The electronics industry is making a tremendous investment in surfacemount technology. The reasons for this investment include cost savings resulting from automated component placement and increased density of PCB layout due to smaller package sizes.
Today’s placement machines can pick and place thousands of components per hour with a very high degree of accuracy. To achieve this performance, the component delivery system must be capable of feeding parts at high speeds in a consistent orientation, positively indexed to the demands of the machine. The leads of the components must be protected from damage during shipment, handling, and placement.
The preferred packing material available today for these demands is tape and reel. The tape and reel system is fully compatible with the detaping equipment that is standard in most automated placement equipment.
In the tape and reel format, the components are placed in specifically designed pockets embossed in a plastic carrier tape. The cover tape is sealed to the carrier tape to keep the parts in place in these pockets. A row of sprocket holes is provided along one edge of the embossed tape to facilitate positive indexing. The tape is then wound onto a rigid plastic reel that provides mechanical protection during handling and storage. These reels are dust-free and compatible with a clean environment.
