What are the forming methods of carrier tapes?

1、 Punching type (stamping forming | paper tape specific)
Process: Punching with upper and lower molds, directly punching component accommodating holes in the base paper/composite paper, without stretching or vacuum forming.
Applicable materials: all paper carrier tape, a small amount of thin PE tape
Bandwidth: limited to 4mm and 8mm standard narrowband only
Depth of cavity: ≤ 1mm, only flat shallow holes are allowed
Applicable components: 0201/0402/0603 SMD resistors and capacitors, micro diodes
Advantages and disadvantages: lowest cost, stable size, no dust; Cannot make deep cavities or irregular grooves
2、 Hot pressing molding (mold embossing | PS mainstream process)
Process: The sheet material is heated and softened, and the upper and lower concave convex molds are closed and cold pressed for shaping. The mold cavity is pressed out by pressure.
Applicable materials: PS polystyrene (most commonly used), ordinary PET
Depth of cavity: 0.5-3mm, mainly shallow to mid cavity
Bandwidth: 8/12/16/24mm
Applicable: SOT-23, SMT LED, small inductor, small SOP, consumer electronics general materials
Advantages and disadvantages: fast mass production, cheap molds; Uneven deep cavity stretching and high temperature shrinkage
3、 Vacuum vacuum forming (vacuum forming | PET/PC special for large items)
Industry precision, deep cavity carrier main force
Process: High temperature softening of the sheet → Vacuum negative pressure adsorption on the surface of the mold to form, cooling and demolding.
Applicable materials: APET/PET, PC polycarbonate
Depth of cavity: 1-15mm, can be used for deep cavity, irregular cavity, high and low step cavity
Bandwidth: 24-88mm full width
Applicable components: QFN, connectors, shielding covers, power inductors, car terminals, shaped hardware
Divide into two categories
Positive suction: The mold is on the front side of the carrier, with a smooth inner cavity → Precision IC, crystal oscillator
Reverse suction: The mold is on the back and the outer wall is flat → large shielding shell and connector
Advantages and disadvantages: high cavity accuracy, large depth span; The cost of equipment and molds is relatively high
4、 Niche molding: Extrusion integrated molding (special thick walled carrier tape)
Plastic particles are melted, extruded, and synchronously formed, rarely used and mostly used as carriers for ultra thick special high-power devices.
Quick selection formula for molding methods
Low cost resistance and capacitance of small parts → Punched paper tape
Ordinary LED, small IC consumer electronics → Hot pressed PS
Precision chips/connectors/automotive components → Vacuum formed PET/PC