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Air Jet Belt Feeder
The Air Jet Belt Feeders (ABFs) are designed to complement the capabilities of TFI's Small IC Feeders by providing reliable, versatile tube feeding for larger "gull wing" surface mount components, SOJs, and other SMCs up to 3.5mm thick. The feeder base holds one to four ABFs. Each ABF is made to feed a particular component family. For instance, a feeder made for feeding 300 mil SOJ will feed 18, 20, 24, 26, 28 and 32 lead 300 mil SOJs. Only a simple setup for different component length is required.
Advantages over Vibratory Feeders
- Positive feeding to the pick point. The dynamics of feeding do not change with the change of component inventory in the feeder. Air Jet Belt Feeders feed the last component at the same speed as the rest of the components.
- No miss picks and no spilled components at the pick point.
- Component at the pick point is stationary when being picked.
- Continues to feed while the empty tube is being changed out.
Advantages over Belt Feeders
- Reload components by either pouring components from tube to tube (as is commonly done with vibratory feeders) or replacing the empty tube with a full tube. No trying to pour components from a tube into a track.
- No sloped track to horizontal track transition, so shingling at the transition is eliminated, feeding is more reliable, and all component packages of the same family can be fed using the same feeder.
- Each feed lane holds more component inventory than a belt feeder.