This week's EYE ON NPI is an "easy pick" - it's Aven Tools' E-Z Pik Tweezer sets (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/a/aven-tools/e-z-pik-tweezer-sets), available in lovely epoxy color coatings that let you quickly grab the exact one you need when doing rework, repair, or assembly.
Having the right tool for the job will make your life a lot easier, and we're constantly poking and prodding our fine-pitch assemblies. We're also a teensy-bit clumsy, so we're sometimes dropping or denting our tweezers. That's why it's good to have a variety at hand: if you're using tweezers for 4+ hours a day, you will quickly notice the difference between your 'basic soldering kit tweezers' and the good stuff!
This NPI comes at a good time, because DigiKey is currently running the "2024 PCB Business Card Challenge" with hackaday.com (https://hackaday.com/2024/06/19/2024-business-card-challenge-pcb-business-cards-for-everybody/) and a lot of the entries have SMT components to keep the circuitry small and thin. And even though I personally don't have an entry - I've seen my designs go from using 1206 (https://learn.adafruit.com/minty-mp3/make) to 0805 back when we had the MDC Luna Pick and Place (https://www.ladyada.net/wiki/mdcpickandplace) to now mostly 0603's thanks to our Samsung SM482 (https://blog.adafruit.com/2013/04/03/samsung-techwin-smt-sm482-adafruits-new-pick-and-place-machine-has-arrived/) with some dabbling in 0402's for smaller-packed designs. If you're reworking those small 0402s, a good set of tweezers is a must!
There's two E-Z Pik Tweezer kits available, one with 6 pieces and one with 9, we splurged for the bigger kit (https://www.digikey.com/short/j9z4w2pn). Both are made with the same quality and features:
Features
Color-coded tweezer set allows operators to quickly identify the exact tweezer needed for a task with just a glance
Available in 6- and 9-piece sets that contain popular tweezer styles packaged in a convenient storage pouch
Made from anti-acid and anti-magnetic 304 series stainless steel, providing durability and corrosion resistance
The tweezer tips are hand-finished by expert artisans for precise alignment
The durable epoxy coating is designed for demanding tasks
We particularly like the anti-magnetic because one of our tweezers got magnetized and now we can't use it with 0603's and smaller because the parts stick to the tip. Both Aven Tools E-Z Pik Tweezer sets (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/a/aven-tools/e-z-pik-tweezer-sets) come with a nice roll-up storage bag and are in stock for immediate shipment from DigiKey - order today and you'll be tweezin' by tomorrow afternoon.
Having the right tool for the job will make your life a lot easier, and we're constantly poking and prodding our fine-pitch assemblies. We're also a teensy-bit clumsy, so we're sometimes dropping or denting our tweezers. That's why it's good to have a variety at hand: if you're using tweezers for 4+ hours a day, you will quickly notice the difference between your 'basic soldering kit tweezers' and the good stuff!
This NPI comes at a good time, because DigiKey is currently running the "2024 PCB Business Card Challenge" with hackaday.com (https://hackaday.com/2024/06/19/2024-business-card-challenge-pcb-business-cards-for-everybody/) and a lot of the entries have SMT components to keep the circuitry small and thin. And even though I personally don't have an entry - I've seen my designs go from using 1206 (https://learn.adafruit.com/minty-mp3/make) to 0805 back when we had the MDC Luna Pick and Place (https://www.ladyada.net/wiki/mdcpickandplace) to now mostly 0603's thanks to our Samsung SM482 (https://blog.adafruit.com/2013/04/03/samsung-techwin-smt-sm482-adafruits-new-pick-and-place-machine-has-arrived/) with some dabbling in 0402's for smaller-packed designs. If you're reworking those small 0402s, a good set of tweezers is a must!
There's two E-Z Pik Tweezer kits available, one with 6 pieces and one with 9, we splurged for the bigger kit (https://www.digikey.com/short/j9z4w2pn). Both are made with the same quality and features:
Features
Color-coded tweezer set allows operators to quickly identify the exact tweezer needed for a task with just a glance
Available in 6- and 9-piece sets that contain popular tweezer styles packaged in a convenient storage pouch
Made from anti-acid and anti-magnetic 304 series stainless steel, providing durability and corrosion resistance
The tweezer tips are hand-finished by expert artisans for precise alignment
The durable epoxy coating is designed for demanding tasks
We particularly like the anti-magnetic because one of our tweezers got magnetized and now we can't use it with 0603's and smaller because the parts stick to the tip. Both Aven Tools E-Z Pik Tweezer sets (https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/a/aven-tools/e-z-pik-tweezer-sets) come with a nice roll-up storage bag and are in stock for immediate shipment from DigiKey - order today and you'll be tweezin' by tomorrow afternoon.
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