Little PnP - Open-source SMT Pick-and-Place Machine

Little PnP is my open-source attempt at solving a very real workshop problem: assembling small runs of SMT boards without depending on a full external assembly process every time I want to test an idea.

The project mixes several things I like working on: mechanical design, electronics, 3D-printed parts, motion control, software, and a bit of stubbornness. A pick-and-place machine looks simple from the outside, but once you start building one you quickly find all the small details that matter: feeders, calibration, repeatability, board positioning, nozzles, component handling, and the general chaos of tiny parts.

For me, Little PnP is not only about the machine itself. It is also about the workflow around it. If I design a PCB, order prototypes, receive components, and then lose hours just preparing the assembly process, something in the workshop pipeline is still too manual. This project is my way of pulling that process closer to the bench.

It also connects with other private tools I use for inventory and parts management. A pick-and-place machine is only useful if the surrounding system knows what parts exist, where they are, and how they are consumed. That is the kind of practical automation I enjoy: not flashy, but very useful when you are actually building hardware.