Reel unloading and preserving practice

[Shonver]

What is the current best practice for unloading a reel of SMD components and terminating the tape end? I am think specifically of minimising the loss of components and ease of re-deployment of the reel when next needed.

We recently received leftover parts from our contract manufacturer and I was dismayed at the lack of care for preservation of the parts in the tape. In some cases, the tape had been pulled back by a length, exposing the components, and was then closed up with masking tape. On examination I could see that some parts were lying upside-down or rotated. What can they do to preserve the packaging of the parts in the tape? And how should they best terminate the reel in preparation for future use?

[Jackster]

When removing tape from the feeder, depending on the machine being used, you can end up losing anything between 10-50mm worth of components on the tape due to the feeder mechanism.
So having a few parts at the end of the tape fall off, rotate etc is normal.

For high-value items, care should be taken to minimise loss but don't expect that treatment to small value Rs and Cs.

[jmelson]

On my old P&P machine, it was possible to not lose any components, but not worth the trouble for cheap passives like 0805 resistors.  On my newer machine, I can usually save all but a couple parts.  **BUT** there is a procedure for doing this.  You have to cut the cover tape at the right spot, carefully pull the component tape back and leave enough empty component tape to re-thread the feeder later.  Of course, a contract manufacturer won't spend the time to do this all neatly for you.
Jon