DIY re-reeling for desktop pick and place - supply questions - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: deanclaxton
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 12:23:42 am
content: We have a Charmhigh desktop pick and place machine and I'm just wondering what supplies people are using to make up their own reels from cut tape. Ideally one would buy a full reel, else a Digireel, Mousereel, etc, but is there somewhere handy (preferably in Australia) you can buy empty reels, and suitable leader tapes?

author: Mangozac
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 03:49:28 am
content: It won't be hard getting your hands on empty reels - just ask any assembly house if you can have some of the spent reels they're throwing out.

author: SMTech
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 12:01:28 pm
content: It shouldn't take long to build up your own stock of reels by not throwing them away, you must buy at least some full or re-reeled parts surely?Header/leader tape, again just use your own scraps, always keep the empty bit of tape at the end of reels, etc. Splicing shims,double splice tape and cover tape extenders - eBay/Aliexpress

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 05:07:26 pm
content: The manufacturers are starting to use polyolefin reels, which are horrible. but, I have black PVC and clear Styrene reels which last a LONG time.Yes, I save my reels, and buy a lot of (cheap) parts in full reel quantities, even if I know I will only use a few hundred parts on the current job.And, you don't actually need reels for relatively short cut tapes (at least on my machine).As for leaders, my Philips CSM84 needs no trailer at all, and only needs 2 cm of leader, meaning tossing the first 2 components and then putting them back in later. I splice old cover tape with masking tape to reach the cover tape puller.Jon

author: deanclaxton
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2020, 09:45:06 pm
content: Thanks all, some useful info there. I actually have a bunch of old reels with 1206 parts on them that I'll never use - I can peel back the cover tape a couple of feet, cut off the component tape, then splice some cut tape I guess. And yes - I'll ensure that I keep old reels, plus the leaders and some cover tape from here on in (we've only just got the machine so I have a large learning curve ahead of me!).Anyone using the Walsin Tech capacitors? They seem to be very cheap in reel quantities compared with most. Same with the RS Pro resistors. A cheap way to build up some component stock, provided they are of reasonable quality of course!

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2020, 07:45:16 pm
content: Have you considered making your own?Cutting circles from thin plywood, plastic or even aluminimum sheet is not very difficult, and can even be done with a circular table saw.https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=table+saw+cutting+circlesThen you can use almost any thing as distance holder in the center. It does not even have to be round. Gluing in 10 or so small pieces of wood approximating a circle will be good enough.Edit:Just after posting I found:@02:00 he shows a bunch of reels he made from old CD's.

author: asmi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2020, 08:36:19 pm
content: Quote from: deanclaxton on May 14, 2020, 09:45:06 pmGo to LCSC.com and buy a bunch of reels with random 0402 resistors - they are $3-$6 per reel over there for most values. Throw away the tape with parts if you don't need them, and leave out the reels themselves. I doubt you gonna be able to source empty reels for much less money than that.As for leader tape, I heard that decorative tape works very well if you staple it to the cover tape (sticky tape isn't strong enough).

author: 48X24X48X
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2020, 07:31:57 am
content: Taobao has loads of these for RMB3-5. Any sizes that you want (8mm, 12mm, 16mm, 24mm). I even bought used tray for RMB1 and sent them to a pick and place machine factory in China prior to my visit so I could try it here. Just that I couldn't source leading tapes like those used by Digikey and Element-14. Can replace with used empty tapes though.

author: JPlocher
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2020, 03:57:11 pm
content: If your cut tape lengths are less than 4', don't bother with reels - just run the tape thru the feeder.If they are longer (and thus a dirt/tripping hazard), just roll up the slack and hang it with a couple of rubber bands to the feeder to keep it off the floor and manage the tension on the tape holes in the sprocket - I assume that you are not using much of the component, so unrolling the blob on the end would be an infrequent task...There is nothing magic about the reels other than as a convenient storage mechanism...-John

author: manton
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 05, 2020, 04:14:50 am
content: I usually just take a small plastic bag, or even a chunk of a narrow plastic bag that forms a tube, and put the coiled up tape into that. Cut a short slit in the middle of the bag, and put that on the pin that is used to hold the reel. The feeder can easily pull the tape, and unwind it inside the bag. I've done this for strips of up to 1000 parts, and it works well.

author: deanclaxton
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2020, 09:36:04 pm
content: Ok cool - I ended up drawing a reel in CAD and 3D printing it (2 pieces) - that works well - just takes a while to printWith short tapes I wont bother - its just the longer pieces really.

author: Kean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 17, 2020, 08:37:44 am
content: For reference, Element14 do stock some re-reeling supplieshttps://au.element14.com/c/tools-production-supplies/re-reeling-kits-accessoriesI bought a box of empty reels when I was first starting, but they are way too expensive now!You can also get "free" reels if you buy 150+ resistors from E14 (unlike Mouser or Digikey who charge extra), but the warehouse often forget to do the re-reeling.The splice tapes and cover tape extenders are readily available on AliExpress, and are very sticky compared to everyday adhesive tapes.

author: SMTech
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2020, 10:37:47 am
content: Quote from: Kean on June 17, 2020, 08:37:44 amInteresting Farnell charge £3.50 in the UK for re-reeling.There is the other route... ask a local CEM. I keep all my empty reels in a Box and when its full Farnell collects it and uses them for its re-reeling service, it would hardly matter to us who sends a courier for that box tho' and I doubt it does to anyone else either. Same goes for trays, larger manufacturer might work in pallet loads instead as there are dedicated JEDEC tray recycling/supply firms.

author: Kean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 17, 2020, 11:26:35 am
content: Quote from: SMTech on June 17, 2020, 10:37:47 amYeah, it is surprising they don't charge for re-reeling here, just have a 150 pcs minimum. If they do start charging, they better actually do it every time.Quote from: SMTech on June 17, 2020, 10:37:47 amI've done enough in-house assembly now that I have an assortment of empty reels and trays. Not quite enough yet to give/throw them away.I can believe they're just an annoyance for a CEM. I should ask the local CEM salesman to bring me some the next time he visits.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2020, 12:58:36 am
content: @01:50 Here a cardboard and styrofoam reel with "Dupont" connector pins.youtube.com/watch?v=DXLmuDbcLBM [ Specified attachment is not available ]

author: zerohimself
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2020, 08:01:25 am
content: I found this site for reels:https://matr.com/smd-plastic-reels/Although i wouldn't buy most of their other materials(like their splicing tools and leader tapes, these are much cheaper on aliexpress).. i'll bet you can find reels cheaper on alibaba/aliexpress, i just haven't found them yet..and then I would suggest some of those leader tape extensions:https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32968484997.html- I have used these, and they work pretty good. I have also been able to carefully join 2 lengths of cut tape with these, but they are way more useful to get your cover tape through the feeder's tape mechanism than anything else.And this is where I need some more knowledge.. I want to get 3 or 4 lengths of cut tape onto a reel, and here is the list of goods i've been looking at, but I don't understand some of the options here...There are these cutting and crimping tools for those little copper "clips":https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000909901724.html^ they have scissors for cutting in the same location on your tape, and then they have the "splice tool" / crimper.But I don't know how well they work... (it seems they come in 2 categories.. expensive, or unusually cheap -- i'm going to try the usually cheap [the link above], and see if they are any good)I'm also not sure if i need the framed or unframed copper "clips" (and i might be wrong, but i think there is also a version that comes with the double splice tape..I've also seen the double splice tape (it seems they have 2 kinds maybe? one with the sprocket holes, and one without???) - i'm assuming the double splice tape is for use with paper tapes, as it just seems to me it won't work very well with plastic tape carriers..

author: Kean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 02, 2020, 08:19:32 am
content: I have those cutting and crimping tools, and the copper joining crimps. Personally I find the crimps jam my machine (TM-240A) almost every time, so it is easier to just using the splicing tape at least for paper tapes.The cutting scissors with the locating pins are also a good idea in theory, but in practice I always manage to get it wrong especially on embossed plastic tapes, and it is easier to do by sight.I have also bought both the single and double splice tape - but again I haven't worked out what the correct/intended application technique for the double spice tape. They both stick really well though.

author: SMTech
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2020, 11:14:54 am
content: We buy a lot of parts on strips and I tend to do a lot of splicing when this happens, the path your tape takes when travelling through the feeder matters. Soem feeders just don't like splices. If you have feeders that push rather than pull or surfaces that snag you will have issues. I don't find double splice tape on its own terribly effective on our Essemtec feeders, the bottom comes unstuck (or rather the paper delmainates) so I usually crimp too, this is because the tape curves down immediately after the pick point.Most double splice tapes are simple to apply, the common design has you line up the embossed edge with the holes in the tape with the "hinge" towards the right hand end, fold it round to stick the underside and then remove the former. However there are other designs out there, I think I've seen some that are metallised and use a special tool to fold the tape around and I have samples (its quite a frequent unsolicited thing to get samples to get in the post) of another kind which uses a small plastic piece of help you line everything up and consists of 3 pieces of tape as it also folds down the hole side too.One thing you can get is a brash shim splicer that takes them in strips, lowers the number of sources you can buy the shims from but those buggers get everywhere if you aren't careful.I have found the number of faulty cover tape extensions much higher on some of the Aliexpress ones, some just snap, some have no glue, they are cheaper than buying Steier ones for sure, but hardly cheaper than some other sources once you factor in shipping(who probably also buy them form Ali but have found better ones).