Juki Nozzle Compatibility — Which 5xx Nozzle for Which Component
The Vertex 4 uses Juki-compatible nozzles, and so does every other machine built on the LumenPnP platform. If you are buying spares, building a second head, or trying to work out why a part won't pick reliably, the nozzle number is usually the answer.
Nearly all of the nozzles sold for these machines come from one family: Juki's 5xx series. This page is a reference for what each number actually is, and what it can and cannot pick.
What "Juki-compatible" means
Juki built the 5xx nozzles for its own 2000-series placement machines (2010, 2020, 2030, 2040, 2050, 2060, FX1). The nozzle body and tip are copper alloy, and each nozzle is numbered by the profile of the tip and the suction area it presents to the component.
On a desktop machine, the nozzle is the same physical part — what differs is the holder. Nozzle assemblies for the Vertex 4 use brass adapter sleeves so a Juki-type nozzle seats on the head's spindle, and the assembly carries its own pneumatic fitting, connecting rod and stepper motor.
That distinction matters when buying parts, and it is the source of most ordering mistakes:
- A nozzle (sometimes "nozzle tip") is just the numbered tip that contacts the component.
- A nozzle assembly is the complete drop-in unit — tip, holder, connecting rod, pneumatic fitting and stepper motor.
If the head has stopped rotating or the vacuum fitting has snapped, you need the assembly. If the tip is worn, bent or clogged, you need the nozzle.
Full 5xx specification table
Tip dimensions and component width limits below are from Juki's own nozzle catalogue. "Component width" is the limiting dimension — not length — because that is what the tip aperture has to span.
| Nozzle | Tip outer (mm) | Tip inner (mm) | Component width | Juki part no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 501 | 0.7 × 0.4 (2 × ⌀0.2 holes) | — | D < 0.45 | E36007290A0 / 40001339 |
| 502 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.45 ≤ D < 0.75 | E36017290A0 / 40001340 |
| 503 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.75 ≤ D < 1.45 | E36027290A0 / 40001341 |
| 504 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.1 ≤ D < 2.5 | E36037290A0 / 40001342 |
| 505 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 2.5 ≤ D < 4.0 | E36047290A0 / 40001343 |
| 506 | 5.0 | 3.2 | 4.0 ≤ D < 7.0 | E36057290A0 / 40001344 |
| 507 | 8.5 | 5.0 | 7.0 ≤ D < 10.0 | E36067290A0 / 40001345 |
| 508 | 9.5 | 8.0 | D ≥ 10.0 | E36077290A0 / 40001346 |
Note the overlap between neighbouring nozzles (504 covers from 1.1 mm even though 503 reaches 1.45 mm). The ranges are guidelines for pick reliability, not a hard switch — a component that sits in the overlap will usually pick on either nozzle.
Component to nozzle
Juki's catalogue maps standard component packages to nozzles directly. The rows below are the ones you will actually meet on a desktop build:
| Component | Nozzle |
|---|---|
| 0201 chip | 501 |
| 0402 chip | 502 |
| 0603 chip | 503 |
| 0805 chip | 503 |
| 1206 chip | 504 |
| 1210, 2010, 2512 chip | 505 |
| Tantalum capacitor 2000 (2.0 × 1.25 mm) | 503 |
| Tantalum capacitor 3200 | 504 |
| Tantalum capacitor 3400 | 505 |
| Inductor chip 2500 × 2000 | 504 |
| Inductor chip 3200 × 2500 | 505 |
| SOT23 transistor | 503 |
| SOT143, SOT25, SOT26 | 504 |
| SOD323 diode | 503 |
| SOD123 diode | 504 |
| DPAK | 506 |
| MELF 2000 / 3200 / 3500 | 510 |
| MELF 5900 | 511 |
| Electrolytic capacitor ~3300 | 505 |
| Electrolytic capacitor 4300–6600 | 506 |
| Electrolytic capacitor 8300 | 507 |
| SOIC 6–16 (SO6–SO16, 1.27 mm) | 506 |
| SOIC wide body (SO8L–SO40L) | 508 |
| SSOP up to 38 | 507 |
| SSOP 44 and above | 508 |
| TQFP / QFP up to 100 | 507–508 |
| PLCC 20 | 507 |
| PLCC 28 and above | 508 |
| BGA | 508 |
For most desktop work the practical set is 502 through 506. Anything above that is for large connectors, PLCC/BGA packages and big electrolytics — parts that a hobby-scale build rarely places, and that a single-nozzle head struggles with for reasons that have nothing to do with the nozzle (see below).
The rounding trap in reseller nozzle charts
Nozzle charts published by parts resellers tend to round up, and one row in particular gets copied everywhere: 503 for 1206 chips.
Juki's own limit for the 503 is a component width of 1.45 mm. A 1206 chip is 3.2 mm × 1.6 mm, so its width is 1.6 mm — outside the 503's range, and squarely inside the 504's (1.1–2.5 mm). A 503 will often still pick a 1206, because a 0.6 mm aperture can hold a part larger than its nominal limit by surface tension across the tip face. It just does it less reliably, and the failure mode is intermittent — a part that picks nine times and then sits at the wrong angle on the tenth.
If you are placing 1206 parts in any volume, use a 504 rather than pushing a 503 past its stated range. Intermittent pick failures cost far more time than the nozzle does.
What ships with the Vertex 4
The head module kit and the standalone nozzle assemblies ship with 503 and 505:
- 503 — the workhorse. 0402 through 0805 chips, SOT23, SOD323, small tantalums.
- 505 — larger chips (1210, 2010, 2512), inductors, SOIC, and most connectors you would place by hand.
| Spare | Contains | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle assembly, single | 503 assembly (tip, holder, connecting rod, 4 mm pneumatic fitting, 28 mm stepper) | Juki Nozzle Assembly |
| Nozzle assembly, pair | 503 + 505 assemblies | Juki Nozzle Assembly |
| Nozzle set 502–507 | Six nozzles, tips only — no holders or motors | Juki-Compatible Nozzle Set |
Buying decision in one line: if a head has failed, you want an assembly; if you are extending what you can place, you want the nozzle set.
Adding 502 to a 503/505 pair is the single most useful upgrade for fine work — it is the difference between placing an 0402 and watching it skate off the tip.
Symptom to nozzle, and what it is not
A worn or wrong nozzle usually shows up as one of these:
- Parts picked at an angle, or rotated after picking. The tip face is worn or contaminated. Clean first, then replace.
- Small parts picked intermittently, large parts fine. The aperture is too big for the part. Go down a nozzle number.
- Large parts fine at low speed, dropped at speed. Vacuum volume, not the nozzle — a bigger nozzle needs more flow to hold the same part.
- Everything picks in the feeder and drops on the board. Not the nozzle at all. That is a vacuum-loss path problem: tubing, fitting seating, or the O-ring in the spindle.
Two failures that look like nozzle problems but are not:
- Pick height. Every nozzle number has a different tip length, so swapping a 503 for a 505 changes the pick height. Re-run nozzle tip calibration with the bottom camera after any nozzle change — otherwise the head drives too deep (part pushed into the tape) or too shallow (part never touches the tip).
- Part detection. If OpenPnP's part-detection vacuum threshold is set for a 502 and you fit a 505, the machine reports "no part on nozzle" on picks that actually succeeded. Re-tune the threshold with the new nozzle fitted.
Frequently asked
Is a 503 the same as a CP40? No. They are different nozzle designs that both happen to fit these machines' holders. Treat the number on the nozzle as the thing you match, and buy replacements by that number.
Can I use a Juki 5xx nozzle in both heads of a dual-head machine? Yes, provided each head has its own nozzle assembly and each nozzle is configured separately in OpenPnP. Nozzle settings are per-nozzle, not per-machine.
Do I need a 506 or above? Only if you place SOIC, DPAK, big connectors or large electrolytics. Above 506 the parts get heavy enough that pick reliability on a hobby-grade vacuum pump is the limiting factor, not the nozzle.
How do I know when to replace rather than clean? Clean once with isopropyl and a fine cleaning wire. If the aperture is visibly out of round, or the tip face is chipped, replace it. A nozzle that has been dropped on the bench tip-first is usually finished.
Related pages
- Feeder Overview — slot budget and feeder types for the Vertex 4
- Calibration — nozzle tip calibration and pick height
- FAQ — common machine and software problems
Need a spare? See the Juki Nozzle Assembly and the Juki-Compatible Nozzle Set 502–507.