At&t Technologies, Inc.

At+t Corp.

Charles H Payne

William C Kent

Mark A Carroll

A capacitor mounting assembly uses a mounting assembly for mounting and aligning a plurality of DC can capacitors on a bulk power system assembly. The mounting assembly includes a metallic base member with a channel cross section having mounting flanges at the longitudinal edges with holes to allow fasteners to pass through and secure the base member to a power system assembly. A top metallic cover plate and a plastic layer cover the top surface of the base member to form a sandwich construction with the plastic layer between the two metallic surfaces. The plastic layer is a polypropylene sheet in the illustrative embodiment. The three layers have holes punched through the sandwich to accept the insertion of the can capacitors. The holes in the polypropylene sheet have flexible tabs about the inner circumference of each of the punched holes to provide interference fit support for the inserted can capacitors as well as assuring alignment of the capacitor relative to the hole and allowing sufficient resilience to allow connection of the capacitors to the bus bar connections of the power system.

Capacitor mounting assembly

Parts (10) to receive a thin strip of solder are advanced along top surfaces of a pair of upwardly inclined channel plates (26, 27). Pressurized solder (31) is pumped between the plates to a precise head which projects as a meniscus (28) above the top surfaces of the channel members and is deposited on the advancing parts. The head of solder is maintained at a height to insure a partial flow of solder through a V-shaped trough (51). Any fluctuations in the height of head of solder is rapidly compensated by an increased or decreased flow of solder through the trough. A significant reservoir of solder is maintained between the channel plates so that the solder is held at a substantially constant temperature.

Wave solder weir arrangement with constant solder head

Pressurized molten solder 71 is flowed along a confined first channel 86 and forced through a series of spaced, aligned apertures 88 as solder jets which rise, fall and merge to form a solder stream which flows along a second channel defined by channel walls 93 and 94. Spring held printed circuit boards 10 are advanced by a conveyor 21 which is tilted to move a far section of each board into engagement with the top of channel wall 93 and then a near section of each board into engagement with the top of channel wall 94 whereafter the board is spring held to ride along the tops of channel walls while a thin stripe of solder is applied to the board.

Method and apparatus for applying stripes of solder to articles

A conveyor 21 rapidly advances a series of workholders to move printed circuit board connectors 10 mounted therein along a short insulating rail section 37 and a second long cooled rail 31. Presoldered leads 13 overlaying contacts pads 14 are heated to temperatures slightly above the melting point of solder during movement along the first rail 28 and are cooled to solidify the solder during movement along the second rail. A belt 44, moving at the same speed as the conveyor, presses the boards to ensure good contact of the leads with the pads during the melting and cooling of the solder.

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Garland, TX, United States of America

Charles H Payne