This invention relates to methods for packaging electronic components, and in particular to a tape and reel packaging process.
A tape and reel packaging system is a system often used in the electronics industry for shipping surface mount devices for automated circuit board assembly. In tape and reel packaging systems, surface mounted electronic components such as capacitors, resisters, and substrates, and other components, are deposited into specifically designed pockets in a carrier tape, which provides a continuous array of pockets. A cover tape is used to seal the pockets to keep the components in place. The tape is then wound into a reel for packaging and shipping.
The reel is loaded for use with pick-and-place machines which can easily pick up the surface mount devices for placement when the reel is unwound and after the cover tape has been peeled back from the carrier tape. Surface mount devices contained in the reel can be fed through pick-and place machines at high speeds, and in a consistent orientation because the orientation of the component as it was packaged is preserved, thus saving time and facilitating placement by machines. The use of taped products in conjunction with a pick-and-place machine eliminates the need for additional equipment, such as part alignment and orientation devices.
Tape and reel packaging systems can hold hundreds to thousands of surface mounted components or devices which requires less frequent loading, thus reducing labor and manufacturing costs.
Existing carrier tape packaging systems typically include a carrier tape with a plurality of cavities or pockets arranged in a row, such as the packaging system described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,606,171 and 4,657,137, wherein small electronic components are placed in the pockets. A backing tape is used to seal the components in place within the cavities for shipping. The backing tape may be a thin flexible gel layer such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,765, which holds the component in place securely during the packaging, transporting, and loading process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,958 provides a carrier tape comprising a plurality of rows of cavities. The carrier tapes typically include a column of indexing holes that are used to drive the tape at a controlled rate.
The use of carrier tape with spaced apart formed pockets requires a precise placement of components into the pockets, typically done by pick and place robotic arms.
The present inventor has recognized the need for a carrier tape for holding components which decreases material costs as well as assembly costs of the components onto an article.
The present inventor has recognized the need for a carrier tape which reduces the thickness of the carrier tape and components for a more densely packed carrier tape/component reel.
The present inventor has recognized the need for a carrier tape which alleviates the requirement for precise placement of components into pockets on a carrier tape.
The invention provides a combination of a carrier tape and electronic components for a tape and reel product feed. The combination includes a plurality of components and a carrier tape having an adhesive surface, the components arranged along the carrier tape being held by the adhesive surface.
The invention also provides an assembly for holding and dispensing components that includes a carrier tape having an adhesive surface holding components and a dispensing device having a surface for receiving the carrier tape with components and having a mechanism for peeling the components from the carrier tape.
The dispensing device can also include a corner adjacent to a staging surface, wherein the carrier tape is drawn over the corner and components are peeled onto the staging surface. The dispensing device can include a first block portion that carries the carrier tape and a second block portion that carries the staging surface. The corner is adjacent to a gap between the first and second block portions, wherein the carrier tape extends through the gap and the components are peeled from the carrier tape over the gap and onto the staging surface.
The first block portion can be a separate piece from the second block portion. The dispensing device can include a cap portion that covers a top run of the carrier tape at least over the first block portion. The staging surface can comprise a length at least as long as two components such that a lead component will be pushed along the staging surface by a trailing component being peeled off the carrier tape either pushing directly or through an intervening component.
The staging surface can include a pick up area where components are removed for processing, and include an optical sensor below the pick up area to communicate to machine control the presence or absence of a component in the pick up area.
The invention also provides a method of carrying components and dispensing components for assembly. The method includes the steps of:
providing an elongated strip having an adhesive surface;
applying components to the adhesive surface;
providing a dispensing apparatus;
feeding the elongated strip with attached components into the dispensing apparatus; and
using the dispensing apparatus, peeling components off of the elongated strip onto a staging surface.
The step of peeling can also be further defined in that the staging surface has a pick up area, and wherein a trailing component peeled from the elongated strip pushes a leading component into the pick up area either directly or through an intervening component.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings, and will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
Carrier tape 12 is a continuous smooth ribbon-like film with a width “W” and a thickness “T” which are selected to suit the size and weight requirements of the electronic components 20. The carrier tape 12 may be made of plastic, such as polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and the like, or plain paper.
An electrically conductive carrier tape can be used for carrying electronic components which may be susceptible to damage due to an electrostatic charge. A carrier tape may be made electrically conductive, for example, by mixing carbon into a foamed plastic, such as polyethylene.
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred.