Method and apparatus for assembling electrical components onto a circuit board

Abstract

Abstract THE DISCLOSURE RELATES TO THE ASSEMBLY OF ELECTRICAL OR ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS ONTO CONVENTIONAL PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS ALREADY HAVING THE PRINTED CIRCUIT THEREON WITH HOLES THERETHROUGH. THE BOARDS ARE PLACED ON A MOVING CONVEYOR WHICH STOPS FOR PREDETERMINED INTERVALS AT VARIOUS STATIONS AS IT MOVES DOWN THE CONVEYOR. A MASK TEMPLATE IS PLACED OVER THE BOARD AT EACH INDIVIDUAL STATION WHICH INDICATES BY THE CUTOUT PORTION OF THE MASK AND THE COLOR CODING COMBINATION WHICH COMPONENTS ARE TO BE PLACED BY THE INDIVIDUAL AT THAT STATION ONTO THAT PORTION OF THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BARD. THE MASK IS REMOVED BEFORE THE BOARD MOVES ON TO THE NEXT STATION WHERE A DIFFERENT MASK ADAPTED TO COVER THE COMPONENTS PLACED ON THE BOARD AT THE PREVIOUS STATION HAS CUT OUT PORTIONS OF ITS OWN AND COLOR CODING OF ITS OWN SO AS TO ENABLE THE PLACING OF ALL OF THE COMPONENTS ONTO THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD IN A MINIMUM OF TIME, AND WITH A MINIMUM POSSIBILITY FOR MISTAKE, IN OTHER WORDS, A FEW COMPONENTS ARE PLACED ON THE BOARD AT EACH STATION BY MEANS OF THE MASK TEMPLATE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PARTICULAR STATION. UPON THE COMPLETION OF THE PLACING OF THE COMPONENTS UPON THE BOARD, THE COMPONENTS ARE TEMPORARILY HELD IN POSITION ON THE BOARD, THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS TO EACH COMPONENT TRIMMED TO PROPER SPACED RELATIONSHIP THROUGH THE HOLES, WITH THE CONNECTORS THEN SOLDERED INTO PLACE, THE TEMPORARY HOLDING MEANS REMOVED, AND THE ENTIRE BOARD CLEANED FOR A FINAL APPLICATION INTO THE NECESSARY ELECTRICAL OR ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENT.

Inventors

• 👤 Charles J Moran

Bibliographic Details