Robin,

SMT. It's smaller, neater, and I won't have all those flippin' pig-tails to cut off.

I haven't made up my mind about applying the solder paste yet though because I have never worked with lead-free (sshhhh.....) and I don't know the preferred method: silk screen or a dab from a syringe. Silk screening would be quicker, but probably less controlable for the tiny dots. But I'll have to ask the paste manufacturers.

Otherwise I can't really see any insurmountable problems. I have bought a beautifully machined large worm and wheel for the robot arm major axis, and an equally well made tiny worm and wheel for the component pickup head horizontal rotation. (OK I'm cheating, and I should have machined them; but I'm a beginner, and hobbing those gears is something I'd need to get some practice with).

Ian