Bell Telephone Laboratories

Western Electric Company, Inc.

Alfred P Broyer

David R Dines

A connector (13) having two banks of terminals (16 and 17) is seated in a nest (27) located in a terminal spreading apparatus. A first spreader (36-37) overlies the first bank of terminals (17). A printed circuit board (10) with edge contact pads (12) is advanced along ways (98 and 99) to engage a roller (107) which thrusts a slide (48) toward the nest and then upwardly to move a second spreader (41-42) to engage and spread the banks of terminals (16 and 17). The connector body (14) tilts in the nest (27) to distribute the terminal spreading forces between the two banks of terminals.

Connector terminal spreader

Apparatus augmenting a wave soldering machine for mitigating warpage of a printed wiring board after it is processed by the soldering machine comprises heat dissipation means (200) and cooling means (202). The dissipation means directs a first gaseous stream over the a narrow, transverse strip on the underside of the board as it exits a crest of molten solder supplied by the soldering machine. The stream solidifies any liquid solder without disturbing the solder joints. The cooling means directs a second gaseous stream to substantially the centerline region of the board as it exits the dissipation means. The seriatim arrangement of heat reduction means produces a cooling characteristic which is the inverse of the temperature characteristic caused by the soldering operation.

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Hopatcong, NJ, United States of America

Alfred P Broyer