Assembly apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING MOLTEN SOLDER TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE UNDERPORTION OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT ASSEMBLY ON A PANEL OF INSULATING MATERIAL, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING IN COMBINATION, A CONTAINER FOR HOUSING MOLTEN SOLDER, A BODY OF MOLTEN SOLDER IN SAID CONTAINER, ROTARY PUMP MEANS SUBMERGED IN THE MOLTEN SOLDER AND ADAPTED TO IMPEL FRESH MOLTEN SOLDER FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE SOLDER BODY UPWARDLY INTO A SCUM-FREE FLOWING HUMP OF MOLTEN SOLDER WHICH EXTENDS TO A PREDETERMINED HEIGHT ABOVE THE SOLDER THAT IS NOT A PART OF THE HUMP, MEANS FOR CONFINING THE FLOW OF MOLTEN SOLDER TO LIMIT THE HUMP TO A PREDETERMINED CONFIGURATION AND TO A WIDTH CORRESPONDING TO THE WIDTH OF THE PRINTED CIRCUIT ASSEMBLY TO BE SOLDERED, BAFFLING MEANS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID PUMP MEANS AND SAID CONFINING MEANS EFFECTIVE TO DISTRIBUTE THE FLOW OF SOLDER EVENLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID CONFINING MEANS FOR RENDERING THE CONTOUR OF THE HUMP COMPARATIVELY UNIFORM AND FOR REDUCING TURBULENCE IN THE HUMP, SUPPOTING MEANS EXTENDING OVER SAID CONTAINER AND PAST SAID HUMP FOR CARRYING A SERIES OF THE PRINTED CIRCUIT PANEL ASSEMBLIES, AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE PRINTED CIRCUIT ASSEMBLIES ALONG SAID SUPPORT MEANS SO THAT ONLY THE UNDERPORTIONS OF THE ASSEMBLIES ARE ENGAGED IN TOUCHING CONTACT BY THE HUMP OF MOLTEN SOLDER, WITH THE HUMP FORMATION BEING OF SUCH CONFIGURATION THAT MOLTEN SOLDER IS APPLIED UNIFORMLY OVER THE AREA OF EACH ASSEMBLY AS IT TRAVERSES THE HUMP.