Machine for loading electric components into a carrier strip

A machine for loading small chip components having an elongated dimension into a thin carrier strip having a longitudinal axis comprising:

• supply means for supplying successive areas of said strip to a feed station, punch means at said feed station for successively punching an aperture into each of said areas of said strip which has a shape that corresponds to the shape of said components but is of a slightly smaller dimension, feed means for feeding a component towards said carrier strip at a location displaced from said punch means in a manner such that the elongated dimension of said component is substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of said carrier strip when said component is present, sensing means for sensing if a component has been fed toward said carrier strip, comprising a sensing finger and a micrometer screw means with a micrometer dial for accurately locating the position of said sensing finger with respect to said fed component, indexing means, gripping means coupled to said indexing means and operated by said sensing means for gripping said carrier strip only if said sensing means senses that a component has been fed by said feed means, said indexing means undergoing a motion such that said punched aperture will be aligned with said fed component after said indexing operation and displacement means for forcing said component into said aperture after said alignment has been achieved by said indexing means.