ABSTRACT
Printed-circuit-board (PCB) assembly involves mainly the insertion and soldering of electrical
components
into PCBs. Component insertion is carried out manually or by high-speed, dedicated machinery. Additionally, robots are employed to perform insertions, mainly those that must otherwise be performed manually because of the
nonstandard
shapes of the components. For high production volumes, manufacturers may use a combination of automatic and manual insertion because odd-shaped or nonstandard components cannot be handled by the automatic insertion machines. It is desirable, however, to use automatic insertion machines wherever possible because they can operate much faster and with greater reliability than manual workers. For those PCBs manufactured in small batches and where the applications involve severe working environments, such as military applications, assembly may be performed entirely by hand.
