engineering

Insertion mount machine

Insertion mount machine is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Insertion mount machine rather than just read about it. In short: An insertion mount machine or inserter is a device used to insert the leads of electronic components through holes in printed circuit boards. Insertion mount machines were common from the 1950s up until the 1980s, when they significantly declined in use due to the rise in popularity of surface-mount technology.

Key takeaways

Insertion mount machine belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Insertion mount machine to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Insertion mount machine from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

An insertion mount machine or inserter is a device used to insert the leads of electronic components through holes in printed circuit boards. Insertion mount machines were common from the 1950s up until the 1980s, when they significantly declined in use due to the rise in popularity of surface-mount technology.

Insertion mount assembly process The automated assembly process for insertion involves placement of the termination leads through the plated holes in the PCB followed by trimming and bending of the leads to ensure that they are secure and not overly protruding. The component can then be fluxed and soldered. Placement of the components is done on one side of the PCB while soldering happens on the other.

Machine configuration An insertion mount machine often has a rotary table on a X- and Y-axis positioning system which moves the board to the necessary position for the component's insertion into the board. The machine can be configured to be a standalone machine.

Axial insertion An axial inserter takes axial leaded through-hole components from reels which are fed into dispensing heads that cut the parts onto a chain in the order of insertion. The parts are transferred from the sequence chain to the insertion chain, which brings the component underneath the insertion head which then cuts the leads of the component to the correct length for lead length and insertion span; bends the leads 90°; and inserts the component leads into the board while a clinch assembly underneath cuts and clinches the leads.

Radial insertion A radial inserter takes radial leaded through-hole components from a reel which are fed into dispensing heads that cut the component from the reel and place it onto the chain in sequence of the order of insertion. The components are handled by the leads. Much like in axial insertion, the component is brought to a component transfer assembly behind the insertion head and is transferred to the insertion head, then inserted into the board while a clinch assembly underneath cuts and clinches the leads.

Dual in-line package insertion A dual in-line (DIP) inserter inserts integrated circuit components or DIP sockets from tubes which are loaded into magazines. A shuttle mechanism picks the needed component needed from the magazines and drops it into a transfer assembly. The insertion head picks the component from the transfer assembly and inserts the IC into the board while a clinch assembly underneath cuts and bends the leads either inward for sockets or outward for ICs. Due to the transition from insertion mount technology (through-hole) to surface-mount technology of integrated circuits, these machines are no longer being newly manufactured.

Obsolete configurations Axial inserters used to consist of a stand-alone sequencer machine which cut and sequenced the parts onto a reel. That reel was then transferred over to a standalone axial inserter to insert the components. This is all done on one machine today.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Insertion mount machine

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Insertion mount machine claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Insertion mount machine before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Insertion mount machine ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Insertion mount machine

In research: Insertion mount machine appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Insertion mount machine in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Insertion mount machine is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Printed circuit board manufacturing, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Insertion mount machine outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Insertion mount machine in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Insertion mount machine means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Insertion mount machine out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Insertion mount machine in simple terms?

Why does Insertion mount machine matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Insertion mount machine?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Insertion mount machine.