What if a single placement machine could take on work usually split between two? A roadshow in Manesar offered a closer look at that possibility.
NMTronics India brought Fuji Corporation’s CLT-FG pick-and-place machine to the floor at its roadshow in Manesar on 30 October 2026. The event centred on the machine’s unveiling, with a separate demonstration of NMTronics’ Manufacturing Process System (MPS) bringing production data and process monitoring into the discussion.
The CLT-FG, short for Compact Lean Technology First Generation, is aimed at manufacturers that need placement flexibility but may not require the scale of a high-volume production line. Fuji’s presentation positioned it between conventional placement setups and more advanced platforms such as its NXT-R.
The machine uses a single multihead with 16 nozzles for chip components and a separate nozzle for larger parts. It is designed to handle components ranging from 0402-inch chips to parts measuring 102 × 102mm, with PCB support up to 534 × 460mm. It can accommodate up to 90 feeder positions, split between the front and rear, with fixed-feeder, feeder-tower and tray configurations.
Kikuo Kondo, Project Leader for the India region at Fuji Corporation, also presented a comparison with the AIMEX3C single-machine configuration. According to Fuji’s simulation, the CLT-FG showed a 10% improvement in cycle time and a 21% reduction in floor space. These figures were part of the company’s presentation, rather than independently measured production results.
Yogesh Suryavanshi, Executive Director and COO of NMTronics India, explained the production challenge the machine is intended to address. A conventional setup may require separate machines for chip placement and fine-pitch components. “There is not a single machine which can do the production for the complete board,” he said, describing the CLT-FG as an attempt to bring those requirements together.
Suryavanshi said simulations against a previous-generation machine indicated a 10–15% cycle-time improvement. He also pointed to the machine’s footprint, saying Fuji was looking beyond cost per placement to consider cost per footprint.
In an interaction, Soni Sharan Singh, Founder, Managing Director and CEO of NMTronics India, the CLT-FG addresses demand from start-ups and mid-tier manufacturers that do not need the high-end capabilities of Fuji’s NXT-R. “The NXT-R caters to extremely high-end electronics manufacturing. The CLT-FG is intended for start-ups and mid-tier companies looking for a cost-effective solution for mid-size, mid-volume production,” he said. Commercial availability is expected from early 2027.
For manufacturers considering their SMT line upgrade, the roadshow offered them more than a look at a machine. It raised practical questions about how many placement stages a product mix requires, how much floor space those stages occupy, and whether existing equipment and production data can be used more effectively.
