Plastic Embossed Carrier Tape Apparatus and Process

A process for producing a continuous plastic carrier tape having uniformly spaced embossed pockets, and continuously supplying the tape to processing equipment wherein the carrier tape is further processed, the process including the steps of:

• producing the carrier tape using a carrier tape embossing apparatus adapted to perform an embossing process wherein the pockets are automatically sequentially embossed in adjacent uniform increments of the strip by sequential contact with a heating assembly and a separate molding assembly so as to produce the carrier tape at a continuous tape production rate, the apparatus adapted so that the embossing process is selectively intermittently pausable without causing damage to the strip of plastic material;
• supplying the carrier tape to a piece of carrier tape processing equipment, the equipment adapted to accept the carrier tape at a tape input rate;
• sensing a parameter related to the tape production rate using a first sensor;
• sensing a parameter related to the tape input rate using a second sensor;
• using a processor connected with the first and second sensors and the carrier tape embossing apparatus to intermittently pause the embossing process.

A process for forming a uniform series of carrier pockets in a continuous strip of plastic material to form a carrier tape by sequentially embossing at least one carrier pocket in adjacent increments of the strip, the process including the steps of:

• (a) automatically positioning an increment of the strip between a pair of opposing positionable heating contact surfaces;
• (b) momentarily contacting the strip with the contact surfaces so as to heat a region of the increment to a forming temperature;
• (c) positioning the increment so that the region is between a pair of positionable mold members, the pair of mold members including a male mold member and a female mold member;
• (d) engaging the region with the male and female mold members to form the pocket;
• and
• (e) intermittently pausing the process by maintaining the strip in a fixed position and interposing a heat shield between each heating contact surface and the strip.

A process for filling embossed pockets of a carrier tape performed sequentially in one integrated process, comprising:

• feeding a flat tape into a first apparatus;
• creating pockets in the flat tape to create a carrier tape;
• and
• filling the pockets prior to any winding of the carrier tape.