The main reasons are: the complexity of these machines' operation, the high cost of the tooling, and a lack of knowledge or understanding of the tooling's design rules—all this, coupled with the fact that they are specialized machines requiring skilled operators for constant monitoring and to ensure their proper functioning. Therefore, in the past, production volume was the only way to recoup the investment necessary to justify in-house tape manufacturing.
While the price of pre-engineered tape appears to have reached its lowest point, determined by material costs, manufacturing processes, and the expense of shipping engineered tape worldwide, these costs can be significantly reduced by producing tape in-house. The cost reduction and the flexibility to produce the exact quantity of tape needed for each application further lower costs, inventory levels, space requirements, and waste.
Adaptsys has paid attention to these issues and we are now able to announce the launch of the "Re-flex® ~ On-Demand Tape" system. The Re-flex® has been designed to meet three main requirements: 1. The ability to produce simple and complex carrier tape with highly accurate "P1" positioning, 2. Easy setup, operation, and tool change by unskilled workers, and 3. Full quality inspection and complete traceability of every formed cavity.
Aside from standard conductive tape production on rolls, Re-flex® is unique in its ability to directly supply tape to a tape and roll system, providing tape on demand. This feature can improve productivity on existing tape and roll machines by at least 10 times by reducing changeover times from once per hour to once per shift. Additional benefits include less operator intervention with massive reductions in material costs and waste.
Furthermore, Re-flex® utilizes a revolutionary tool change process that allows customers to switch from one tool type to another in minutes, including hardware changes, software configuration, and heater warm-up time. This makes Re-flex the only conductive tape forming machine flexible enough to 
operate at low-to-medium volumes with high tool changeover rates—ideal for the European business model.
To operate Re-flex®, all you need is compressed air, a standard AC inlet and a surface area of only 75cm x 35cm.
All these features, and many more, are covered by patents granted by Re-flex®.
Come see the Re-flex® demonstration live at Electronica 2012, Hall 1, Stand 375.
