radial insertion — the S3010A takes the board and inserts the full radial-lead component set with machine-vision coordinate correction.
Downstream — boards pass to Wave Soldering for through-hole joints, then to AOI or THT online inspection for polarity and presence verification.

Machine-vision coordinate correction and calibration keep insertion coordinates accurate across board changes, while the servo head and clinch base produce joints that survive downstream thermal stress. Because the machine targets an inline, smart-factory workflow, it is positioned for SMEMA-style board hand-off and data connectivity into factory MES and traceability systems.

Key Selection Parameters

When evaluating a radial insertion machine for your line, confirm these parameters against your production:

Component span & envelope — lead span coverage (the S3010A spans 2.5/5.0/7.5/10.0 mm) and the component body sizes your BOM actually uses.
Feeder capacity — the number of stations (10 on the S3010A) determines how many distinct radial part numbers you can load for a changeover-free run.
Throughput — rated insertion speed (18,000 PCS/H for the S3010A) versus your board's radial-component count and takt time.
Insertion accuracy & correction — machine-vision coordinate correction and 0°–360° insertion in 1° increments matter for dense or high-mix boards.
Board compatibility — PCB size range (50×50 mm to 400×400 mm on the S3010A) and thickness (0.79–2.36 mm).
Clinch quality — clinch length (1.5–2.2 mm) and angle (10°–35°) affect joint strength before Wave Soldering.
Utilities — single-phase 220 V AC power and 0.6 MPa compressed air are typical requirements; confirm your floor is provisioned.

ROI, Quality & Throughput Considerations

Manual radial insertion is a bottleneck and a defect source: polarity-sensitive parts like electrolytic capacitors and LEDs are easily reversed or mis-seated, driving rework and field failures. Automation converts that variable defect cost into a fixed, predictable process at 18,000 PCS/H.

A single operator overseeing an inline insertion machine replaces several benches of hand-insertion labor, and the 10-station Feeder keeps a full BOM loaded for long unattended runs. The "16 seconds to insert 33 components" figure Southern demonstrates on its video is a tangible measure of the throughput a radial inserter brings to a mixed SMT/THT line.

Because the S3010A is built for inline smart-factory operation, the broader return includes smoother line balancing — upstream insertion and placement, downstream Wave Soldering and inspection all run at a consistent takt instead of waiting on a manual insertion step.

FAQ

What components can the S3010A insert?

Vertical tape-packed radial-lead parts: electrolytic capacitors, transistors, LEDs, key switches, resistors, connectors, and fuse blocks.

Is the S3010A suitable for high-mix, low-volume production?

Yes — the 10-station Feeder and program-stored machine-vision coordinate correction support rapid changeover between board types.

Does the S3010A require special utilities?

It runs on single-phase 220 V AC and 0.6 MPa compressed air — standard factory provisions for THT equipment.

How does the S3010A prevent polarity errors?

Machine-vision coordinate correction and servo-driven insertion work with the clinch base to place parts accurately; pairing it with downstream THT AOI adds polarity and presence verification before Wave Soldering.

Can it integrate with an existing SMT line?

Yes — as an inline THT station it sits between upstream insertion/SMT and downstream Wave Soldering and inspection.

What support does Southern Machinery provide?

Spare parts, training, retrofit kits, and overhaul services backed by 237+ global customers since 2011.

Contact Southern Machinery

Southern Machinery (founded 2011, Shenzhen, China) specializes in SMT/THT PCB assembly automation — from Pick and Place, Reflow Oven, and Wave Soldering to insertion, board handling, and inspection. We deliver full-line solutions for EMS, ODM, automotive, medical, and industrial control manufacturers.

Ready to automate your radial insertion? Two questions worth answering before you buy:

What is your current manual-insertion defect rate and rework cost per board?
Which radial components in your BOM are consuming the most operator time today?

Contact Jason Wu for a specification sheet, application review, or line-integration consultation:

Email: jasonwu@smthelp.com
Phone / WhatsApp: +86 13602562576
Website: https://www.smthelp.com
File Portal: https://file.autoinsertion.com
Image Library: https://ph.smthelp.com