At present, SMT machines can be roughly divided into four types: boom type, composite type, turntable type, and large parallel system. Different types of SMT machines have their own advantages and disadvantages, usually depending on the application or process requirements of the system, and there is also a certain balance between their speed and accuracy.

Arm type machines have good flexibility and accuracy, and are suitable for most components. High precision machines are generally of this type, but their speed cannot be compared with composite, turntable, and large parallel systems. However, the arrangement of components is increasingly concentrated on active components, such as QFP and BGA array components with leads, and installation accuracy is crucial for high production. Composite, turntable, and large parallel systems are generally not suitable for installing this type of component. Mobile arm machines are divided into single arm and multi arm types. Single arm machines are multifunctional SMT machines that were developed earlier and are still in use today. The multi arm SMT machine developed on the basis of single arm technology can greatly improve work efficiency. For example, YAMAHA's YV112 includes two arm mounting heads with 12 suction nozzles, which can simultaneously install two circuit boards.

Composite machines are developed from arm type machines and combine the characteristics of rotary and arm type machines. A rotary disc is installed on the arm, such as Siemens SiplaceHS series SMT machines, which have two rotary discs with 12 suction nozzles. Due to the high flexibility of composite machines, which can increase speed by increasing the number of arms, their development prospects are promising. For example, the HS50 machine launched by Siemens is equipped with four such rotating heads, with a mounting speed of up to 50000 pieces per hour.

The turntable type machine, due to the simultaneous picking of components and mounting actions, greatly improves the mounting speed. This type of high-speed mounting machine is widely used in China, with not only high speed but also very stable performance. For example, Panasonic's MSH3 machine can achieve a mounting speed of 0.075 seconds per piece. However, due to the limitations of its mechanical structure, the installation speed of this machine has reached a limit and cannot be significantly improved.