That "high-speed chip placer" - the robotic arm that puts down all the little chips - is insane. It moves so fast, it just looks like a blur. Yet it places everything on the board with laser-precision. Technology is amazing.
It is something to see in person as well. It shakes the floor when in operation. The part you don't see in the video is the massive bank of component reels moving back and forth. For every component being placed, it must also pick one up from the reels, which are also moving at the same high speed.
The sub-con I worked for would place 2 of these machines in-line. One would contain all the tiniest capacitors and resistors and run at full speed. The second one would have larger components such as mosfets, and tantalum caps, and would run at about half-speed. As fast as it is moving the board around, when a component becomes detached it wreaks havoc on all the surrounding solder and components. Any damage done has to be fixed by hand soldering after reflow.
Whenever I get a new board, I can't help but inspect it for signs of hand rework.
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