Prototype Carrier Tape | No Minimum Order, 2 Weeks

No Minimum Order, Two-Week Turnaround

Small quantities are the hardest carrier tape to buy, because the overseas suppliers most of the market uses are built around volume minimums. We form tape and cut tooling on site in Northampton, so a prototype run has no minimum order and a two-week lead time.

What We Can Do at Low Volume

No Minimum OrderShort runs for design validation and first articles, not just production volumes.

Two-Week TurnaroundFrom receipt of order, including tooling for a pocket geometry we have not made before.

Tooling Carries OverThe same tooling runs the production batch, so the design is not paid for twice.

Loose and Trayed PartsComponents that arrived without tape designed a pocket and reeled for automated placement.

Obsolete ComponentsOpen-market parts brought back onto the line rather than placed by hand.

Sample-Based DesignSend a physical part if you have no drawing and we will measure and design from it.

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Tell us the component and roughly how many, and we will confirm whether a prototype run makes sense.

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Our team of experts are ready to answer your questions:

Customer Enquiries

01604 491107

info@systemationeuro.com

Why Small Runs Are Hard to Buy

Most carrier tape used in Europe and North America is thermoformed in Southeast Asia. That model works well for a standing production part and badly for everything else, because minimum order quantities and tooling lead times are set around volume.

So the buyer who needs a few hundred parts taped for a design validation build, or a first article, or a single obsolete component that arrived loose, gets quoted a volume minimum or a lead time measured in months. Neither is any use.

We form tape and cut tooling on the same site in Northampton, which changes the economics. No minimum order on prototypes, and a two-week turnaround from receipt of order, including designing and cutting tooling for a pocket geometry we have never made before.

The Tooling Carries Over

The tooling cut for a prototype run is the same tooling used for production. Proving a pocket design on a small batch does not mean paying for the design twice, and it means the geometry is already validated when volume arrives.

That matters most when the component is unusual, when the pocket is deep, or when the part has to arrive in a specific orientation. Those are exactly the cases where a design assumption made on paper turns out to be wrong on a running line, and finding out on a hundred parts is considerably cheaper than finding out on fifty thousand.

Loose, Trayed and Obsolete Parts

A related case: components that exist but are not in tape. Parts bought on the open market to cover an obsolescence gap frequently arrive in trays, tubes or bulk, and a pick-and-place machine cannot use them.

We can design a pocket, form the tape and reel the parts through SMD taping and reeling, so components that would otherwise have to be placed by hand go back onto the automated line. For parts of uncertain provenance this pairs naturally with counterfeit testing before they reach the line.

For moisture-sensitive devices, dry packing is applied at the same stage so the parts arrive within their handling window.

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Get a Prototype Carrier Tape Quote

Send dimensions, a drawing or a sample. There is no minimum order on prototype runs.

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Laser Process

BGA and chip-scale packages reballed using a controlled laser process, providing consistent, repeatable results without the variation of manual re-balling.

Alloy Flexibility

Reballing available in lead-free, tin-lead, and other alloy specifications to match your board assembly requirements.

Quality Assurance

All reballed components inspected before despatch. Operated within our ISO 9001:2015 UKAS-accredited quality management system. Working towards AS9100 Rev D.

Full Traceability

Incoming component records, process parameters, and inspection results maintained for every batch. Documentation available on request.

Package Range

Reballing carried out on BGA packages from micro-BGA through to large area array devices. Contact us to confirm suitability for your component.

Same-Site Processing

Laser reballing completed alongside programming and taping at the same facility. One visit, multiple processes — reducing lead time and handling.

Need Help?

FAQ's

Below we have answered some common questions, however if the answer you're looking for isn't here please call us on +44 (0)1604 491107 or email via our contact form.

Do you have a minimum order for carrier tape?

No minimum order on prototype runs. We can produce short lengths for a design validation build or a first article, which is usually where a new pocket geometry gets proven before volume commits to it.

How long does a prototype run take?

Two weeks from receipt of order, including designing and cutting the tooling. That covers a genuinely new pocket geometry, not just a repeat of something we already hold tooling for.

Is the tooling reusable for the production run?

Yes. The tooling cut for a prototype is the same tooling used for volume, so proving a design at prototype stage does not mean paying for it twice.

Why is prototype carrier tape hard to source?

Most carrier tape sold in Europe and North America is formed in Southeast Asia, where minimum order quantities are set for volume production. A few hundred parts for a validation build is not commercially interesting to that model, so buyers are often quoted volume minimums or long lead times for something small.

Can you re-tape obsolete or loose components?

Yes. Where parts have arrived loose, in trays or in damaged tape, we can design a pocket and tape them for automated placement through our SMD taping and reeling service. This comes up often with obsolete parts bought on the open market.

What do you need from me to start?

A0, B0 and K0 pocket dimensions if you have them, or a component drawing, or a physical sample. Any of the three is enough for us to design and quote.

Systemation Euro