Cut tape, tube or reel — and why it changes the price

The same part number arrives in several formats, and the choice matters as soon as anything other than a person with tweezers is placing it.

The formats

• Cut tape. A length cut from a reel. Fine for hand assembly and prototypes; awkward for a machine, which needs a leader to thread.
• Tube. Standard for larger through-hole and some SOIC packages. Feeds directly into certain machines.
• Full reel. What a pick-and-place actually wants, with the leader and trailer intact.

Why cut tape can cost more per part

Cutting a reel destroys its value as a reel and takes labour. That is why the per-part price on a hundred pieces of cut tape can exceed the price on a full reel — it is not a penalty, it is the cutting.

Date codes and moisture

Moisture sensitive devices arrive in a sealed bag with a desiccant and an indicator card. Once opened, the floor-life clock starts. Open the bag at the machine, not at goods-in, and bake before reflow if the indicator says so — trapped moisture is what causes a package to delaminate in the oven.

Written for Circuit North Electronics — a demonstration store. See the AgenticEcom Suite.