A BOM line that says 500 pcs of a 0603 capacitor tells the buyer what to order and tells the line nothing. The same part arrives on a 13 inch reel, in cut tape of 50, or loose in a bag, and that decides whether the machine runs for two minutes or the operator stops to load a feeder by hand. Packaging never appears in the quote but shows up in the unit price.
It also decides whether the part is inside its floor life when it reaches the printer. A reel sealed in a moisture barrier bag is a different object from cut tape that has been open on a shelf for a month.
The four formats and where each one fits
| Format | Fits | Effect on the line | What goes wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tape and reel, EIA-481 | Passives, small ICs, anything the placer can pick from a feeder | Fastest, feeder stays loaded for the whole batch | Wrong tape width for the feeder, pockets too shallow for a tall part |
| JEDEC matrix tray | BGA, QFN, large ICs, connectors that tape cannot hold | Slower, tray changeover every N parts | Tray warped in transit, parts shifted out of the pocket |
| Tube or stick | Long parts, DIP, odd shapes, small runs | Manual or tube feeder, one orientation only | Parts jammed, leads bent at the tube end |
| Cut tape or loose bag | Prototypes, repair, a handful of parts | Manual placement or hand loaded feeder | Open pockets, lost orientation, unknown floor life |
Reel capacity is quoted in parts per reel, not in reel size, and it changes with pitch. A 0402 part on 2 mm pitch packs roughly twice as many pieces onto the same reel as an 0603 on 4 mm pitch. That is why an RFQ should state parts per reel and tape width, not simply "on reel".
Tape width, pocket and orientation
- Width. 8, 12, 16 and 24 mm cover most parts. A feeder that takes 8 mm will not take 12 mm without a change of module, and the number of feeder slots on the machine is fixed.
- Pocket depth. The part must sit below the cover tape without pressing on it, and must not rattle. A tall inductor in a shallow pocket arrives with bent leads.
- Orientation. EIA-481 fixes which way pin 1 faces in the pocket. A reel wound the other way still looks correct until the first board comes off the line with every part rotated.
- Cover tape peel. Too high a peel force pulls the tape and the part together, which is a pick error the operator sees as a machine fault.
- Splice. A spliced reel is acceptable when the splice is taped and counted, and unacceptable when the count on the label no longer matches the parts on the reel.
Trays, tubes and the parts tape cannot carry
A JEDEC matrix tray is about 322 x 136 mm and stacks in a standard magazine, which is why BGA and QFN parts ship that way. It must be flat, antistatic and rated for the bake temperature. A warped tray feeds at an angle and the nozzle misses the pocket.
Tubes suit long bodies and leaded parts. They feed in one orientation, they jam when the tube is squeezed, and the last part often arrives with a bent lead. For a few hundred pieces of a DIP device, a tube is cheaper than a tray and faster than a bag.
Packaging and moisture, which is the same decision
Every moisture sensitive part should arrive in a moisture barrier bag with desiccant and a humidity indicator card, and the bag should carry the seal date and the floor life. Once the bag is open, the clock starts. A part that arrives in cut tape has no bag, no card and no date, so the floor life is unknown and the safe assumption is that it needs baking before reflow.
That is a real cost: baking consumes oven time and every cycle counts against the part's limit. Packaging that keeps the bag sealed until the line opens it is worth more than the few cents it costs.
Labels, and what to check on incoming
- Full orderable part number with the suffix that sets package, temperature grade and packing.
- Quantity per reel or tray, and whether it matches the count the line will consume.
- Date code and lot, and for moisture sensitive parts, the seal date and MSL level.
- RoHS and halogen status, and the country of origin where the customer's file requires it.
- ESD marking on the bag or tray, and no sign of a bag that has been opened and resealed.
A resealed bag with a fresh label is the classic counterfeit signal. So is a reel whose label says one quantity and whose splice count says another.
How SUPERB PCBA handles incoming packaging
SUPERB Tech sources the component and SUPERB Assembly places it, so the packing format is agreed once, at the quotation stage, not discovered when the kit reaches the line. Reels are checked for width, pocket and orientation before loading, moisture sensitive parts go into the dry cabinet until the line opens the bag, and the seal date is recorded on the process sheet so the floor life is measured rather than assumed.
The line takes 0201 up to 55 mm BGA on a placer rated at 96,000 CPH, reflow in a 10 zone oven with SAC305 lead free as standard, 3D SPI before placement, 3D AOI after reflow, and 3D X-ray with CT for BGA and QFN joints to IPC-7095. Manual and automated DIP insertion covers the tube and tray parts that never see a feeder.
- Component sourcing: how a BOM is checked before anything is ordered.
- Incoming inspection: what is checked on a reel or a tray, and how.
- PCBA workshop: feeders, placers and the line that consumes the packaging.
Frequently asked questions
Does tape and reel cost more than a bag?
Per part, slightly. Per board, usually less, because the feeder loads once and runs unattended. On quantities under a few hundred, the balance moves the other way and cut tape is the sensible choice.
Can cut tape be re-reeled?
It can be transferred onto a new carrier tape, and the pockets are still open tape that has been handled. Ask for the count and the orientation to be verified after re-reeling, and expect a floor life question if the part is moisture sensitive.
Why did the BGA arrive in a tray when the last order came on tape?
Large bodies and fine pitch parts are usually tray packed because the pocket would have to be deep and the tape wide. If the line needs tape, that is a packing option to confirm with the order, not something to assume from the previous delivery.
Next step
Send the BOM with the quantity per board and the batch size, and note any part where the packing format matters. The reply confirms the format per line, checks the part number suffix against the packing, and quotes with the moisture control and incoming inspection scope stated.
