Packaging

[FurkanDursun]

Can anyone explain or point me to a good description of packaging? For example Cut tape vs Tape and Reel, Digi Reel. What's the difference? What should I choose? (Price, soldering etc.)

[Lakshmi]

Cut tape” and “Reel” are both great packaging solutions. But, when it comes to packaging solder products, tape and reel packing is only preferred. The reason for this is cut tapes delivers components in small cuts of tape, whereas “reel” is long and continuous.
It boils down to the quantity.

[robertferanec]

- Reel - that is the full reel as component manufacturer creates it and sells it to component suppliers

- Cut tape - this is smal piease of tape which was cut off Reel (good for small quantities and hand prototyping). Cut tape can be used also for assembly in assembly house, but they do not like it much (they prefer reels).

- Digi Reel - if do not want to buy the whole reel, but you still prefer to have components on reel (because you need it for your mass production), in Digikey they will take the reel from supplier and they will rewind the number of components you need, so you will get a Reel with number of components what you need (very simply to say, instead of buying 3000 components on the whole reel for 3000USD, you ask digiky to send you reel with 500pcs).

This article may help:

https://www.sparkfun.com/sparkx/blog/2588

[Paul van Avesaath]

also keep in mind that re packaging always cost more.
so in the examnple of rober you most likely pay more than 500 usd for a reel of 500..

[FurkanDursun]

- Reel - that is the full reel as component manufacturer creates it and sells it to component suppliers

- Cut tape - this is smal piece of tape which was cut off Reel (good for small quantities and hand prototyping). A cut tape can be used also for assembly in the assembly houses, but they do not like it much (they prefer reels).

- Digi Reel - if do not want to buy the whole reel, but you still prefer to have components on reel (because you need it for your mass production), in Digikey, they will take the reel from supplier and they will rewind the number of components you need, so you will get a Reel with number of components what you need (very simply to say, instead of buying 3000 components on the whole reel for 3000USD, you ask digiky to send you reel with 500pcs).

This article may help:

https://www.sparkfun.com/sparkx/blog/2588

Thank you, everyone, for the feedback.

I Think "Reel" means a packing solution. is this right?

[robertferanec]

This is reel (it is picture from the post I linked above)