Universal Instruments Corporation

Robert H Holmes

Phillip A Ragard

Stanley W Janisiewicz

Albert W Zemek

David L Merithew

Weibley J Dean

An electronic component lead cutting and outwardly clinching mechanism for cutting the component leads that extend from the underside of a printed circuit board and for outwardly clinching the portions of the leads remaining after the cutting to the underside of the printed circuit board. The severed scrap portions of the leads fall into a scrap discharge chute to be carried away from the cutting and clinching mechanism. A lead detector is incorporated into the mechanism to detect the presence or absence of the leads during the shearing action.

Lead cut and outward clinch mechanism

An apparatus is provided for individually selecting a number of dual in-line (DIP) components and sequentially inserting them into a printed circuit board. The apparatus has a basic mode of operation, under a program control, and comprises a shuttle assembly and a component insertion assembly. In operation, the shuttle assembly transfers a component from a selected one of a plurality of magazines to an unload station. At the unload station, the shuttle assembly loads the insertion assembly which rotates to a vertical position for insertion of the component in a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board is mounted on an X-Y positioning system controlled by a tape reader or a computer which also determines the automatic sequencing of the shuttle assembly.

Multi-module dip transfer and insertion machine

Two or four lead DIP components are stored in a generally vertical, adjustable chute for gravity feed during lateral removal of a single component by a coacting shuttle tooling clamp arm from the bottom of the supply. Individual component removal is facilitated by a spring biased plunger for blocking removal of the bottom-most component until the coacting clamp arm raises the plunger against the action of the spring biasing.

Dip component supply magazine

DIP components are released from storage in a generally vertical chute when a spring-biased first finger blocking the chute exit is pivoted away. A second finger presses laterally on a prong of the second lowest stored component and limits dispensing to a single component for each actuation of the first finger.

DIP component storage and dispensing magazine

An apparatus for sequentially feeding non-axial lead electrical components in their manufacturing strips from a magazine to a forming station where they are removed, bent into a substantially axial lead configuration and taped between two pairs of continuous ribbons of tape. The leads are straightened while in the manufacturing strip by being placed under tension.

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Binghamton, NY, United States of America

Robert H Holmes