Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1466505
24 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2022 then we would no-bid because you just can't be everything to everybody. Some companies try to be everything to everybody and ultimately you come to the realization that it's not necessarily a profitable model that you can pursue. Challenges in General, Not Just High Density Matties: What are the greatest challenges you have in your operations? Bennett: It goes back to the component pack- aging. In addition to the short strips of tape, another challenge we have is with compo- nents that come packaged in tubes; in general, the industry doesn't have the best feeders to address tubes. I've seen basically three types in my career. First, there are the vibratory feed- ers that vibrate components into place. e challenges with those feeders are different size packages loaded on the same feeder base. Let's say there are six different tubes in one given feeder, then each lane has its own vibratory set- ting. It's a challenge to get the vibration of one component not to affect the adjacent compo- nent in a negative way. Next, there's the grav- ity-fed type; once again, depending on the size and weight of a component, the smaller the component, the more challenging it is to tran- sition to the pick position without coming out of the track. e third type, and the best design I've seen, is called the short stroke linear drive. ere are multiple lanes of components, and the feeder just nudges a component forward without affecting the adjacent components. It seems to be the best method for tubes, but in general, dealing with components in tubes is a lot more challenging than tape and reel. Matrix trays are another type of packaging. ere are two types of matrix tray handlers: the direct pick method and the shuttle pick method. e advantage of a direct pick is you can pick the component out of a tray directly with the placement head. e shuttle method is a separate machine. ere's a separate noz- zle that picks the component out of the matrix tray, and then loads it onto a shuttle conveyor to a staging area, to where the placement head will pick the component. ere are pros and cons with each handler. With the shuttle method there's one nozzle size so it may be good for larger components, but it's not good for components that are, say, 10 mil- limeters or less. e other thing about direct pick handlers is they take up feeder capacity that you would like to use for tape-and-reel feeders. One type of component that you can Matrix trays, such as this example, ease access to individual parts, but add complexity to the pick process.