Greetings everyone. Just yesterday, we received the last bit of tooling we need to start machining the component trays and pick-and-place parts.

We machined a small strip-feeder tray with dovetail cutters to test our SMD tape-slot design. 60° dovetails provide a nice fit for a variety of tapes, whether plastic or paper.

One important thing we still have to do is find a source that offers plastic stock in colors other than black and white. Component tapes come in those colors, so using a different one gives the vision system more contrast with which to recognize tape holes.

Aside from that, you should know that we have already purchased cameras and motors as well as short rails and nozzles for the vacuum heads.

Stay tuned for more!