2.3 Feeders, Splicing & Replenishment

Feeder performance is the silent determinant of pick-and-place reliability.uptime. Even the fastest machine stalls if the cover-tape peels inconsistently,erratically, splices fail under vision,break, or replenishment lags. WhenFeeders feedersmust arebe treatedmanaged as precision tools—tools—with calibrateddisciplined tension,maintenance, smooth peelcover-tape paths, and disciplinedclean splicing—thesplicing. headWhen keeps moving without interruption. Coupledcoupled with barcode tracking, supermarkets of pre-threaded feeders, and automated thresholds,intelligent replenishment becomessystems proactive(driven ratherby thanconsumption reactive,rates), material starvation is eliminated, protecting the cycle time from hiddenunpredictable losses.interruption.

2.3.1 WhatFeeder “good”Maintenance: looksProtecting likethe (one page)Tooling

• Feeders

  Feeder runfailures quietlyoften withmasquerade smoothas cover-tapeplacement peel, clean pockets, and no mystery misses.

• Splices sail throughor vision andproblems. theA firstrobust 20–50maintenance picksroutine withoutprevents amajor skip.
• Replenishment happens before the machine starves—driven by reel ID scans, MES thresholds, and a line-side supermarket. (Kitting/shortage control in 5.6.)

downtime.

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2.3.2 Feeder care (little routines that prevent big pain)

• CleanRoutine & inspectCleaning:: Regularly blow out component pocket debris, dust, checkand adhesive residue from the feeder mechanism. Check sensor flags,flags and verify the cover-tape path and peel rollers.path.
• Tension &and pitchPitch Calibration:: confirmFeeder pitch settings must precisely match the tape;component wrongtape. Incorrect pitch =leads to component movement or creeping offsets that masqueradecause asrandom “vision trouble.”misses and retries.
• LabelTooling & trackTraceability:: treatFeeders feedersmust likebe tools—treated as traceable assets. Each unit should have a unique ID, a visible last PM date,date, faultand be logged with maintenance notes.
• Permanent KeepBanks: permanentPermanent feeder banks must be maintained for high-runner passives (set by the program in 8.2Chapter programs),2.2) soto changeoversprevent don’tunnecessary touchchanges them.during product switchovers.

2.3.2

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Cover-Tape Control and Pickup Stability

Inconsistent

2.3.3 Cover-cover-tape controlpeeling (whyis peelthe angle/forcedirect matter)

cause of random component miss-picks.

• SmoothPeel peelForce =and steady pickAngle:: noisy,The jerkyfeeder peelmust translates into random misses. Keepmaintain a smooth, consistent peel angle and path;force. replaceNoisy wornor rollers.jerky peeling introduces instability, causing the component to jostle in the pocket just before pickup. Worn peel rollers or dirty tracks must be immediately replaced.
• Leaders/trailersLeader/Trailer Management:: rejectReels reelsmust withouthave usableadequate leaders (empty tape at the start) and a few empty pockets at the tail—tail for clean splicing. Rejecting reels without proper leaders prevents manual, high-risk hand-threading mid-run is a downtime tax. (You called for this in 6.4.)run.
• Pocket fitIntegrity:: ifIf partscomponents stick,exhibit consistent sticking, the pocket’scomponent toopocket tightis either rough or rough—adjustcontaminated. peelThe pathreel first;should ifbe stillquarantined, bad, logand a supplierSupplier NCRNon-Conformance and quarantine that lotReport (tiesNCR) to incoming quality).raised.

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2.3.43 Splicing thatProtocol: neverMinimizing bites youDowntime

Goal:The splicesplicing process must be early, clean, and thin—soinvisible to the headmachine doesn’t notice.head.

1. WhenSplicing Timing:: An MES alarm must be set anat MESa alarmthreshold atof N parts remaining (e.g., 200–500)200 so– techs500 parts), calculated based on machine consumption rate, to ensure splicing occurs before starvation.
2. Splicing Technique: Only approved splicing tools and vendor-specific tape/clips should be used. The splice beforemust be thin and the empty hits. (MES/WIP enforcement in 17.2.)
2. How: use the vendor’s splice clips/tape; alignsprocket holes andaligned cover-tapeperfectly. paths perfectly; avoidAdhesive stacking adhesive under the pickpick-up line.line must be avoided. 3.
3. ProofVerification:: afterAfter every splice, the feeder must run 20–20 – 50 dry picks in placepicks, or watch the first subsequent placements must be monitored closely for miss/retry spikes.

2.3.4 Replenishment Strategy and Starvation Prevention

Replenishment must be automated and proactive to eliminate costly starvation time.

• Automated Tracking: spikes;The onlyMES thenmust cleartrack consumption by scanning the station.Reel/Tray ID to the Feeder ID and linking it to the Work Order. This tracks the component count, monitors remaining floor life (for Moisture Sensitive Devices, MSD), and flags shortages.
• LeadersLine-Side Supermarket:: keep pre-cut leaders in the kit so you can resplice bad tails without scrapping a reel. (Packaging discipline from 6.4.)




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2.3.5 Replenishment & starvation prevention (make it automatic)

• Scan everything: reel/tray IDs → feeders → work order; MES tracks count-down and floor-life (for MSD) while kitting tracks shortages. (17.2 + 5.6.)
• Supermarket & carts: stage spare,Spare, pre-threaded feeders for the high-hithighest-consumption parts;parts swapmust be staged on dedicated kitting carts or exchange trolleys. The entire feeder is swapped at the wholemachine, feeder,allowing splicethe splicing to be performed in the background.background, (Changeovermaximizing tacticsmachine sit with 18.3.)availability.
• Thresholds:Mirrored set remaining-parts alarmsMaps: by consumption rate (CPH × TAKT); urgent parts get earlier alarms.
• Dual lanes / mirrors: if your line runsFor dual-lane or paralleltandem programs,lines, mirror feeder maps must be mirrored soto techsminimize don’toperator thinkthinking twicetime and kitting error risk during rapid swaps. (Architectures in 8.1; program/feeder mapping in 8.2.)
• Dashboard

  
  

  Monitoring:

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  The

  
  

  key

  2.3.6operational Firstmetrics Articleto fortrack feeders (yes, really)

  During FA (8.5), revieware pickup logs by feeder: the first 20–50 pick cycles should show near-zero miss/retry on each high-runner lane. Any outlier = peel, pocket, or tension fix now, not after reflow.

  
  

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  2.3.7 What to watch on dashboards

  • Starvation eventsEvents per shiftShift (goal: zero).
  • Miss/retry rate by feeder lane (spikes after splices = training or materials issue).
  • Splices per shift on the constraint machine (predictable, early, and clean).
  • Changeover minutesMinutes consumed by feeder work (rollan upOEE under OEE/availability in Part VI)measure).

  
  

  Final

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  Checklist: Feeder Uptime

  
  

  2.3.8Area	Non-Negotiable Pocket checklists (post these on the kit cart)Requirement
  Feeder careCare	PM scheduleSensors/rollers clean;maintained; pitchpitch/tension verified; cover-tape path smooth Feeder ID & PM date visible;feeder assigned to permanentPermanent bankBank if high-runnerrunner.
  Splicing	MES alarmAlarm atset for N parts remaining; Nfirst remainingpicks verified parts;after splicesplice; beforealigned holes emptyand (MESthin enforced)joint. Holes aligned; joint thin; first 20–50 picks clean Leader kits stocked; bad tails re-worked (6.4 packaging rules)
  Replenishment	Reel/trayTray IDs scanned to feederFeeder &for WO; supermarket stockedtraceability; Supermarket Cart stocked; Starvation is eliminated.
  Audit	First Article (5.6)FA) confirms near-zeroMirrored pick/miss rates for the first 50 cycles of each feeder maps for dual-lane/parallel runs (8.1/8.2)lane.

  By maintaining feeders meticulously, splicing cleanly, and automating replenishment signals, starvation is eliminated and machine speed is fully realized. The result is steadier takt, higher effective throughput, and a line that runs predictably shift after shift.