Mass soldering apparatus and method using vibratory energy

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MASS SOLDERING PRINTED WIRING BOARDS HAVING COMPONENTS MOUNTED THEREON WITH LEADS CONTACTING THE PRINTED CIRCUIT COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: MOVING A SUCCESSION OF WIRING BOARDS INTO A FLOWING SOLDER STREAM WITH THE PRINTED CIRCUIT CONTACTED BY THE LEADS ON THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE BOARD, CLEANING AND PRETINNING COMPONENT LEADS AT A FIRST WORK STATION DOWNSTREAM BY PROVIDING CONCENTRATED VIBRATIONS DIRECTED TOWARD THE LEADS AT A LOCALIZED PORTION OF THE STREAM FROM BELOW THE SURFACE AT A FREQUENCY FROM SLIGHTLY BELOW 60 CYCLES TO 200,000 CYCLES, REMOVING THE BOARDS FROM THE STREAM FOR A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, AND RE-IMMERSING THE BOARDS INTO THE SAME STREAM AT A SUBSEQUENT WORK STATION LOCATED UPSTREAM FOR SOLDERING THE TINNED LEADS TO THE PRINTED CIRCUIT.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF MASS SOLDERING PRINTED WIRING BOARDS HAVING COMPONENTS MOUNTED THEREON WITH LEADS CONTACTING THE PRINTED CIRCUIT COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: MOVING A SUCCESSION OF WIRING BOARDS INTO A FLOWING SOLDER STREAM WITH THE PRINTED CIRCUIT CONTACTED BY THE LEADS ON THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE BOARD, CLEANING AND PRETINNING COMPONENT LEADS AT A FIRST WORK STATION DOWNSTREAM BY PROVIDING CONCENTRATED VIBRATIONS DIRECTED TOWARD THE LEADS AT A LOCALIZED PORTION OF THE STREAM FROM BELOW THE SURFACE AT A FREQUENCY FROM SLIGHTLY BELOW 60 CYCLES TO 200,000 CYCLES, REMOVING THE BOARDS FROM THE STREAM FOR A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, AND RE-IMMERSING THE BOARDS INTO THE SAME STREAM AT A SUBSEQUENT WORK STATION LOCATED UPSTREAM FOR SOLDERING THE TINNED LEADS TO THE PRINTED CIRCUIT.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS FOR MASS SOLDERING PRINTED WIRING BOARDS HAVING COMPONENTS MOUNTED THEREON WITH LEADS CONTACTING THE PRINTED CIRCUIT COMPRISING: A CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING SOLDER SYSTEM, INCLUDING A MAIN RESERVOIR, A PUMPING RESERVOIR AND SUBSIDIARY RESERVOIR, AN EXTERNAL INCLINED STREAM TROUGH FOR PRETINNING AND SOLDERING HAVING AN UPSTREAM SECTION AND A DOWNSTREAM SECTION, SAID DOWNSTREAM SECTION FLOWING INTO THE SUBSIDIARY RESERVOIR, AN INCLINED OVERFLOW FROM THE SUBSIDIARY RESERVOIR TO THE MAIN RESERVOIR, PUMPING MEANS RAISING THE SOLDER FROM BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE MAIN RESERVOIR TO THE PUMPING RESERVOIR AND THEN ONTO THE UPSTREAM SECTION OF THE INCLINED STREAM TROUGH AND HEATING MEANS TO KEEP THE CIRCULATING SOLDER IN A MOLTEN CONDITION THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM, A CONVEYOR FOR CARRYING PRINTED WIRING BOARDS IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO THE INCLINED STREAM TROUGH OF THE SOLDER SYSTEM SO THAT THE CIRCUITS ARE BROUGHT INTO CONTACT WITH THE STREAM, A FIRST WORK STATION LOCATED IN THE INTRODUCTORY DOWNSTREAM SECTION OF THE STREAM TOUGH HAVING MEANS FOR PRODUCING CONCENTRATED VIBRATIONS IN A LOCALIZED PORTION OF THE STREAM FROM BENEATH THE SURFACE AT A FREQUENCY FROM SLIGHTLY BELOW 60 CYCLES TO 200,000 CYCLES IN ORDER TO CLEAN AND PRETIN COMPONENT LEADS AT THE LAND AREAS, SAID MEANS COMPRISING ONE OR MORE TAPERED VIBRATORS SITUATED TRANSVERSE TO THE CONVEYORIZED MOVEMENT OF BOARDS THROUGH THE STREAM, A DEPRESSED INTERMEDIATE STREAM TROUGH SECTION WHERE THE CONVEYOR-CARRIED IS OUT OF CONTACT WITH THE STREAM, AND A SECOND WORK STATION UPSTREAM HAVING MEANS DIRECTING THE FLOWING SOLDER STREAM AGAINST THE LEADS TO SOLDER THEM TO THE WIRING BOARD CIRCUIT AND TO REFINISH THE WIRING BOARD CIRCUITS.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS FOR MASS SOLDERING PRINTED WIRING BOARDS HAVING COMPONENTS MOUNTED THEREON WITH LEADS CONTACTING THE PRINTED CIRCUIT COMPRISING: A CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING SOLDER SYSTEM, INCLUDING A MAIN RESERVOIR, A PUMPING RESERVOIR AND SUBSIDIARY RESERVOIR, AN EXTERNAL INCLINED STREAM TROUGH FOR PRETINNING AND SOLDERING HAVING AN UPSTREAM SECTION AND A DOWNSTREAM SECTION, SAID DOWNSTREAM SECTION FLOWING INTO THE SUBSIDIARY RESERVOIR, AN INCLINED OVERFLOW FROM THE SUBSIDIARY RESERVOIR TO THE MAIN RESERVOIR, PUMPING MEANS RAISING THE SOLDER FROM BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE MAIN RESERVOIR TO THE PUMPING RESERVOIR AND THEN ONTO THE UPSTREAM SECTION OF THE INCLINED STREAM TROUGH AND HEATING MEANS TO KEEP THE CIRCULATING SOLDER IN A MOLTEN CONDITION THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM, A CONVEYOR FOR CARRYING PRINTED WIRING BOARDS IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO THE INCLINED STREAM TROUGH OF THE SOLDER SYSTEM SO THAT THE CIRCUITS ARE BROUGHT INTO CONTACT WITH THE STREAM, A FIRST WORK STATION LOCATED IN THE INTRODUCTORY DOWNSTREAM SECTION OF THE STREAM TOUGH HAVING MEANS FOR PRODUCING CONCENTRATED VIBRATIONS IN A LOCALIZED PORTION OF THE STREAM FROM BENEATH THE SURFACE AT A FREQUENCY FROM SLIGHTLY BELOW 60 CYCLES TO 200,000 CYCLES IN ORDER TO CLEAN AND PRETIN COMPONENT LEADS AT THE LAND AREAS, SAID MEANS COMPRISING ONE OR MORE TAPERED VIBRATORS SITUATED TRANSVERSE TO THE CONVEYORIZED MOVEMENT OF BOARDS THROUGH THE STREAM, A DEPRESSED INTERMEDIATE STREAM TROUGH SECTION WHERE THE CONVEYOR-CARRIED IS OUT OF CONTACT WITH THE STREAM, AND A SECOND WORK STATION UPSTREAM HAVING MEANS DIRECTING THE FLOWING SOLDER STREAM AGAINST THE LEADS TO SOLDER THEM TO THE WIRING BOARD CIRCUIT AND TO REFINISH THE WIRING BOARD CIRCUITS.