The Core Technologies for Making a Cover Tape
During the cover tape manufacture process, the company applies glue, hot-melt adhesive, and the antistatic agent on the base tape material, which is made from PE and Polyester film. The semi-finished product would then be placed in a high-temperature environment and slit into tapes with a width of 5.25mm. After the slitting is complete, the company conducts quality checks and package the tape in reels.
The customers typically use specially designed measurement packaging machines to put electronic components into the cavities in paper carrier tapes. After that, the machine applies high temperature and pressure to firmly seal the bottom and top cover tapes on the carrier tape. During the last stage of the process, the customers utilize Surface Mounted Technology (SMT) machines to peel off cover tapes and attach electronic components on Printed Circuit Board (PCB) with the nozzle on the machine.
Consistent Stripping Resistant Control:
When the top cover tape is peeled off by the machines from a paper carrier tape, the company maintains its stripping resistant within 15 to 50 grams, a striker range compared to the standards which require it between 10 and 70 grams. When the stripping resistant exceeds the standard range, the nozzle is likely to be clogged by the unexpected paper debris when the tape is peeled off. On the other hand, the electronic components are more likely to get detached from cavities in the tape when the stripping resistant is lower than the standard range. To ensure maximum quality, the company enhanced its molds while maintaining the environment under certain temperature to control the thickness of the hot-melt adhesive layer on the tape between 8μm and 12μm. In that way, the company realizes a consistent stripping resistance on its cover tapes.
Surface Resistivity Control:
The company has the ability to maintain the surface resistivity on its cover tapes at 108Ω while the industry standard requires the number to be lower than 1012Ω. A relatively higher resistivity would affect the cover tape’s antiseptic layer and thus makes it more likely for the electronic components to stick on the cover tapes. To avoid this potential problem, the company developed its own conductive liquid and enhanced the antiseptic layer on the tape to maintain a stable resistivity.