VacTool
Overview
While planning to do some projects with a very large component count in the near future, I was looking for tools to aid in manual SMT assembly.
Videos by Steve of SDG Electronics (Video 1, Video 2) and Mike of mikeselectricstuff (Video) inspired me to have a go at building a small, manual pick and place tool.
It consists of a vacuum pen that is used to pick and place small components from a tape or tray onto a PCB, and a control unit housing the power supply, control electronics, valve, and pump.
Build
The vacuum pen is controlled by a foot pedal connected to a rear 1/4" Jack - as long as it is depressed, suction is active. This air flow is controlled by a small valve, which enables a quicker pressure start and release than enabling and disabling the pump would produce.
Suction is generated by an internal peristaltic pump. Once started, the pump will continue to run for a short duration controlled by a small knob at the front of the unit.
The unit is powered by an internal 12V Meanwell supply.
Result
The VacTool was invaluable while assembling the prototypes for my Fets & Crosses project, where I ended up placing thousands of SOT-23 transistors on multiple hardware revisions by hand.
Overall I am very happy with my build. It is not the nicest and sturdiest construction, and a bigger box would probably have been a good choice. Still it is a very usable tool that I end up reaching for more often than expected.
A small note: I found it unnecessary to release the suction when placing small components on solder paste. The sticky paste is enough to pull the component down to the PCB, which speeds up the assembly process even more.