Nobel NB168M Radial Automatic Inserter: Compact High-Speed THT Insertion for Small-to-Mid Volume PCB Lines

For PCB assembly factories still relying on manual or semi-auto radial insertion for power boards, LED drivers, home-appliance control boards, industrial electronics and automotive sub-assemblies, the Nobel NB168M Radial Automatic Inserter is a practical entry point into stable, lower-cost through-hole automation — without the footprint, feeder count and capital burden of a full-spec high-volume machine.

The NB168M is the compact version of Nobel’s proven NB168 series. Where the standard NB168 is built around 40 component inputs, the NB168M comes with 20 standard feeder stations — roughly half the configuration of the standard model — making it a better fit for small-batch, high-mix THT lines that change products frequently rather than run one massive volume order continuously.

Manual radial insertion is cheap to start, but it is hard to scale: insertion depth varies by operator, missed components and bent leads show up at wave soldering, and labour cost keeps rising. The NB168M replaces that inconsistency with a servo-driven, vision-corrected insertion process.

Key production benefits:

• Up to approx. 21,000 CPH class throughput on the NB168 platform, with max tact time around 0.168s/point (0.20 / 0.25 / 0.30s selectable depending on movement distance and component size).
• 0°–360° insertion direction, adjustable in 1° increments, so radial components can be placed exactly as the PCB layout requires — no awkward orientation compromises.
• Automatic hole-position recognition and XY correction: the machine reads actual insertion holes and compensates for PCB deviation, thermal expansion or fiducial shift before inserting — important for reused boards and mid-tier substrates.
• Auto-recovery / auto-re-insertion: when a miss or defect is detected, the system can recover in roughly 12 seconds instead of stopping the whole station.

The NB168M covers the radial components most DIP / THT lines still cannot avoid by SMT alone:

• Resistors, electrolytic capacitors, ceramic capacitors
• LEDs, transistors, filters, resistor networks
• Max component height: 23mm (special spec up to 26mm); max lead body diameter: 13mm
• Lead span: 2.5 / 5.0mm standard; 3.5 / 7.5 / 10.0mm as option, depending on NB168M-2P / 3P / 3.5P / 4P / T4P sub-model

Source: NB168 series operation manual and NB168H/M technical specification sheets.

1. Your order lots are small to medium, with frequent changeover between power supply, lighting, appliance or industrial control boards.
2. You want Nobel-class insertion reliability but do not need 40 simultaneous component inputs.
3. Floor space and budget matter more than absolute max CPH.
4. You are replacing manual insertion stations and want a visible yield / labour saving within months, not years.

We supply Nobel NB168M-series radial inserters (original / inspected used / refurbished units subject to stock), together with NB168-2P / 3P / 3.5P / 4P / T4P configurations on request. Each unit can be delivered with:

• Working video and photos
• Inspection / test report
• Spare parts recommendation list
• Overseas crating and shipment support

Quotation is machine price only: excluding tax, international freight and HSBC remittance handling fee (approx. USD 35 per transfer). Final configuration, lead-span option and year of manufacture will be confirmed before proforma invoice.

For current NB168M availability, photos and best price, contact Li Yi – Shenzhen with your target model (e.g. NB168M-4P) and monthly insertion volume.