High Mix/Low Volume Part Kitting

If I had my way - the person checking the incoming kit should be able to at least run, troubleshoot and preferably programme the SMT line. In fact they should be an expert.They have the paper work in front of them for that job. If the tape is cut - they can splice well enough to avoid feeder jams. If it previously came in tape and now mysteriously comes in a tube they can either alter the programme and/or paperwork or notify someone who can. Reel to tube, or vice versa, will generally mean a vision rejection - they should understand this. With exact, or close to exact, supply numbers, mark a copy of the master paper work in red highlighter. i.e. drop one of these and we will have an incomplete build. This copy should be given to those who are going to set up and run the line. Pick up positions and heights should be closely checked on these danger components - get it right the first time before you drop one. If possible, programme different dump points for these components so that they can be recovered easily and hand placed later if required. Try and develope a tube specialist - someone who has the ability to set these up and get them to run first time every time without miss picks and losses and the frustration of continual jams and alarms. If they have to cut open a chicken, use a bit of spit, gaffa tape and a paddle pop stick - so be it. Keep a collection of tubes taht you know run well. I often like to cut a little window in the top of a tube to access the component rather than using jigs and tooling - it depends on your system. Spool up and double check feeder pitch and start position. Why has this part gone from a 16mm feeder to a 12mm feeder? Different package size maybe? Different supplier? Maybe a different thickness? Will it now match the land? Make the offline set up as perfect as you can get it. Your set up times may increase but you won't have a pachinko parlour happening when you press the green button. Fixing problems once the job has started to run is counter- productive. If you have an observant, knowledgeable person at the front end you can avoid a lot of hassles.

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