Odd-Form Insertion Machine by Southern Machinery: Cutting Component Waste in THT Assembly

Watch in Action: Solve the problem of excessive material throwing in odd form inserter at one time S7900

What Is This Machine Used For?

Odd-form insertion automates the placement of through-hole components that do not fit a standard radial or axial insertion head. Instead of a fixed tape-and-cut mechanism, an odd-form inserter uses interchangeable grippers and tooling to pick, orient, and press irregularly shaped components into a PCB.

Q: What counts as an "odd-form" component?

A: Connectors, relays, large electrolytic capacitors, transformers, terminal blocks, and fuse holders—any through-hole part whose body shape, lead layout, or height prevents it from running on a radial or axial machine.

Q: What problem does the S7900 specifically address?

A: Excessive "material throwing"—the waste created when a head mis-picks a component, drops a lead, or damages a part mid-cycle. Every thrown component is a direct material loss, and every mis-insertion that reaches soldering becomes rework or scrap.

Q: How is it different from manual insertion?

A: A trained operator inserts a handful of components per minute with variable placement force and polarity accuracy. An odd-form inserter repeats the same pick-place-press cycle thousands of times per shift with consistent force, orientation, and polarity—which is precisely what eliminates the high loss of manual insertion.

Typical Application Scenarios

• Power supplies and energy-saving products: Large electrolytic capacitors, transformers, and high-current connectors are the standard odd-form parts in power supply, ballast, and vehicle power supply assembly.
• Automotive electronics: Relays, fuse holders, and heavy-gauge terminals demand consistent insertion force and polarity control—exactly the failure modes that manual assembly struggles with.
• Electrical appliances: Air conditioner, TV, and microwave control boards carry a mix of relays, connectors, and tall capacitors that are impractical to hand-insert at volume.
• LED lighting and display: Driver boards combine through-hole inductors and connectors alongside SMD components, making odd-form automation the bridge between SMT and THT on the same line.

How It Integrates Into a Complete PCB Assembly Line

Odd-form insertion sits on the THT side of a mixed SMT/THT line. A typical sequence is:

1. SMT side: solder paste printing, pick and place, reflow oven, AOI.
2. THT side: radial insertion (S-3010B family), axial insertion, odd-form insertion (S7900 / S-70LD family), then terminal and pin insertion as required.
3. Wave soldering: the populated board proceeds to lead-free wave soldering.
4. Post-solder: lead cutting, board cleaning, and final inspection.

Because odd-form parts are usually the tallest and heaviest on the board, they are inserted after standard radial and axial parts but before wave soldering. Southern Machinery supplies the full chain—insertion, wave soldering, board handling, and inspection—so the odd-form cell can be specified as part of a complete line rather than bolted on later.

Key Selection Parameters

When evaluating an odd-form insertion machine, confirm these parameters with the supplier rather than assuming them:

• Component envelope: the maximum body dimensions and lead span the head must handle.
• Gripper and tooling flexibility: whether custom grippers are available for your specific connectors, relays, and transformers.
• Insertion force control: does the machine detect and stop on excessive resistance to prevent pad lift and board damage?
• Polarity and orientation verification: how the machine confirms correct orientation before insertion.
• Feeder compatibility: which feeder types (tube, tray, bulk, tape) feed your odd-form parts.
• Changeover time: time to switch between component types and board programs for high-mix production.
• Board size and thickness range: the minimum and maximum PCB dimensions accepted.
• Throughput and cycle time: realistic placements per hour for your component mix, verified with a sample run.

Southern Machinery provides these figures per application during a line review—request them for your specific components rather than relying on a generic brochure.

ROI, Quality & Throughput Considerations

The business case for odd-form automation rests on three measurable gains:

1. Material cost reduction. Eliminating thrown and damaged components directly lowers your bill-of-materials loss. In high-mix production where odd-form parts are expensive (connectors, relays, transformers), even a small reduction in waste per shift compounds quickly.
2. Yield and rework reduction. Consistent insertion force and verified polarity mean fewer boards reach wave soldering with a mis-inserted or reversed component—the defects that are most expensive to rework after soldering.
3. Labor and throughput stability. One machine replaces several manual stations, holds a steady pace across a full shift, and frees operators for tasks that genuinely need human judgment.

Southern Machinery positions its THT automation at roughly 40–60% of Tier-1 Japanese and Western equivalents, which shortens the payback window for mid-size EMS and OEM operations. Founded in 2011 in Shenzhen and trusted by 237+ global customers, Southern Machinery backs every odd-form cell with spare parts, training, and global support.

FAQ

Q: Can one odd-form machine handle all my different components?

A: Usually yes, through interchangeable grippers and tooling—but verify your specific connector, relay, and capacitor sizes with a sample run before purchase.

Q: What is "material throwing" and why does it matter?

A: It is the waste generated when a component is mis-picked, dropped, or damaged during insertion. Every thrown part is material cost lost, and Southern Machinery's S7900 is designed specifically to solve excessive throwing.

Q: Does odd-form insertion replace radial or axial insertion?

A: No—it complements them. Radial and axial machines handle tape-packed leaded parts; odd-form handles the irregular shapes they cannot.

Q: Do I need wave soldering after odd-form insertion?

A: Yes, for through-hole joints. The odd-form inserter places the component; a lead-free wave soldering machine completes the electrical and mechanical connection.

Q: Is this suitable for high-mix, low-volume production?

A: Yes, if changeover time is short and tooling is flexible—both of which you should confirm as selection parameters.

Q: How do I get a specification for my components?

A: Send your component list and board drawings to Southern Machinery for a line review and sample insertion test.

Contact Southern Machinery

If manual insertion loss, component waste, or odd-form throughput is limiting your line, Southern Machinery can help you size and integrate the right automation.

• Email: jasonwu@smthelp.com
• Phone / WhatsApp: +86 13602562576
• Website: https://www.smthelp.com
• File portal (catalogs): https://file.autoinsertion.com
• Image library: https://ph.smthelp.com

Two questions worth answering before you quote: What is your current odd-form component waste rate per shift, and how many manual insertion stations does your THT line run today? Southern Machinery's application engineers can turn those answers into a quantified automation case.