Due to the tight tolerances and small centerlines, special considerations have been given to improving the ease with which surface mount interconnects are soldered to the boards.

Surface mount assembly of even relatively small volumes is almost always automated with pick and place machines. This is not only for speed and efficiency of manufacturing, but because the interconnects must be precisely placed on the pads, with the correct and consistent pressure into the solder paste and without damage to the leads.

Some interconnects, such as PLCC sockets, lend themselves to pick and place assembly because they have large open flat areas for the vacuum pick-up nozzle. Because of the open space between the rows of dual in-line sockets, pick-up pads can be easily added to the connector. However, strip interconnects, especially micro centerline strips, have no available area for the pick-up nozzle. Disposable pick-and-place pads for strips and micro sockets are available for these applications. Even strips on .050" by .050" (1,27mm by 1,27mm) centers have pads large enough to accommodate a 4mm nozzle. The chart shows typical interconnects and recommended nozzle sizes. Unfortunately, most pick-and-place machines today cannot accommodate alignment pins, locking clips or other through-hole components. This may require hand assembly or semi-automated assembly of larger connectors requiring these features.