Key Considerations When Selecting a Fuji Vs Hanwha Pick-And-Place Machine

You want a fast SMT line that stays stable, hits target yields, and doesn’t choke when product mix changes. Let’s break that down—plain talk, real shop-floor scenarios, and a practical table you can drop in your brief.

Context: we make and ship custom wire shelving solutions for freezers and cold rooms. Boards for controllers, lighting, sensors ride inside these systems, so uptime, traceability, and corrosion-aware design matter. If you need racks that match the electronics you actually build, see our Commercial Cold Storage Room Multilayer Wire Shelving and our Custom Wire Shelving Manufacturing Services (ODM/OEM, ISO quality, global shipping). We also supply Freezer Components, Refrigeration Units components, Rear Mesh, and Commercial Display hardware to match your builds.

Fuji NXT III / AIMEX III vs Hanwha DECAN / HM520: what really changes on your line

You’ll see “headline CPH” all over brochures. It matters, but it’s not the whole movie. The true beat rate comes from: head type, vision (fly vs fixed), feeder strategy, panel size, and how often you swap products. Fuji leans hard into modular heads and high-mix flow. Hanwha pushes line-level optimization and value density with tight software integration.

Throughput (CPH) vs Real-World Beat Rate

Don’t chase paper speed alone. Ask: with your BOM and your panel, what’s the hourly good-units?

• Fuji AIMEX III / NXT III: modular heads (H24/H08/H02) let you swing from “tiny chips fast” to “fine-pitch precise.” In high-mix, that fast re-targeting saves you hours across the week.
• Hanwha DECAN S1 / HM520: strong headline CPH and solid nozzle density. If you run long batches of similar SKUs, DECAN/HM platforms keep rhythm without too much fiddling.

Quick rule: if you switch SKUs a lot, modularity wins time; if you run stable, long lots, raw CPH plus simple setups feel great.

Placement Accuracy & Cpk (01005, fine-pitch BGA, small LEDs)

Yield beats speed. For tiny passives and micro-pitch BGAs:

• Fuji NXT III: known for tight placement accuracy and high-precision modes. Great when you push 01005, micro-LEDs, or dense connectors on the same panel.
• Hanwha HM/DECAN: accuracy is competitive and very consistent batch-to-batch, especially with robust vision pipelines (fly cam + fixed cam).

If your cold-room controller board uses small LEDs for status + fine-pitch MCU, favor accuracy headroom. Rework in low-temperature-rated assemblies… no thanks.

Component Coverage & Changeover Flexibility

You’ll juggle chips, QFN/BGA, tall connectors, shields. That’s where head/feeder flexibility pays.

• Fuji: tool-less head swaps, broad nozzle ecosystem, and clever tray/feeder modules. It’s friendly for high-mix and “we added two SKUs this month.”
• Hanwha: broad device range with fly/fixed camera combos and tray options. Strong for general-purpose and LED-heavy workloads.

If production lives in the “every day new SKU” world, Fuji’s modularity feels like cheating (a good one). If your jobs steady, Hanwha’s simplicity keeps Takt clean.

Panel Size, Dual-Lane, and Long Boards (think lighting inside cold rooms)

• Large panels / dual-lane help when you build long LED bars or server-sized control boards used in refrigeration and displays.
• Fuji AIMEX III: well-known for big-panel support and dual-product flows.
• Hanwha DECAN: standard panel sizes with long-board options depending on config; dual-lane variants exist in the family.

If your downstream product is commercial freezer lighting on long bars, check the exact max panel length and conveyor options first—don’t assume.

Software, MES, and Traceability (stop babysitting the line)

• Hanwha: strong line software story. Scheduling, OEE, feeder setup validation, and traceability are straightforward. Less custom glue work.
• Fuji: flexible platform with deep modularity; integrates cleanly with common MES. If you need granular control and special flows, it’s a good canvas.

Cold-storage projects often require serial-level traceability because of safety, warranty, and export compliance. Build it in from day one.

Feeder Strategy: uptime, not just slots

Uptime gets crushed by poor reel change and tray logistics.

• Live replenishment, splicing aids, and smart feeder IDs keep you running.
• Check how many trays you can stage, how fast operators swap nozzles, and whether online changeover is really online (some “hot-swap” claims are… meh).

Tip: audit your top 20 components by usage and size. Map them to feeder types. Run a “mock changeover” during the demo. You’ll see the truth fast.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) without numbers (on purpose)

You don’t need exact $$ here. Just compare service coverage, spare parts lead time, training hours, and line balancing. In many regions:

• Hanwha lines land strong value density with good service reach.
• Fuji earns back over time when mix is high and precision saves rework.

Also ask about refurb / expansion paths—extra modules, heads, feeders. Protect your capex with future-proofing, not only spec sheets.

Real shop-floor scenarios (for freezer & cold-room programs)

1. High-mix controllers + small LEDs
   You run short lots for custom cabinets. Lots of 0201/01005, fine-pitch QFN/BGA, and tall connectors.
   Leaning: Fuji NXT III/AIMEX III for head swaps and accuracy margin.
   Why: lower changeover loss, tighter Cpk, less rework in low-temp-rated boards.
2. Long LED bars, high volume, few variants
   You crank thousands of bars weekly. Stable BOM, long panels.
   Leaning: Hanwha DECAN/HM series for throughput + dual-lane/long-board configs.
   Why: strong sustained CPH, easy operator flow.
3. Mid-mix, price-sensitive, fast ramp
   You need quick install, solid software, and clean traceability.
   Leaning: Hanwha HM520/DECAN with line software + standard feeders.
   Why: quick to scale, less custom MES glue.
4. Prototype now, scale tomorrow
   Start small, then add capacity.
   Leaning: Fuji modular path—add heads/modules as demand spikes.
   Why: same platform, less retraining, smooth growth.

Comparison Table

Specs vary by head/gantry/vision and your process window. Use this as a selection sketch, then confirm on a real board.

How this ties to wire shelving for cold rooms

Electronics you place today end up inside freezers and display cases supported by our hardware. We design shelves and frames to manage cable runs, protect LED bars, and leave airflow clear for refrigeration units. That’s why our Cold Storage Room Components and Customized Products exist: so your SMT choices translate to a clean install in the field.

• ODM/ODM support: bring your harness and board outlines, we build the right mounts and wire-trays. See OEM/ODM services for collaboration flow.
• Corrosion-resistant finishes: cold-room means condensation risk, so we spec finishes to last.
• Fast lead times: when your SMT line scales, your mechanicals should not slow you down.

We also work with QIAO for integrated projects where electronics and shelving ship as one package—one PO, less finger-pointing. It’s not always make sense to split vendors when timelines are tight.

Quick checklist you can use in supplier demos

• Can the platform place your smallest device at target Cpk on your real panel?
• How fast is a full changeover (reels + trays + nozzle swaps)?
• What’s the max panel length with dual-lane (or long-board) options?
• Show live replenishment and splicing without stopping the beat.
• Walk through MES routing, feeder verification, and traceability.
• Confirm local service, parts stock, and training plan.
• Growth path: add heads/gantries/lanes later, not a forklift upgrade.

Do this: run a 1-hour pilot with your top-20 components, your worst-case panel, and at least one connector that’s annoying. The data will speak, we don’t wanna guess.

Sample “scene-to-machine” mapping (use/adapt)

• High-mix controllers → Fuji NXT III or AIMEX III with mixed heads (H24 + precision head).
• LED bar production → Hanwha DECAN/HM with long-board handling and dual-lane.
• Mid-mix, cost focus → Hanwha HM520 baseline, upgrade vision as needed.
• Prototype to scale → Start Fuji small, extend modules later.

Wrap-up

Choosing Fuji vs Hanwha is not a spec-sheet duel. It’s about your board mix, panel size, changeover profile, and software fit. If you build electronics for cold storage and commercial display, pair the right SMT platform with mechanicals that survive humidity, salt, and daily use. That’s where our Commercial Display & Cold Storage Room components come in—clean installs, tidy cable paths, and hardware that still looks good after winters.

Need a fast mockup for shelves around your new LED bars or controller housing? Ping us—ODM/OEM support, ISO quality, and global shipping. We’ll keep it simple, and fast.