SME24 Auto Nozzle Cleaning Machine by Southern Machinery: Protecting SMT Pick-Up Rate

Every SMT line's placement yield eventually rests on a nozzle. When a mounter nozzle clogs with solder paste residue, flux or dust, the failure is rarely dramatic — it is a slow drift: pick-up misses, dropped components, placement offsets, and “no-go” alarms an operator clears by hand. Multiply that across dozens of nozzles and several shifts a day, and nozzle condition becomes a real yield and downtime variable.

The SME24 Auto Nozzle Cleaning Machine from Southern Machinery is a compact bench-side station that cleans and dries mounter nozzles automatically. It cleans with purified water or DI water using a high-velocity water-mist jet, dries the nozzles in the same cycle, and processes a 24-nozzle jig per run — so a complete nozzle set is recovered in one clean-and-dry cycle instead of being brushed by hand.

Southern Machinery (Shenzhen, China, established 2011) designs and manufactures SMT and THT PCB assembly automation equipment and has served 237+ customers worldwide. The SME24 belongs to the cleaning and process-support group of the portfolio, alongside stencil cleaners, PCBA cleaning systems and pallet/fixture washers. It is part of a full line offering that also covers SMT placement, THT insertion, wave soldering, board handling and inspection.

What Is the SME24 Auto Nozzle Cleaning Machine Used For?

Q: What does an SMT nozzle cleaning machine actually do?

It removes the contamination that builds up inside and around mounter nozzles — solder paste residue, flux, dust and general production dirt — and then dries the nozzles so they can return to the machine. The SME24 does this automatically: load the 24-hole nozzle jig, close the machine, and it runs a timed cleaning cycle followed by a timed drying cycle. Cleaning takes 3–6 minutes; drying takes 1–3 minutes.

Q: How does it clean without damaging the nozzle?

The SME24 uses hydrodynamic water fragmentation. Water is broken into a very fine mist and directed at the nozzle at high velocity — the manufacturer describes a jet of roughly 360 m/s forming a continuous field at the nozzle tip, crushing dirt from the internal surfaces. Because the nozzle sits in its own independent device, the nozzle body, its coating and its reflector panel are not damaged by the cleaning action. Pneumatic components are Japan SMC, and the cleaning chamber, water tank, nozzle/jet rotation mechanism and base are SUS304 stainless steel, with Japanese SUS316 for specific parts — so the wetted components resist corrosion.

Q: Which nozzles can it clean?

The SME24 is specified for mounter nozzles generally, across common brands such as Fuji, Panasonic, Yamaha, Samsung and Juki. It covers the very small end of the range — down to 01005-class nozzles — up to a maximum hole diameter of Ø2.0 mm. The 24-hole jig defines the batch size per cycle.

Q: What utilities does it need?

Single-phase AC 220V at 1A, shop air at 0.5–0.7 MPa, and a supply of purified or DI water. Cleaning-liquid consumption is low: ≤150 cc per hour. The machine footprint is L665 × W555 × H475 mm and it weighs approximately 30 kg, so it fits beside a line rather than in it.

SME24 Specifications at a Glance

• Cleaning method: Hydrodynamic water-mist fragmentation; automatic clean and dry
• Clean liquid: Purified water or DI water
• Nozzle range: Min 01005 up to max hole diameter Ø2.0 mm
• Jig capacity: 24 holes per cycle
• Clean time: 3–6 min
• Dry time: 1–3 min
• Spray pressure: ≤0.55 MPa
• Clean liquid consumption: ≤150 cc/hour
• Air supply: 0.5–0.7 MPa
• Power supply: AC 220V, 1A
• Control: PLC program control with touch-panel interface
• Machine size: L665 × W555 × H475 mm
• Machine weight: Approx. 30 kg

Specifications as published by Southern Machinery. Confirm the configuration against your nozzle set and facility services before ordering.

Typical Application Scenarios

• High-mix EMS production. When product changeovers are frequent, nozzle sets turn over quickly and nozzle condition varies run to run. A timed, repeatable cleaning cycle removes that variability.
• Fine-pitch and 01005-class assembly. Small nozzles clog first and fail loudly — as pick-up misses at the feeder. Regular automatic cleaning is the cheapest defence.
• Multi-brand mounter floors. A plant running Fuji, Panasonic, Yamaha, Samsung and Juki machines stockpiles many nozzle types. One 24-hole jig cleans them together instead of maintaining separate cleaning routines per brand.
• LED, power supply and appliance boards. Where paste deposits are larger and residue accumulates faster, nozzle cleaning moves from an occasional task to a scheduled one.
• Factories replacing manual nozzle brushing. Manual cleaning is operator-dependent, hard to verify, and risks mechanical damage to coatings and reflectors. The SME24 replaces that with a PLC-timed cycle.

How the SME24 Fits into a Complete PCB Assembly Line

Nozzle cleaning is a support loop, not an inline process step — and that is exactly why it is easy to under-invest in. The workflow is:

1. A nozzle set is removed from the Pick and Place machine during scheduled maintenance or after a quality flag.
2. The nozzles are loaded into the 24-hole jig and the SME24 runs one clean-and-dry cycle (roughly 4–9 minutes combined).
3. Dried nozzles return to the machine or to the nozzle store, ready for the next production block.

Placed next to stencil cleaning, PCBA cleaning and pallet/fixture cleaning equipment, the SME24 completes the cleaning ecosystem of a modern line. Southern Machinery supplies those adjacent modules as well — stencil cleaning machines, inline PCBA cleaning systems and fixture washers — so an EMS factory can standardise its cleaning and process-support equipment through a single supplier, then integrate it with SMT placement machines, THT auto insertion, wave soldering, board handling modules and inspection stations.

Key Selection Parameters to Confirm Before You Buy

Use this as a shortlist against the SME24 and any alternative nozzle cleaning machine:

• Nozzle range you actually run — verify the smallest nozzle type in production (01005-class) and the largest hole diameter (Ø2.0 mm on the SME24) fit within the specification.
• Batch size — how many nozzles does a full set contain, and how often do you clean? The 24-hole jig sets the cycle cadence.
• Cleaning liquid — confirm the availability and cost of purified or DI water on site, and check consumption against budget (≤150 cc/hour).
• Facility services — shop air at 0.5–0.7 MPa and AC 220V/1A power must be available at the intended location.
• Footprint and placement — L665 × W555 × H475 mm at ~30 kg; confirm bench or floor space beside the line.
• Cycle time impact — clean plus dry time determines how long a nozzle set is out of circulation. Plan the nozzle return loop around it.
• Cleaning scope — if you also need stencil, PCBA or pallet cleaning, plan those as separate machines rather than expecting one unit to cover all cleaning duties.
• Consumables and service — spare jigs, replacement parts and service response should be confirmed with the supplier before purchase.
• Certification and documentation requirements — ask Southern Machinery for the documentation package your QA and audit process requires.

ROI, Quality and Throughput

Nozzle cleaning earns its place through four measurable effects:

• Pick-up rate and first-pass yield. A partially clogged nozzle shows up as a pick-up error or a placement defect. Restoring nozzle condition restores placement reliability — the single biggest quality lever in this category.
• Reduced unplanned downtime. Nozzle-related stops interrupt production without warning. A scheduled clean-and-dry cycle converts unplanned interruptions into planned maintenance windows.
• Lower nozzle consumption. Cleaning that does not damage the coating or reflector extends usable nozzle life, and nozzles are a genuine recurring consumable cost — especially for fine-pitch machines.
• Labour and consistency. Replacing manual brushing and drying with a PLC-timed cycle of up to 24 nozzles removes operator-to-operator variation and frees skilled technicians for higher-value work.

Measure before and after: pick-up (pick) rate, placement defect rate, nozzle replacement spend, number of nozzle-related machine stops per shift, and cleaning labour hours. Those five numbers will tell you whether the investment pays back on your line — and how quickly.

FAQ

Q1: What is the SME24 auto nozzle cleaning machine?
The SME24 is an automatic SMT nozzle cleaning and drying machine from Southern Machinery. It cleans mounter nozzles with purified or DI water using a high-velocity water-mist jet, dries them automatically, and processes a 24-nozzle jig per cycle.

Q2: Will cleaning damage the nozzle coating or reflector panel?
The SME24 holds the nozzle in an independent device during cleaning, and the manufacturer states that the nozzle coating and reflector panel are not damaged by the hydrodynamic cleaning action. Only DI or purified water is used, and the wetted chamber is SUS304 stainless steel.

Q3: Which nozzle types does the SME24 support?
It is specified for mounter nozzles from 01005-class up to a maximum hole diameter of Ø2.0 mm, covering common brands such as Fuji, Panasonic, Yamaha, Samsung and Juki. Confirm your specific nozzle list with Southern Machinery.

Q4: How long does one cleaning cycle take?
Cleaning takes 3–6 minutes and drying takes 1–3 minutes, so a full 24-nozzle set is out of circulation for roughly 4–9 minutes per cycle.

Q5: What services does the machine require?
AC 220V single phase at 1A, compressed air at 0.5–0.7 MPa, and purified or DI water. Cleaning-liquid consumption is ≤150 cc/hour. The machine measures L665 × W555 × H475 mm and weighs about 30 kg.

Q6: Can Southern Machinery supply the rest of the PCB assembly line?
Yes. Southern Machinery is a Shenzhen-based manufacturer of SMT and THT PCB assembly automation equipment, serving 237+ customers worldwide. The portfolio covers SMT placement, THT auto insertion, wave soldering, board handling, cleaning and process support, and inspection — and can be configured as a complete line solution.

Get Configuration Advice

To receive equipment recommendations for nozzle cleaning or a complete PCB assembly line:

• Email: jasonwu@smthelp.com
• Website: https://www.smthelp.com
• Product Catalog: https://file.autoinsertion.com
• Product Images: https://ph.smthelp.com

Why Southern Machinery?

• Founded in 2011 in Shenzhen, China
• 237+ global clients
• Full line solutions — SMT, THT, wave soldering, board handling, inspection
• Global support — spare parts, training, installation, retrofit
• Technical documentation — operation manuals and maintenance guides

Article generated by Southern Machinery AI Publisher. For technical questions, contact our engineering team.

Tags: SMT Nozzle Cleaning, SMT Line, PCB Assembly Automation, EMS Manufacturing, Pick and Place, THT Automation, Factory ROI