Southern Machinery S7020 PIN Eyelet Terminal Insertion Machine: Ending Power Board Bottlenecks in THT Assembly

Product demo: S7020 inserting MOS transistors and connectors on power boards.

What is this machine used for?

The S7020 Series PIN Eyelet Terminal Insertion Machine is a THT (through-hole technology) auto-insertion system built for one of the most stubborn bottlenecks on a PCB assembly floor: placing pin, eyelet and terminal-style components — MOSFETs, connectors, pin headers and other odd-form parts — into plated through-holes.

If you are still inserting these parts by hand, you already know the cost: operator-dependent cycle times, bent leads, missed holes, and a station that cannot keep up with your SMT lines. The S7020 automates the whole sequence — component feeding (bulk or reel package), orientation, insertion and clinching — so terminals land consistently and the operator moves from doing the work to managing the machine.

Southern Machinery publishes the machine at 12,000 CPH with two insertion heads, and it is customizable to specific production needs. In practical terms, this is the machine you evaluate when manual insertion of pin/eyelet terminals, MOS packages and connectors is capping your power board throughput.

Typical applications

The S7020 is a flexible odd-form inserter. Realistic application scenarios include:

Power supply and power board assembly — inserting MOS transistors, bridge rectifiers, connectors and pin terminals on SMPS, adapter and inverter boards. This is the scenario shown in Southern's product demo video.
Home appliance control boards — terminal blocks, pin headers and eyelet terminals on air conditioner, microwave, induction cooker and electric kettle PCBs.
LED lighting and driver boards — pin terminals and connectors on LED driver, display and control boards where mechanical and thermal reliability matter.
Vehicle electronics — car audio, vehicle power supply and other automotive-grade boards that need repeatable, high-force terminal insertion.
General electronics and instrumentation — any high-mix board with pin, eyelet or terminal components that is still assembled by hand.

Because the machine supports 360° insertion angle in 1° increments and inward or outward clinching, it adapts to different board layouts and mechanical retention requirements without a separate forming step.

How it fits into a complete PCB assembly line

The S7020 is not a stand-alone gadget — it is a station inside a full Southern Machinery SMT/THT ecosystem:

SMT side: solder paste printing, SPI, and pick-and-place machines handle the surface-mount population; the S7020 takes over the through-hole odd-form work that pick-and-place heads are not built for.
THT side: it complements radial and axial inserters (for example the S-3010B radial and S-4000 axial families), covering the odd-form, pin and eyelet components those machines cannot feed.
Downstream: boards move to wave soldering (S-WS450 or the lead-free dual-wave S-WS350B) where clinched terminals guarantee solder joint integrity, then to AOI/SPI inspection, PCBA cleaning and board handling systems.

The practical point for a line designer: an automated insertion machine feeds a wave soldering line at a predictable, steady rate, whereas hand insertion creates batch-to-batch variation that shows up later as touch-up and rework. It also fits an EMS strategy where the same line runs power boards, appliance controls and LED drivers — the S7020's wide component range and visual programming make changeover a program swap rather than a station rebuild.

Key selection parameters

When you evaluate a pin eyelet terminal insertion machine, verify these parameters against your own boards and volumes. For the S7020, the published specifications are:

Throughput: 12,000 CPH (published spec)
Insertion heads: 2 (configurations can be customized)
PCB size: 380 mm × 280 mm standard; enlarged sizes customizable
Terminal thickness: 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm
Insertion angle: 360°, in 1° increments
Clinching: inward or outward
Feeding system: vibration bowl feeder or reel feeder; terminals accepted in bulk or reel packaging
Board requirement: insertion hole approximately 0.5 ± 0.1 mm larger than the component lead
Programming and data: online visual programming with visual correction, Excel data import, USB interface or manual entry
Vertical error: ≤ 0.8°; motion accuracy 0.001 mm/pulse
Utilities and footprint: single-phase 220 V AC, 50/60 Hz, 2 kVA; equipment size 1700 × 1300 × 1600 mm; weight 1200 kg

Even if you compare against other suppliers, use this list as your evaluation checklist: CPH, head count, PCB envelope, terminal size range, feeding options, clinch modes, programming workflow and footprint. Those are the parameters that determine whether the machine fits your product mix — not just the demo.

ROI and quality perspective

From a buyer's perspective, the ROI case for the S7020 rests on three measurable items:

Labor reallocation. One machine replaces a hand-insertion station that typically needs multiple operators per shift. Those operators move to higher-value work — inspection, programming, line supervision — instead of repetitive terminal insertion.
Quality consistency. Automated insertion with vision-aided programming and controlled clinching reduces bent leads, missed insertions and component damage. Fewer defects downstream means less wave solder touch-up, less AOI fallout and less scrap.
Throughput predictability. At the published 12,000 CPH, output is a planning number you can schedule around. When MOS and connector insertion stops being the pacing operation, your whole power board line runs faster.

Add the machine's compact footprint and the ability to customize PCB size and configuration, and the payback is driven by labor savings plus reduced rework — the same cost drivers that make THT automation attractive for EMS factories serving power supply, appliance and automotive customers.

FAQ

What is a PIN eyelet terminal insertion machine?

It is a THT automation machine that feeds, orients, inserts and clinches pin, eyelet and terminal components into plated through-holes on a PCB. It replaces manual insertion for parts such as MOS transistors, connectors, pin headers and other odd-form components, and it is commonly placed before wave soldering in a PCB assembly line.

What is the speed of the Southern Machinery S7020 insertion machine?

Southern Machinery publishes the S7020 at 12,000 CPH with two insertion heads. As with any insertion machine, actual output depends on board layout, component mix and feeding setup, so validate against your own product before committing to a line design.

What components can the S7020 handle?

The S7020 handles pin, eyelet and terminal components with terminal thickness from 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm, fed from bulk or reel packaging via vibration bowl or reel feeders. It supports 360° insertion angles in 1° increments and both inward and outward clinching, which makes it suitable for MOS packages, connectors and other odd-form parts.

What PCB sizes does the S7020 support?

The standard PCB envelope is 380 mm × 280 mm, and Southern Machinery states that enlarged sizes can be customized. The insertion hole should be approximately 0.5 ± 0.1 mm larger than the component lead.

How does an insertion machine reduce labor costs?

Automating terminal insertion removes a repetitive manual operation, cutting the number of operators needed at the station and reducing defect-driven rework. Southern Machinery positions THT insertion automation specifically around labor reduction and throughput stability for EMS and power supply manufacturers.

Can the S7020 be customized?

Yes. Southern Machinery lists customization to meet specific production needs as a core feature — including enlarged PCB sizes, machine configuration and programming workflow. Contact them with your board files and component list to confirm the configuration for your line.

Get the catalog and talk to an engineer

If MOS and connector insertion is throttling your power board line, put the S7020 on your shortlist. Southern Machinery — founded in 2011 in Shenzhen, China, serving 237+ global customers in SMT, THT and PCB assembly automation — can help you evaluate the machine against your actual boards.

Email: jasonwu@smthelp.com (Jason Wu, international sales)
Product catalog and documentation: https://file.autoinsertion.com
Product images and albums: https://ph.smthelp.com
Website: https://www.smthelp.com