HANGZHOU, CHINA -- It's basic, and there's no information available on how fast it works, or even what kind of base it is built on.

But Hangzhou Dengxin Technology has developed a pick-and-place machine that costs -- seriously -- $4,000.

It can safely be said that's the cheapest automatic component mounter available from the 25 placement machine OEMs in the CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY SMT equipment database.

And apparently, it works. It's not fast, but in this video the single head, multi-nozzle gantry system picks multiple package styles from tape and reel.

A Google search failed to turn up Dengxin Tech's actual website, and it's safe to say the company's distribution channel is limited. So even at that price tag, Fuji, Panasonic and others have no reason for concern. Still, for the odd Chinese lab or startup, there may be a market.

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