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Production September 2025


Sierra Electronics Offers Two-Ply Covertape Extenders


By Rob Sierra, Sierra Electronics


waste, covertape extenders, also known as leader tapes or leader cheaters, are essential to main- taining efficiency and accuracy in SMT production. These are not optional accessories. They are critical tools for zero defect builds and cost effective manu- facturing.


W


What Are Leader Cheaters? Sierra Electronics’ Leader


Cheaters are 18-inch, two-ply covertape extenders engineered to provide the lead in required for surface mount component reels to run through automated pick-and-place feeders. Without a leader, machines cannot prop- erly engage the tape, leading to


hen every surface mount component matters and there’s no room for setup


feeder jams, misaligned pickups, or wasted components. Histori- cally, this was resolved by in- cluding excess components at the beginning of each reel. That is no longer standard practice.


1. Overages Are No Longer Standard


Manufacturers are no longer


shipping 10 to 20% extra compo- nents to cover setup loss, or just in case. Reels now often contain the exact quantities required for a specific build. A reel of 150 components must deliver 150 successful placements, nothing more, nothing less.


2. Global Shortages and Supply Constraints


Component scarcity, long lead times, aftermath of Covid-


19 and international logistics challenges have led to lean pro- curement practices. Buyers are sending only what’s needed for each job, and in many cases, they cannot afford any loss due to feeder setup or misfeeds.


3. Rising Component Costs With the average cost of


SMD components increasing sharply in recent years, especially in specialized ICs and microcon- trollers, setup waste is no longer tolerable. A single misplaced chip during feeder setup can result in significant financial loss.


4. Strict Build and Traceabil- ity Requirements


Industries such as automo-


tive, aerospace, medical devices, and defense demand complete traceability and zero defect rates. Any deviation from the bill of materials, whether due to ma- chine error or wasted setup parts can compromise an entire build. A contract manufacturer


building 50,000 circuit boards, each with 150 components, will handle 7.5 million placements. Often, buyers supply just enough parts to fulfill those placements. If one reel starts mid tape and lacks the lead in required for feeder engagement, the machine can’t begin production. Without a covertape extender, there’s no way to use that reel without risk- ing part loss or manual interven- tion, both unacceptable in mod- ern manufacturing environ- ments.


Sierra’s Leader Cheaters


l Two-Ply Construction: Dual layer design ensures rigidity, consistent tape tension, and reli- able feeder compatibility.


l 18-inch Length: Meets the re- quirements of most SMT feeder


mechanisms across major equip- ment brands.


l USA-Made Precision: Manufac- tured in Santa Fe, New Mexico, by precision machinists with ex- perience supporting Sandia Na-


Manufacturers are no longer shipping 10 to 20% extra components to cover setup loss, or just in case. Reels now often contain the exact quantities required for a specific build.


tional Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory.


lEnables Use of Short Reels: Al- lows contract manufacturers to use short-run, exact-count reels without scrapping components during setup.


l Reliable Splicing Compatibili- ty: Designed for seamless inte- gration with SMT splice tapes, supporting zero-waste line oper- ation.


Sierra’s leader cheaters are


used by contract manufacturers and OEMs across the following industries: automotive electron- ics, aerospace and defense sys- tems, medical device manufac- turing, consumer electronics pro- totyping, and high-reliability in- dustrial controls. Component overages are no


longer built into modern SMT production. Most reels ship with exact component counts, leaving no room for feeder misalignment or setup waste. Covertape exten- ders ensure that even short reels can be used efficiently and with- out loss.


Contact: Sierra Electronics,


2774 Agua Fria Street, Santa Fe, NM 87507 % 505-424-1209 E-mail: rob@tapesplice.com Web: www.tapesplice.com r


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