How to Choose an ESD PCB Magazine Rack

A magazine rack that doesn't fit gets paid for twice. The boards won't seat, or the rack can't go into the bake oven with them, and it ends up in a corner while the line waits for the right one.

Getting it right the first time takes four answers: the size of your largest board, the tallest parts on it, the hottest step in your process, and how often the board width changes. Once you have those, the right rack is obvious. Every magazine rack we sell has 50 slots at 10 mm (0.394″) pitch and is conductive, 10⁴ Ω. In-stock racks ship from the USA in under 24 hours.

Which magazine rack fits my board?

Measure your largest board and pick the smallest rack in this table that clears both its length and its width with a few millimeters to spare. Your smaller boards ride in the same rack, because the side panels close down to 50 mm (1.97″).

Close to a limit? Take the next size up so the side panels keep room to adjust. A 320 × 240 mm (12.60″ × 9.45″) board fits the B0103 with almost no width to spare, so the B0106 is the safer pick. If the rack feeds a loader, check the bigger footprint against it first.

Board wider than 460 mm (18.11″), or a size our stock racks don't take? In some cases we build a custom magazine rack, for boards up to 24 × 21 in (610 × 533 mm). Email info@pcbracks.com with the board length and width and the hottest temperature in your process. The numbers are all we need. We confirm what we can build and send you a quote.

Will the rack fit my SMT loader?

Yes, on most lines. Our magazine racks stand 563 mm (22.17″) tall with a 10 mm (0.394″) slot pitch, the standard interface for ASM SIPLACE, Yamaha, Panasonic NPM and Juki loaders and unloaders. The larger formats have bigger footprints, so match those to your loader's magazine size before you order. The SMT loader guide walks through the full fit check.

Which temperature rating do I need?

Pick it from the hottest step the boards ride through in the rack. This is the choice that costs the most to get wrong: if the rack can't go into your bake oven, every bake means moving every board into another container and back.

• 80 °C (176 °F) covers most lines: loading, storage, inspection and hand soldering. The B0103GN-80C is where most buyers start.
• 120 °C (248 °F) handles low-temperature moisture bakes on the all-plastic B0105GPM-120C.
• 200 °C (392 °F) goes into the J-STD-033 moisture bake with the boards still in it. Start with the B0103GM-200C.
• 300 °C (572 °F) is the all-aluminum HT series, which takes boards straight from reflow or cure.

Set the temperature first, then choose the adjustment from the models made at that rating. Bake times and temperatures are in our J-STD-033 baking guide.

Gear, screw or belt: which adjustment do I need?

It comes down to how often your board width changes.

• Gear track is for widths that change between jobs. Turn one knob and both side panels move together, so the slots stay parallel. It's the fastest changeover.
• Screw is for one board width that runs for months. Each side clamps and holds, and once it's locked it's the most rigid setting of the three.
• Belt is for narrow boards and widths that fall between the gear steps. It closes to 10 mm (0.394″) and sets any width with no steps.

On racks that change width every day, the gear pinions are the part that wears. A rack wear kit has every wear part for one gear rack in a single box, so you keep the rack and swap the parts. The adjustment guide goes deeper.

How many boards will a rack really hold?

Fifty, if your parts are short. Add up the board thickness, the tallest part on top, the tallest part underneath and a little room for warp after reflow. If that total is under 10 mm (0.394″), use every slot. If it isn't, load every second slot so neighboring boards never touch when the rack moves.

Decide that first, then count racks: loading every second slot doubles the number of racks you need.

What makes a rack ESD safe?

The resistance, and whether it lasts. Ours are conductive, 10⁴ Ω, so charge drains off the board to ground instead of sitting on it. The conductive material runs through the side panels instead of sitting on the surface as a coating, so cleaning and years of handling don't wear it off.

Every rack is RoHS compliant, and the ESD and RoHS test reports go to your quality team on request. The ESD surface resistance guide explains what the numbers mean.

Get the right rack the first time

Send us your board size and the hottest step in your process, plus the tallest parts if the board is populated. An engineer replies with the exact part number, usually the same day, before you spend a dollar.

Every price is on the site. Order 20 or more magazine racks, in any mix, and 10% comes off in the cart. Pay at checkout or send a purchase order, and in-stock racks ship from the USA in under 24 hours.

Questions buyers ask