RM 141: Component Tape Splicing Best Practices

Optimization has become an important goal within the electronics assembly industry. While modern electronics assembly techniques utilize a variety of equipment, one specific type of equipment often consumes a disproportionate percentage of the overall equipment budget, that is the place machine. The cost of the machine, associated conveyors and feeders, require that the machine is running as often as possible.

The airline industry refers to this as “wheels up” time. Airlines make money when the aircraft is in the air “wheels up.” On the other hand, anytime the wheels are down, the aircraft is not making money for the airline.

I listened to an interview a few years ago with the CEO of Southwest Airlines, a US discount carrier. Unlike most other airlines, Southwest does not charge its customers to check bags. The CEO was asked by the reporter why they have not joined the rest of the industry in charging for checked bags. The CEO's answer was genius. If Southwest Airlines began charging for check bags, it would actually slow the boarding process as more and more passengers would drag their bags onto the aircraft, most likely resulting in a number of those bags having to be checked at the gate. 

Southwest Airlines is famous for having the fastest aircraft gate turns in the industry, frequently under 30 minutes. Yet, if Southwest Airlines charged for checked baggage, it would require more time at the gate before the next flight would be ready to depart. That would result in fewer flight segments per aircraft per day. In other words, allowing customers to check bags for free equates to more “wheels up” time and, subsequently, more profit for the airline.

The same principal can apply to pick-and place machines. When pick-and-place machines are running product, they are making presumably making money. When they sit idle, they are arguably costing money. What can assemblers do to improve the optimization or “wheels up” time on their pick-and-place machines?

Mike Konrad's guest, Larry Welk, believes he has an answer. Welk, a.k.a. Professor Splice, is coowner of Smart Splice, a manufacturer of tape splicing tools.

Welk reviews tape splicing best practices and explain how tape splicing, when performed correctly, can lead to higher pick-and-place machine optimization.

So, buckle your seatbelt: this podcast episode is officially wheels up!

Chapters:
00:00:00 - The Importance of Optimization in Electronic Assembly
00:02:34 - Tape Splicing: Best Practices
00:05:12 - Tape Splicing and its Advantages in the Industry
00:07:42 - Continuous Tape Splicing
00:10:10 - Splicing Techniques in Machine Assembly
00:12:31 - Ensuring Quality and Reliability of Tape Splices
00:14:57 - The importance of alignment in splicing
00:17:21 - Types of Tapes and Their Impact on Splicing
00:19:54 - Challenges with Tape Splicing
00:22:09 - Adjusting Feeder Tension
00:24:25 - Splicing and Reel Management in the Industry
00:26:46 - Splicing Parts in the Electronics Industry
00:29:02 - Common Mistakes in Tape Splicing
00:31:34 - Issues with Tape Splicing
00:34:03 - The Crimping Tool and Tape Issues
00:36:25 - The Importance of Switching Techniques
00:38:53 - Improving Production Efficiency through Component Evaluation
00:41:44 - A demonstration of the old tape splicing method
00:44:08 - Splicing Tape Procedure Comparison
00:46:38 - Faster Splicing Technique
00:49:15 - The Negative Experiences with Splicing
00:51:55 - The Benefits of Splicing
00:54:22 - Transitioning from Technician to Salesman
00:56:40 - Conclusion and Farewell