Step 2 of 4

Lumaspect Apply™From PCB to placed components.

A module in development for applying solder paste and placing components, linking the design data to the assembly process.

Preliminary designPreliminary design (drawings LS-DRW-APPLY, simulation). No prototype built.

Still image of the simulation — Concept simulation. The continuous transfer between machines shows the vision of the platform, not a capability that has been demonstrated.

01Bench product

Lumaspect Apply™

Dispenses solder paste dot by dot and places components taken from tapes and trays.

Fiducials
Paste
Deposit check
Pick
Centring
Placement
Check

Subsystems

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Wireframe design model, not a finished product.

Solder paste dispensed dot by dot from a needle dispenser.
Pick and place with a vacuum nozzle, rotation and a bottom camera.
Optical check of the deposits and of the placement.
No compressed air: the vacuum comes from an internal pump.

02Data sheet

Data sheet in brief.

The same fields for the four steps, so they can be compared.

In the design
Target to validate
Future option
To be defined

Data sheet	Lumaspect Make™	Lumaspect Apply™	Lumaspect Reflow™	Lumaspect Check™
Function	Trace isolation, drilling and outline cutting of prototype PCBsTarget to validate	Solder paste dispensing and component placementIn the design	Reflow soldering with a controlled thermal profileIn the design	2D optical inspection with AI of assembled boardsIn the design
Input	Single or double-sided copper-clad panelTarget to validate	Bare clean PCB, components on tape or trayIn the design	PCB with paste and placed componentsIn the design	Soldered PCBIn the design
Output	PCB without plated holes, to be cleaned before assemblyTarget to validate	PCB with unreflowed paste and placed componentsIn the design	Soldered and cooled PCBIn the design	Result per component (OK, to review), images, recordIn the design
Bench configuration	To be definedTo be defined	Apply™ L3: 806 × 706 × 451 mm, front drawerIn the design	Reflow™ L3: 700 × 560 × 340 mm, chamber with drawerIn the design	Vision™ L3: about 545 × 500 × 310 mm, about 14 kg, front drawerIn the design
Possible in-line integration	To be definedTo be defined	Module of the L3+ mini line (concept); in-line L5 version (design, development on hold)Future option	Indexed chamber of the L3+ mini line (concept); L5 tunnel oven (design, development on hold)Future option	Vision™ L4 and L5 in line (designs, development on hold); module of the L3+ mini line (concept)Future option
Work area or board size	To be definedTo be defined	350 × 250 mmIn the design	350 × 250 mmIn the design	From 50 × 50 to 350 × 250 mmTarget to validate
Main subsystems	X/Y/Z axes, spindle, probe, spoil board, extractionTarget to validate	CoreXY, piston dispenser, nozzle with vacuum and rotation, top and bottom cameras, feedersIn the design	Stainless chamber, heaters above and below, convection, cooling, 4 thermocouples, fume outletIn the design	CoreXY with Z, IMX296 camera, 25 mm lens, RGBW ring, Raspberry Pi 5In the design
Design data needed	Gerber of the traces, Excellon drill file, outline (from KiCad or other CAD)Target to validate	Bill of materials (BOM), placement file (CPL), paste layer (Gerber); IPC-2581 and ODB++ as a targetTarget to validate	Profile for the paste alloy (from the board program)Target to validate	Placement file (CPL) and one good boardIn the design
Power and services	230 V; dust extraction required; power to be definedTo be defined	230 V; vacuum from an internal pump, no compressed air; power to be definedTarget to validate	230 V 10 A; fume extractionTarget to validate	100–240 V, 100 W; Ethernet and Wi-FiTarget to validate
Development status	Concept under evaluationIn the design	Preliminary design; smallest component 0603 imperial to validateTarget to validate	Preliminary design; profile from a model, not measuredTarget to validate	Prototype in development; 2D in development, 3D under evaluationIn the design

Values marked “in the design” are set in the drawings but not yet measured on a prototype.

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03In depth

How it works, in detail.

How it works

Two separate operations on the same head. First the paste: the needle comes down to about 0.15 mm from the pad and the plunger dispenses a dot, with a short suck-back at the end to avoid strings. Then the components: the nozzle picks them from the tape with vacuum, carries them over the bottom camera, corrects position and rotation and sets them on the paste.

Dot-by-dot dispensing suits prototypes and small batches. It does not replace a stencil printer for series production.

Architecture and subsystems

Head with three tools in a row: top camera, nozzle, needle. CoreXY on MGN12 rails. 12-lane strip holder and waffle trays outside the work area. Bottom camera, nozzle rack, needle purge. Diaphragm pump with tank, 3/2 valve and pressure sensor.

Operating flow

Drawer open, board against the datum, drawer closed → fiducials → paste → deposit check → for each component pick, centring, placement → check → drawer open, board ready for Reflow™.

Integration with the other machines

One program per board, from the bill of materials and the placement file: it gives the Apply™ recipe, the Reflow™ profile and the Check™ program, with the same package library.

In the in-line vision (L3+) the board moves on to Reflow™ on a conveyor, slowly, so the components do not shift on the paste. It is not demonstrated yet.

Expected input and output formats

Input: BOM, CPL (for example KiCad’s .pos), Gerber of the paste layer; IPC-2581 and ODB++ as a target. Output: board ready for the oven and a log (paste batch, feeders, check results).

Calibration and maintenance

Camera calibration with a target, offsets between camera, nozzle and needle, dispenser calibration for each paste batch (dots weighed and measured), nozzle cleaning and change, needle purge, vacuum filter.

Technical limits and open questions

The deposit check is 2D (presence, position, apparent area) and does not measure the paste volume.

To validate: placement repeatability, dots for parts from 0402 down, paste viscosity over time, missed picks from the feeders.

Open-source projects

Used in the project

Voron · CoreXY kinematics used as a design reference for the L3 family; parts redesigned.
Klipper · Motion firmware chosen for the L3 family.

Under evaluation

OpenPnP · Pick and place software: cameras, feeders, calibration.
LumenPnP · Open-source bench pick and place used as a mechanical reference.

04Cheat sheet

The summary to print.

Cheat sheet

Lumaspect Apply™

From PCB to placed components.

Rev. A · 2026-10-12Preliminary design

Function: Dot-by-dot solder paste and component placement, with an optical check.
Input → output: Bare clean PCB, components → PCB with paste and placed components.
Operating cycle: Fiducials → paste → deposit check → pick → centring → placement → check
Requirements: BOM, CPL, paste layer · 230 V · no compressed air
Limits: Paste volume not measured · for prototypes and small batches · smallest component to validate
Status of the specifications: Preliminary design. Size and work area set in the drawings; performance to be measured.

05The other steps

Four machines, one flow.

Concept under evaluation

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Get news on the prototype and on chances to join the first demonstrations.

Lumaspect Apply™From PCB to placed components.

Used in the project

Under evaluation

Lumaspect Make™

Lumaspect Reflow™

Lumaspect Check™

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