TL;DR
Placement drift is usually a nozzle wear, camera calibration error, or feeder sprocket wear. Run the vision calibration and nozzle inspection first.
What you might see
- component placement offsets increasing on SPI or AOI
- consistent X or Y shift on one head module
- rotational offset on fine-pitch parts
- tombstoning rate increasing
Likely causes
Nozzle tip wear or particle buildup altering component grip and release position
Head camera or board camera calibration drift
Feeder tape pitch error or worn sprocket causing component pickup offset
Linear encoder feedback degradation on the X or Y axis
Required tools
- Nozzle inspection microscope
- Camera calibration target board
- CMM or optical inspection tool for test placement
- Replacement nozzle set
- Cleaning supplies per Fuji maintenance procedure
Safety first
- Lock out the machine main power before opening any head module or performing a nozzle swap while the machine is in an unexpected state.
- Compressed air used for nozzle cleaning can propel components at high velocity. Point the nozzle away from people.
Procedure
- 1
Run the built-in placement accuracy check routine on the machine controller to measure current X, Y, and theta offset on each head.[1]
- 2
Inspect each nozzle tip under magnification for wear, cracks, or embedded particles. Replace any nozzle with visible tip damage.
- 3
Clean the nozzle filter and vacuum lines with the prescribed cleaning procedure for the NXT head module.
- 4
Run the head camera calibration routine using the calibration target board. Accept only calibrations within the specified tolerance.
- 5
Check the feeder for each problem component type. Manually advance the tape and verify the pick window is centered. Adjust the feeder pitch setting if the component is consistently off-center.
- 6
Review the linear scale and encoder feedback on the affected head axis using the diagnostics screen. Report encoder faults to maintenance.[1]
- 7
Run a test placement cycle on a sacrificial PCB and measure the result with a CMM or optical inspection tool. Accept the head only when offset is within the machine specification.
Sources
Fuji Fuji NXT II / NXT III SMT Pick-and-Place general technical documentation, Fuji
Fuji NXT SMT placement machine general maintenance and calibration procedures (general)
More guides for Fuji Fuji NXT II / NXT III
How to fix feeder misfeed or component jam on a Fuji NXT II / NXT III
Misfeeds are usually a bent tape, a worn sprocket, or incorrect component height in the feeder cover. Check the tape path and sprocket engagement before changing feeder parameters.
How to fix vision recognition failure on a Fuji NXT II / NXT III
Vision failures are most often dirty camera lens, incorrect component library parameters, or LED illumination degradation. Clean the lens and verify the component image library entry.
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