Universal Instruments Corporation

Charles E Johnson

Phillip A Ragard

Weibley J Dean

John E Danek

A replaceable nozzle tip for the vacuum spindle of a pick and place machine is provided with mechanical fingers for gripping a component. Vacuum normally supplied to the spindle for acquiring components by suction is used to actuate a plurality of mechanical fingers to acquire components by gripping that are not suitable for acquisition by suction.

Replaceable nozzle tip with vacuum actuated mechanical gripping fingers

Described is a machine for pre-gluing raw circuit surfaces of printed circuit boards (P.C. boards) at an adhesive station and properly positioning the P.C. boards at a placement station for placement of leadless electronic components (chips) onto the adhesive. A carousel provides program preselected vertical supply of taped components to a feeder assembly which feeds individual chips onto a nozzle of a turret-type vacuum head at a pick-up station. The turret-type head has four nozzles spaced 90.degree. apart about the central axis of the head. As the turret is rotated, a chip is transported by a nozzle, sequentially, from the pick-up station to a centering and testing station, a centering and orienting station, and a placement station. Located between the testing and orienting stations is a chip removal station for ejecting defective or inverted chips. Sensors are located at the adhesive and placement stations to detect defective P.C. boards so that they may be bypassed. A controller, such as a digital computer, provides additional monitoring and controls the operation of the machine.

Leadless chip placement machine for printed circuit boards

A feed assembly is engageable with feed holes spaced along the length of a taped supply of electrical components in order to index the taped components to a pick-up station and aid in transfer of the components from the tape to a turret-type vacuum head at the pick-up station. Cyclical actuation of the feed assembly actuates a cutter for that portion of the tape which has been emptied of the components.

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Whitney Point, NY, United States of America

Charles E Johnson