Smart SMT Reel Storage:
Pick Any Reel in 3 Seconds

An SMT smart reel rack integrates LED light guidance and/or position sensors into electronic-component storage. With traditional shelving, operators search from memory or paper lists — about 45 seconds per pick, with frequent mistakes. NEO LIGHT uses Pick-to-Light to indicate the exact slot, cutting picking to 3 seconds, dropping error rates below 0.1%, and recording every transaction automatically for full digital traceability.

Pick-to-Light racks (NEO LIGHT PTL/Mobile) use LEDs to indicate the target slot; the operator picks and confirms with a manual barcode scan — ideal for cost-sensitive, fast-deployment scenarios. Sensor-enhanced racks (NEO LIGHT Plus/Mobile Plus) add position sensors that automatically detect placement and removal with no manual confirmation — ideal for lines with strict traceability and compliance requirements.

Fixed NEO LIGHT racks (PTL/Plus) hold up to ~1,400 standard 7–15″ reels and trays. Mobile models (Mobile/Mobile Plus) store ~240 reels per unit. NEO LIGHT Stencil is purpose-built for SMT stencils with a vertical-slot design (~140 stencils). Slot heights are adjustable across all models to fit different reel sizes.

Yes. The full NEO LIGHT range integrates with MES, ERP, and WMS systems via REST API or standard protocols — validated with SAP and Oracle. Picking instructions can be issued automatically from MES work orders; NEO LIGHT lights the right slots, and pick data flows back to the system. Paired with SMF material-management software, you get cross-rack, cross-warehouse inventory visibility and FIFO control.

Fixed racks (PTL/Plus) offer high capacity (~1,400 reels) for long-term, line-side standard storage with maximum stability. Mobile racks (Mobile/Mobile Plus) have swivel casters and ~240-reel capacity, suited to moving material between multiple lines — prototyping, high-mix/low-volume, or flexible manufacturing. The two are often mixed: fixed as the main store, mobile for line-side replenishment.

In customer deployments, NEO LIGHT cuts pick time from ~45 seconds to 3 (a 93% reduction) and picking errors from ~5% to under 0.1%. A typical SMT line runs hundreds of picks per day; the labor and line-stoppage savings alone usually recover the investment within 6–12 months. Sensor models pay back faster in high-frequency picking by removing the manual confirmation step.

NEO LIGHT is a semi-automatic smart rack: light-guided picking with manual handling, low deployment cost, fast to go live. SMD BOX is a fully automatic cloud storage system — enclosed, unmanned operation for large central warehouses. The best practice is co-deployment: SMD BOX as the central warehouse for bulk material, NEO LIGHT as line-side shelving for workstation kitting, connected through SMF software for global inventory visibility.

NEO LIGHT enforces error-proofing and FIFO three ways: 1) precise light guidance — only the target slot lights up, so operators can't grab the wrong reel; 2) automatic scheduling — the system lights the earliest-received reel by batch and inbound date (first-in-first-out); 3) sensor confirmation (Plus/Mobile Plus) — position sensors verify the correct slot was accessed. Together these satisfy ISO 9001 and IPC traceability requirements.

Yes. NEO LIGHT integrates seamlessly with MES/SMF systems and generates picking tasks automatically under work-order control, lighting the target slots. Operators scan the slot QR code to confirm, then batch load/unload and replenish; the system reports material number, batch, and quantity in real time. Tasks support interruption and resume, and low-stock alerts warn before material runs out — keeping the SMT line continuously supplied.

NEO LIGHT supports role-based access control — critical material can be restricted to authorized staff. Every transaction records operator, time, and slot, enabling real-time stock-takes and full traceability. Combined with precise light guidance, sensor confirmation (Plus/Mobile Plus), and low-stock alerts, the risks of mis-picks, missed picks, and loss are intercepted at every layer, and audit labor drops sharply versus manual counting.