S4000 Axial Insertion Machine
S4000 Axial Insertion Machine for Smart EMS THT PCB Assembly
S4000 axial inserter: 20,000 CPH published top speed, 5-60 modular feeder stations, any-angle insertion on a servo rotary table, dual jumper-wire feeders, 0.79-2.36 mm PCB, 50 x 50 to 400 x 300 mm boards. Servo-driven, EtherCAT, MES-ready.
The S4000 inserts taped axial components — diodes, resistors and jumper wire — into through-holes at any angle, cuts and forms the leads, and clinches them in one continuous cycle. A modular feeder bank from 5 to 60 stations, dual jumper-wire feeders, machine-vision hole correction and an MES-ready data path.
Key features
One cycle instead of four hand movements
A hand operator picks the part, checks the polarity, bends the leads to the hole pitch, inserts it, then turns the board over to clinch. The S4000 does all of that inside one insertion cycle: the head cuts the leads off the chain, forms them, pushes them through the holes, and the lead cutter beneath the board clinches them. The insertion head carries three symmetric tool pairs — upper cutter,…
Any angle, not just 0 and 90 degrees
The PCB sits on a servo-driven rotary table. The R axis turns the board to the programmed angle for each line of the insertion program, so a layout that needs a 30-degree diode or a diagonal jumper no longer forces that part back onto the bench. The manual describes it as insertion at any angle in a prearranged sequence, with the rotation angle stored per program line.
Jumper wire without a taping step
Barrel-fed jumper wire is straightened in the Z and Y directions and delivered to the lower cutter by a dedicated W-axis motor, then inserted by the insertion shaft. The 2024 brochure states the machine supports direct jumper-wire insertion without tapes, and that a dual-feeder arrangement handles two wire specifications — 0.5 mm and 0.6 mm — at the same time. Southern Machinery documents this…
Specifications
Figures as published in Southern Machinery documents. Where two sources disagree, both values are shown with their source.
| Model | S4000 Axial Inserter · S4000 Axial Insertion machine 2024 (product brochure) |
|---|---|
| Top speed | 20,000 CPH · Brochure and series manual (manual states 20,000 points per hour) |
| Actual speed | 10,000 CPH · S4000 Axial Insertion machine 2024 (product brochure) |
| Component types | Axial tape-and-reel packages: diodes, resistors, jumper wire. Barrel-fed jumper wire fed independently. · Brochure and series manual (manual states 20,000 points per hour) |
| Lead diameter | 0.3 – 0.8 mm · Brochure and series manual (manual states 20,000 points per hour) |
| Insertion angle | Any angle, adjustable, on the servo rotary table · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| Lead cutting length | 1.2 – 2.2 mm (adjustable) · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| Lead bending angle | 0 – 35° (adjustable) · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| Component height allowed | 15 mm standard, customisable on request · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| Available PCB size | 50 x 50 mm to 400 x 300 mm (brochure) / maximum 330 x 300 mm (manual) · Conflicting — both values shown in the disclosure table below |
| PCB thickness | 0.79 – 2.36 mm · Brochure and series manual (manual states 20,000 points per hour) |
| Component lead span | 5.00 – 20.00 mm (brochure) / 5.0 – 22 mm (manual) · Conflicting — both values shown in the disclosure table below |
| Feeder stations | 5 / 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 / 60 available (brochure) / 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 configurable (manual) · Conflicting — both values shown in the disclosure table below |
| Hole position correction | Machine vision automatic alignment, multi-point MARK correction · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| PCB conveying | In-line automatic loading and unloading, left to right or right to left, with a custom manual version available · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| Drive system | Custom absolute servo drive, eliminating dozens of photoelectric sensors · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| Control system | Bus-based multi-axis control, EtherCAT motion control card, industrial PC with router · Series manual section 1.3 item 16 and brochure page 3 |
| Operating system | Chinese / English interface on a Windows 7 control platform (manual) — brochure lists Windows-based operation · Series manual section 1.3 item 16 and brochure page 3 |
| Data input | USB input in Excel file format; online and offline program editing both supported · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| Smart factory | 4G IoT, MES-compatible, black-box data logging · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| Machine dimensions | Main machine 1780 x 1500 x 1600 mm; auxiliary machine 500 x 900 x 1000 mm; 10-station material station 850 x 900 x 1360 mm; 20-station material station 1400 x 900 x 1360 mm · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| Weight | 850 kg standard version (manual) / 880 kg (brochure) · Conflicting — both values shown in the disclosure table below |
| Power supply | Single-phase AC 220 V, 50/60 Hz, 1.6 kW (L+N+E) · Brochure and series manual (manual states 20,000 points per hour) |
| System protection | Multiple protections including an isolation transformer · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| Air source | 0.6 – 0.8 MPa (brochure) / 0.5 – 0.7 MPa (manual) · Conflicting — both values shown in the disclosure table below |
| Air consumption | 0.3 m³/min · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| Operating ambient temperature | 5 – 28°C · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| Machine noise | 65 – 75 dB · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
| Insertion defect rate | < 500 PPM · S4000 Series Manual V1.1, section 1.3 item 5 |
Models, comparisons and open points
The seven axes, in the machine's own names (8 rows)
| Axis | Function as described in the manual | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| X | Moves the worktable left and right; ball screw with two linear guide rails, coupling between screw and motor. | Servo, absolute |
| Y | Moves the worktable front to back on a ball screw; the R worktable is carried on the Y table. | Servo, absolute |
| R | Rotary table. Turns the PCB to the programmed insertion angle; circular guide rail and rotary disk driven by the R-axis reducer through a timing belt. | Servo, absolute |
| H | Insertion axis. Raises and lowers the three tool pairs in the cassette; gear shaft meshed with a rack. | Servo, absolute |
| U | Width or span axis. One motor drives two opposed lead screws so the left and right tool sets open and close together to match the hole pitch. | Servo, absolute |
| B | Base vertical axis. Drives the lead cutters up and down through a gear and rack; shares its drive system with the U axis for synchronised span changes. | Servo, absolute |
| C | Chain axis. Drives the insertion chains and the discharge chain from the main shaft, with a zero-position detection disk at the end of the shaft. | Servo via gearbox |
| W | Jumper axis. Straightens the jumper wire and drives a gear pair to deliver a set length to the lower cutter. | Servo, absolute |
Where the documents disagree, both values stay on the page (7 rows)
| Item | 2024 product brochure | S4000 series manual V1.1 | What it changes for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine dimensions | 1700 x 1500 x 1600 mm | Main 1780 x 1500 x 1600 mm + auxiliary 500 x 900 x 1000 mm | Bay width and floor layout. The 80 mm difference plus the auxiliary frame decides whether the line fits. |
| Weight | 880 kg | 850 kg standard version | Floor loading and the lifting plan for installation. 30 kg is inside normal configuration variance. |
| Available PCB size | 400 x 300 mm | 330 x 300 mm, customisable on request | Whether your largest panel runs as standard or as a custom build. Ask before you commit the panel design. |
| Component lead span | 5.00 – 20.00 mm | 5.0 – 22 mm | Whether your widest axial part is inside the standard range. Parts above 20 mm may need confirmation. |
| Feeder stations | 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 stations available | 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 stations, configurable as needed | How many part numbers you can run without a reel change. 50 and 60 station frames are listed in the brochure only. |
| Air source | 0.6 – 0.8 MPa | 0.5 – 0.7 MPa | What your house compressor has to deliver. Specify the higher figure if you want margin. |
| Speed statement | 20,000 CPH top and 10,000 CPH actual, both printed | 20,000 points per hour, listed as maximum | Your capacity plan. The brochure is the only document that gives a separate actual figure, and it is half the top figure. |
The throughput levers, ranked by how much they usually move the answer (6 rows)
| Lever | Effect on realised rate | How it is controlled |
|---|---|---|
| Number of parts per board | Dominant. A board with 60 axial parts takes six times the insertion time of a board with 10, before any other factor. | Program design; where a part can move to SMT or to a radial machine, the axial count drops. |
| Span changes within the program | High. The U axis has to open or close the tool sets to the new hole pitch, and the lead cutters follow. | Group parts by span when the layout allows it. The program list records the span per line, so this is visible before the board runs. |
| Rotation angle changes | Moderate. The R axis re-orients the table for each programmed angle. | Sequence the program by angle where the board allows, so the table turns fewer times. |
| Feeder station count | Indirect but large. Too few stations means reel changes mid-run, and every change is a stop. | Size the feeder bank against the part count of the whole product family, not the current job. |
| Board transfer and clamping | Fixed per board. The stopper, clamp and conveyor cycle repeat regardless of part count. | Amortised by running larger panels; panelisation in the software builds the multi-board program quickly. |
| Component feed reliability | Multiplicative when it goes wrong. A jam stops the machine rather than slowing it. | Feed mechanism alignment: the three centrelines between distribution head, discharge chain and chain-track guard plates must be coincident, and the chain tension set to 3–5 degrees of slack. |
In detail
From a taped reel to a clinched lead in six stages
The sequence below is the machine's own description of its mechanism, taken from the S4000 series manual. Each stage names the subassembly that performs it, because when a line stops you need to know which of them to look at.
- The seven axes, in the machine's own names. Verified material Axis names and functions: S4000 Series Manual V1.1 section 2 and Software & Programming Manual V2.6.0.0 section 6.1.3. The manual notes that the absolute servo drive removes dozens of photoelectric switches, and that soft adjustment removes the need for mechanical adjustment of the span.
Where the documents disagree, both values stay on the page
The 2024 brochure and the series manual were written for different purposes and were not updated in step. Seven figures differ. Rather than average them or silently pick the friendlier one, Southern Machinery prints both and names the source, so you can put the right number in your own project file and ask us to confirm the rest at quotation stage.
What 20,000 points an hour actually buys you
The headline speed and the number you can plan a shift around are not the same number, and the S4000 documents are unusually honest about that: the brochure prints both. Here is how to use them without over-promising to your own production manager.
- 20,000 points per hour. This is the machine's stated ceiling — the axis speeds and cycle timings at their design limit, with an ideal component and an ideal board. It is the right number for a datasheet comparison and the wrong number for a capacity plan.
- 10,000 CPH actual. The 2024 brochure prints a separate actual-speed figure of half the ceiling. Use this one for shift planning and payback arithmetic. It is also the figure that survives contact with a real mix of parts, board transfer time and operator intervention.
- Your board's number. Neither figure tells you what your specific board will run at, because insertion count, part spread, span changes and board size all move the answer. That is what the free demo is for: ten of your bare boards, your component list, and a measured rate at the end of it.
- The throughput levers, ranked by how much they usually move the answer. Verified material To be confirmed Speed figures are quoted from the two source documents. The lever ranking is Southern Machinery's engineering judgement from the machine's mechanism description, not a measured throughput table — treat it as a discussion order for the demo, and confirm the real numbers on your own board.
Six decisions that shape the machine you receive
The S4000 is configured, not ordered off a shelf. These are the choices that change the price, the footprint and what the machine can run — and the ones worth settling before a purchase order rather than after.
- Feeder bank size. The feeder bank is modular, so the station count is specified at order and expanded later. Southern Machinery lists combinations from 5 to 60 stations; the manual lists 10, 20, 30 and 40 as configurable. Count the axial part numbers across the whole product family you expect to run in the next three years, then add two spare stations for the parts nobody has designed yet.
- Dual jumper-wire feeders. Two jumper-wire feeders let the machine run two wire specifications — 0.5 mm and 0.6 mm — without a changeover. The brochure states the machine supports direct jumper-wire insertion without tapes, and that it handles both reel-style and drum-style jumper wire packages with anti-jam feeding. If your boards use more than one wire gauge, this is the option that keeps both in the program at once.
- Automatic PCB loading. A standard automated PCB loading device is offered so the machine can sit in an in-line flow rather than being hand-fed. The brochure states this arrangement lets a single operator manage three to five machines. Conveying direction is selectable left-to-right or right-to-left, and a custom manual version is available if you want to start without the loader.
- Built-in air storage tank. The brochure lists a built-in air storage tank as a standard feature, described as smoothing the air supply so insertion quality stays consistent and maintenance effort drops. It matters most where the house air supply is shared with other machines and the pressure dips when a neighbour cycles.
- Built-in 3 kVA regulator. A built-in 3 kVA regulator is listed as standard, described as reducing circuit failures and downtime by holding the supply steady. The manual adds that the control system requires all electrical systems of the machine to be reliably grounded, and that the protection set includes an isolation transformer.
- Component height and board size. Standard component height allowance is 15 mm and the manual notes it is customisable on request. Maximum board size is listed as 330 x 300 mm in the manual and 400 x 300 mm in the brochure, and the manual adds that board size is customisable. If your panel is outside the standard envelope, say so at enquiry stage rather than at installation.
What commissioning actually involves
Most of the risk in an axial line sits in the two weeks around installation, not in the machine. The software manual documents the commissioning sequence in enough detail that you can see what your engineers will be asked to do.
- Axis zeroing and limits. Each axis is zeroed from the engineer page and the procedure differs per axis: the X axis moves to the far right and releases the coupling, the Y axis moves to the topmost position, the H axis needs the timing belt removed, the U axis the timing belt, the R axis the timing pulley, and the C axis the reducer coupling. Soft limits are then set from a displacement operation. This is also the…
- Program creation on the machine. A new program starts by marking the insertion positions on the board at 0 degrees and then at 90 degrees, positioning the board on the middle rail, and stepping the camera to each hole to confirm coordinates. The program list stores insertion sequence, coordinates, rotation angle R with sign for direction, span, feeder number, component model and a program function code where OS is an offset…
- Panelisation for multi-board panels. Where several small boards share one panel, the software builds the program from one board. You complete the first board's program, enter the panel count in X and Y, acquire the top-left and bottom-right coordinates, calculate spacing, preview the result, choose the sorting method and execute. Automatic coordinate correction then re-checks every generated position.
- Diagnostics and feeder testing. The equipment status page shows the live state of every input and output signal, so a stuck cylinder or a blocked photoelectric sensor is visible as a state change rather than a guess. Each station can be driven individually from the feeder test page, one operation per click. Production information is counted automatically and saved into a record folder.
What happens after the machine lands
Southern Machinery has been selling and supporting auto insertion equipment since 2011, and has shipped more than fifty automatic insertion machines into Brazil, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Colombia and Argentina. The support model is the same one that kept those machines running.
Videos
Clips from the Southern Machinery YouTube channel. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.
Catalogues and documents
- PDFS4000 Axial Insertion machine 2024 — product brochureS4000 machine documents
- PDFS4000 Axial Insertion Machine — product descriptionS4000 machine documents
- PDFAxial Inserter S4000 — overview sheetS4000 machine documents
- PDFS-4000H Jumper Wire Axial InserterS4000 machine documents
- DOCS4000 Axial Insertion Machine — users manualS4000 machine documents
- 3DS4000H jumper-wire axial inserter with PCB loader3D drawings and line layouts
- 3DS4020A axial insertion machine, 3D view3D drawings and line layouts
- 3DSMT axial taped feeder, 3D view3D drawings and line layouts
- 3DTHT axial and radial PCBA line layout3D drawings and line layouts
- XLSXTHT insertion ROI calculatorWorksheets and checklists
- XLSXTHT auto insertion ROI worksheetWorksheets and checklists
- PDFAuto insertion readiness checklistWorksheets and checklists
- PDFPCB assembly requirements for auto insertionWorksheets and checklists
- LIBBrowse the full Southern Machinery resource libraryWorksheets and checklists
- 3DProduct catalogue board
- 3DYouTube video catalogue
Engineering notes
ARTICLE 01The Cheapest Axial Quotation Is Not the Cheapest Board
Three suppliers quote the same axial inserter. The lowest number wins the order, and eighteen months later nobody can explain why the through-hole department still costs what it did. Full articles are in English. The summary above carries the argument in your language. Start with the moment the comparison actually…
ARTICLE 02Twenty Thousand Points an Hour Is a Specification, Not a Forecast
The number on the datasheet decides whether you get the budget. The number on the shift report decides whether you keep your credibility. Full articles are in English. The summary above carries the argument in your language. Every insertion machine is sold on a maximum rate, and every production manager has been…
ARTICLE 03A Sixty-Station Machine You Buy Once and Configure Five Times
Most axial machines are specified against the job that justified them, and then asked to run a product family that did not exist when the order was placed. Full articles are in English. The summary above carries the argument in your language. Here is how the specification meeting usually goes. The engineering team…
ARTICLE 04Jumper Wire Is the Part That Stops Axial Lines
The machine handles diodes and resistors all day. Then it meets a jumper wire, and the shift stops being about throughput. Full articles are in English. The summary above carries the argument in your language. Ask anyone who has run an axial inserter what the worst part on the board is, and you will get the same…
ARTICLE 05Any Angle Is a Layout Decision, Not a Feature
Insertion at any angle is usually sold as a machine capability. It is more usefully understood as permission for your designer to stop routing around the machine. Full articles are in English. The summary above carries the argument in your language. Look at a through-hole layout drawn by someone who has spent years…
ARTICLE 06What Happens Between the Chain and the Board
An axial insertion happens in about a third of a second. Engineers who cannot name the stages inside that third of a second cannot diagnose a fault in it. Full articles are in English. The summary above carries the argument in your language. The scene is familiar. The machine is bending leads wrong, or cutting…
Frequently asked questions
What is the real insertion speed of the S4000?
Two figures are published and they differ by a factor of two. The 2024 product brochure lists a top speed of 20,000 CPH and an actual speed of 10,000 CPH. The series manual lists 20,000 points per hour as the maximum. Treat the first as a specification limit and the second as the planning number, and confirm your own board's rate on a demo run rather than accepting either.
Which components can it insert?
Taped axial components: diodes, resistors and jumper wire, with lead diameters from 0.3 mm to 0.8 mm. Barrel-fed jumper wire is fed independently by its own mechanism. Component height allowance is 15 mm as standard and can be customised on request.
Can it insert at angles other than 0 and 90 degrees?
Yes. The board sits on a servo-driven rotary table, and the rotation angle is a field in the insertion program for each line, with the sign indicating clockwise or counter-clockwise. This is what lets a layout use diagonal parts without adding jumper wires to route around the constraint.
How many feeder stations do I need?
The brochure lists 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 station configurations; the manual lists 10, 20, 30 and 40 as configurable to need. Count the distinct axial part numbers across your whole product family — not just the current board — and add margin. The bank is modular, so it can be expanded later.
What happens with two different jumper-wire gauges?
The machine is offered with dual jumper-wire feeders that handle two wire specifications such as 0.5 mm and 0.6 mm without a changeover, and the feeding arrangement covers both reel-style and drum-style wire packages with anti-jam feeding. If your boards use more than one gauge, specify this option.
Is it ready for MES and Industry 4.0?
The control platform runs on Windows with an industrial PC and a bus-based motion control card, and the software writes production data into an MES-compatible folder. 4G IoT and black-box data logging are listed as available. Production information is counted automatically and saved to a record folder, with save and clear functions on the statistics page.
Can one operator run more than one machine?
Yes, with the automatic PCB loading option. The brochure states that a standard automated PCB loading device lets a single operator manage three to five machines, and that the machine integrates with existing production lines. Conveying direction is selectable left-to-right or right-to-left, and a custom manual-loading version is available.
What does the free demo involve?
Southern Machinery offers free demo production with ten bare PCB boards supplied by you, live streaming of the machine running so you can watch it in real time, and a written evaluation report afterwards. Send the boards, the axial component list and the monthly volume; the report comes back with the measured result.
Why do some figures on this page have two values?
Because the 2024 brochure and the series manual were written for different purposes and were not updated in step. Seven figures differ — machine dimensions, weight, maximum board size, lead span, feeder station counts, air pressure and the speed statement. Rather than average them or pick one, the page shows both with their sources so you can size your bay and your air supply correctly and confirm the rest with us at quotation.
What is the footprint, and will it fit my bay?
The brochure gives 1700 x 1500 x 1600 mm and 880 kg. The manual gives a main machine of 1780 x 1500 x 1600 mm plus an auxiliary machine of 500 x 900 x 1000 mm, and separate material station frames of 850 x 900 x 1360 mm for ten stations and 1400 x 900 x 1360 mm for twenty. The configuration decides the answer, so send us your bay dimensions and we will lay it out.
How long does installation take, and who does it?
Installation and commissioning are included and performed by Southern Machinery engineers, followed by operator and maintenance training. The software manual documents the axis zeroing procedure and the program creation workflow in detail, so your team can prepare programs and panelisation plans while the machine is in transit.
What should I send with an enquiry?
Three things: the axial component list with lead diameters and spans, the board dimensions and thickness, and the monthly board volume. If you have a board drawing, send that too. With those three inputs we can tell you the feeder bank size, whether any part needs a custom build, and what the insertion time will look like.
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Request a quote for S4000 Axial Insertion Machine
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