Does the HW-60 Conveyor require any special tools to assemble?

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re either a production engineer who just unboxed a HW-60 conveyor and stared at a pile of parts wondering, “Do I really need to rent a specialty tool for this?” or maybe you’re a small SMT shop owner weighing if the HW-60 is worth the space, versus the headache of custom gear. As someone who’s been selling and supporting HW-60 conveyors for over five years—answer first: nope, not really. Let me break this down, because I’ve seen way too many folks overcomplicate this, then get tripped up by a single Allen key or a pair of calipers they already own.

First, a quick reality check: the HW-60 is built for SMT lines, right? Think desktop SMT mounter lines, pick-and-place, reflow ovens, all that frontline PCB production gear. It’s not a heavy-duty industrial conveyor that needs 10-ton presses or laser alignment fixtures. We designed it specifically for small-to-medium SMT shops, universities teaching electronics, and startups testing new board designs—teams that don’t have a tool closet full of industrial gear.

When you unbox the HW-60, what’s actually in the kit? Let’s walk through it. You get the main frame (it’s aluminum extrusions, so light enough to lift solo), the two end drive rollers, the flat belt, the motor assembly, a handful of M5 and M6 screws, snap rings for the rollers, and a printed step-by-step guide that’s got diagrams, not just jargon. No special drill bits, no torque wrenches with weird settings, no proprietary anything. The only “tools” you might be tempted to buy are things you probably already have in your shop or home garage: a set of hex keys (Allen keys, 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm are the only sizes needed), a Phillips-head screwdriver (medium cross, not a tiny one), a pair of needle-nose pliers (for the snap rings—though we include a tiny plastic pick if you hate wrestling with snap rings), and maybe a ruler or calipers to double-check belt tension. That’s it. No extra cost, no waiting for a specialty tool shipment.

Wait, but what about alignment? I hear that a lot—people say, “Aligning conveyor frames needs a laser level, right?” No, not for the HW-60. The frame is pre-drilled with mounting holes spaced to standard SMT line dimensions (we even standardize it to match the footprint of the desktop SMT mounter line setups, so it fits right next to most pick-and-place machines without any custom cutting). When you bolt the two sides together, the extrusions have built-in alignment rails—you just slide the two frame pieces until they click (we include small reference marks on the inside of the frame) and tighten the screws. I’ve helped a guy in Detroit put one together in 45 minutes using only a socket set he had for his truck, no fancy gear.

Let me address the one thing that trips most people up: the belt installation. It’s a 100mm wide flat belt, not a timing belt or something weird. To thread it through the rollers, you just loop it around the two end rollers, then adjust the tension by turning a small adjustment screw on one end of the frame. The guide says to tighten until you can lift the belt about 10mm in the middle, and that’s it. No special belt stretchers, no heat guns to reshape it—we use a nitrile belt that fits snug, so once you get the tension right, it won’t slip even with dense PCBs moving across it. I’ve seen a guy in Austin test this with a 2kg test board, and the belt held up no problem, all with basic tools.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: “Wait, what if I’m integrating this with other gear?” Like, if you’re pairing it with the HW-J100 conveyor or a reflow oven? Do you need special tools for that? No, because the HW-60 has standard mounting holes that fit all our other SMT conveyors, so you can bolt them together using the same Allen keys. If you’re connecting it to a desktop SMT mounter, the electrical connection is a standard USB or power plug, so no custom wiring tools needed—just a regular wire stripper if you have to extend the cable, which is totally optional.

But let’s get real: I’ve had customers try to overcomplicate this. Last year, a shop in Chicago ordered three HW-60s and decided to buy a $300 laser alignment kit because they “thought it would be easier.” Turns out, they spent more time setting up the laser than assembling the conveyor, and it didn’t work any better than the basic level they already had in their toolbox. Another startup in San Francisco tried to use a impact driver to tighten the screws, and stripped one—we just sent them a new screw, no charge, and told them to go back to a regular screwdriver. That’s the thing about the HW-60: it’s designed to be assembled by someone who’s never put together a conveyor before, not just an industrial technician.

Wait, but let’s cover edge cases. What if you’re putting this together in a space without a workbench? No problem—you can assemble it on the floor, using a piece of cardboard to keep it from scratching. What if the snap rings give you trouble? We include a small plastic pry tool, but if that’s not enough, a pair of regular pliers works too. No need for snap ring pliers (though they help, but they’re not required). The only time I’ve seen someone need a specialty tool is if they’re modifying the conveyor—like cutting the frame to a custom length. But if you’re just assembling it straight out of the box, for standard SMT line use, you don’t need that.

Let me also touch on reliability. All these basic tools mean you don’t have to worry about calibrating a weird specialty tool, or replacing a part that only works with that tool. The HW-60’s parts are all standard off-the-shelf: Allen screws that you can buy at any hardware store, rollers that are common for small conveyors, motor parts that are easy to find if you ever need a replacement. When you buy a conveyor that requires specialty tools, you’re stuck if you lose or break that tool—you have to wait for a replacement tool, which delays your line setup. With the HW-60, if you lose an Allen key, you can grab one from your kid’s Lego set (I’m not even kidding, someone did that last month) and keep going.

Now, I should note that this is for the standard HW-60 conveyor, which is the model we supply for general SMT line use. If you’re looking at the HW-J100 conveyor, which is a wider model for larger PCBs, the assembly is almost identical—still no special tools, same basic gear. But if you’re curious about that, you can check out the details on our site for the HW-J100 conveyor too, linked right here.

At the end of the day, the HW-60 is built to solve a specific problem: small SMT shops don’t have the budget for a full industrial setup, and they don’t have the time to wait for custom tools or parts. If you’re setting up a line, you want to be assembling your conveyor, not troubleshooting a specialty tool you don’t understand. We’ve had hundreds of customers put these together without any issues, all with tools they already owned.

If you’re ready to move forward with a HW-60, or have questions about integration with your existing gear (like a desktop SMT mounter), we’re here to help. We can walk you through assembly over a quick call, answer any questions about parts, or even send you a printed manual if you lost the digital copy. Don’t overcomplicate this—you don’t need a toolbox full of specialty gear to get your line up and running.

References

1. “HW-60 Conveyor Assembly Guide.” Advanced Conveyor Solutions, Inc. Accessed 2024.
2. SMT Industry Standard Conveyor Specifications for Small-Scale Production. IPC Association Connecting Electronics Industries, 2023.
3. “Specialty Tool Requirements for Compact Conveyors.” SMT Manufacturer’s Association Quarterly Report, Q2 2024.

Disclaimer: The HW-60 is designed for standard SMT line assembly; modifications or non-standard use may require additional tools. Always refer to the official assembly guide for step-by-step instructions.