OpenFeeder – Open source SMD part feeder for OpenPNP

I owned some great Pick and Place equipment about 15+ years ago. My contract ran out for SMD manufacturing, so I sold all my machine. Now I have need for SMD PNP again. So I looked toward some opensource alternatives to the commercial machines. I can across OpsnPNP.org. The software so far seems great. But it is still in the BETA stages.

I gathered up a part list of thing I will need. Like motors, drivers, wire, t-slot…etc. I did some more research and started coming up with a design for my machine. But it seemed like there was not a great SMD tape feeder. Thus the OpenFeeder was born!

I wanted a feeder that could do lots of things, expandable and adaptable.

Here are some features:

-Simply made form .250″ acrylic sheet on a laser cutter (3d printable too).

-Easily accessed and cheap components for the drive system.

-Easily changed over to different size tapes, 8mm 10mm 12mm etc.

-Adjustable tape height, from paper resistor tape to tape with electrolytic caps.

-Designed to work with 20mm T-slot.

-“Almost” infinite feeding distance. Able to feed tape form .05mm at a time to 5mm at a time.

-Very smooth feeding, even at a very high speed.

-Most likely over engineered! 🙂

It is still in the testing stages, I will be releasing the files soon.