A machine for pre-gluing raw circuit surfaces of printed circuit boards (P.C. boards) at an adhesive station and properly positioning the P.C. boards at a placement station for placement of leadless electronic components (chips) onto the adhesive. A carousel provides program preselected vertical supply of taped components to a feeder assembly which feeds individual chips onto a nozzle of a turret-type vacuum head at a pick-up station. The turret-type head has four nozzles spaced 90° apart about the central axis of the head. As the turret is rotated, a chip is transported by a nozzle, sequentially, from the pick-up station to a centering and testing station, a centering and orienting station, and a placement station. Located between the testing and orienting stations is a chip removal station for ejecting defective or inverted chips. Sensors are located at the adhesive and placement stations to detect defective P.C. boards so that they may be bypassed. A controller, such as a digital computer, provides additional monitoring and controls the operation of the machine.