First the platitudes:
"Recommendations for your a good feeder maintenance program include the following:
1. Talk to the equipment manufacturer of your P&P equipment. Find out if they have any feeder calibration tools. Most of them do. Some even offer some very advanced vision-based calibration systems.
2. Create a feeder maintenance program. Review your equipment manufacturers manuals for proper maintenance.
3. Always have enough spare feeders to rotate through your inventory. This adds extra cost, but this cost will be eliminated by increased efficiency.
4. If you can have spare parts made locally by a machine shop, this will greatly reduce your replacement costs. However, ensure that your machine shop can provide identical parts! Incorrect parts will only cause more problems.
Understanding the importance of feeders should never be forgotten. Maintaining the functionality of your feeders will directly impact your efficiency and your company's bottom line." [M Porter]
Second, when picking tiny components, feeder calibration is essential. Check for pocket alignment and backlash.
Third, alternate sources for your calibration thingamajig are: * Automated Equipment Services 888-833-3484 http://www.smtsupport.com/services/html/serv_frm_options.htm * Hover Davis http://www.hoverdavis.com/HDpages1/setupindex.html
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