Automatic soldering machine

Claim 2

In an automatic soldering apparatus including a plurality of holders for objects to be soldered, and a variable speed conveyor for moving the holders along a conveying path to a soldering bath where the objects are touch soldered by dragging through liquid solder and are then moved away, the improvement comprising: at least one guide rail disposed along the conveying path and adjacent the soldering bath, means to raise and lower the guide rail in a controlled manner, and guide elements attached to some of the holders, said guide rail engaging said guide elements on those of said holders having said guide elements for intercepting and at least partially controlling the motion of said holders having guide elements across said soldering bath, to provide for dip soldering of the objects on said intercepted holders, said guide rails avoiding interception of those holders not having said guide elements, so that said non-intercepted holders are permitted to move solely under the control of the conveyor in order to effect touch soldering of the objects on the nonintercepted holders.

Claim 3

Soldering apparatus according to claim 1, including two parallel extending guide rails.

Claim 4

Soldering apparatus according to claim 2, including means to raise and lower both guide rails jointly.

Claim 5

Soldering apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means is operable to tile the guide rail about a horizontal axis located transversely to the direction of conveyance.

Claim 6

Soldering apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said raising and lowering means is operable to raise and lower each of the guide rails separately.

Claim 7

Soldering apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the holder includes carrying bars located laterally and extending to the front and rear of the holder and extending upwardly from the holders said carrying bars having rollers which are positioned to engage the guide rails when the holder is moved along the path of the region of the guide rails.

Claim 8

Soldering apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said raising and lowering means includes at least one lifting bar connected to the guide rail and drive means to raise and lower the lifting bar.

Claim 9

Soldering apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said raising and lowering means includes two lifting bars secured to the guide rail at two places which are at a distaNce from each other in the direction of conveyance and drive means to raise and lower the lifting bars.

Claim 10

Soldering apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the guide rails and lifting bars are connected for articulation about axes transverse to the direction of conveyance.

Claim 11

Soldering apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the lifting bars can be raised and lowered by said raising and lowering means independently of one another.

Claim 12

Soldering apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said means to raise and lower both guide rails is operable to raise and lower both jointly.

Claim 13

A soldering machine according to claim 1 including interengageable surfaces on the holder and conveyor that permit relative vertical movement while maintaining driving contact in the direction of conveyance in the region of the guide rail.

Claim 14

A soldering machine according to claim 1 wherein each holder includes at least one switching cam and wherein cam operable switches are located adjacent the soldering bath to control the means to raise and lower the guide rail.

Claim 15

A soldering machine according to claim 6 wherein said rollers are located at the front and rear portions of each holder and are laterally offset, and the guide rails each have separate parallel-extending guide rail portions, and the said front and rear rollers run on different ones of said separate guide rail portions.

Claim 16

A soldering machine according to claim 14, characterized in that the guide rail portions each have run-on ramps.

Claim 17

Soldering apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the guide rail portions of each guide rail are relatively movable longitudinally to vary the distance between the run-on ramps.

Claim 18

Soldering apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the angles of rise of the run-on ramps of each guide rail are different.

Claim 19

In a method of automatically soldering objects, the steps of supporting the objects to be soldered on holders, carrying the holders by a conveyor to a position above and adjacent a bath of molten solder, transferring at least partial control of the movement of selected ones of the holders to a guide rail that extends along the conveying path and along the solder bath while continuing to partially control movement of the selected holders along the path with the conveyor, changing the height of at least a part of the selected holders by moving at least a portion of the guide rail relatively toward the bath to contact the bath with the objects on the selected holders, to effect dip soldering thereon, subsequently moving at least a portion of the guide rail relatively away from the bath to lift the objects on the selected holders from contact with the bath, and moving the objects on the nonselected holders in a trailing fashion through the bath independently of the guide rails to effect touch soldering on the objects on the nonselected holders.

Claim 20

In a method of automatically soldering objects, the steps of supporting the objects to be soldered on holders, carrying the holders by a conveyor to a position above and adjacent a bath of molten solder, transferring at least partial control of the movement of selected ones of the holders to a guide rail that extends along the conveying path and along the solder bath while continuing to partially control movement of the selected holders along the path with the conveyor, changing the height of at least a part of the selected holders by moving at least a portion of the guide rail relatively toward the bath to contact the bath with the objects on the selected holders, to effect dip soldering thereon, subsequently moving at least a portion of the guide rail relatively away from the bath to lift the objects on the selected holders from contact with the bath, and moving the objects on the nonselected holders in a trailing fashion through the bath independently of the guide rails to effect touch soldering on the objects on the nonselected holders.

Claim 21

Apparatus for automatically soldering objects, comprising: a bath of molten solder holders for supporting objects to be soldered, a conveyor to carry the holders along a path to a position above and adjacent the bath of molten solder, for dragging the objects through the bath to effect touch soldering, a guide rail along the solder bath, means to transfer at least partial motive control only of selected ones of the holders from the conveyor to the guide rail while also controlling movement of the holder along the path with the conveyor, and means to move a portion of the guide rail relatively toward the bath and thereby change the height of at least a part of the selected holders so as to contact the bath with the objects to effect dip soldering and to move at least a portion of the guide rail relatively away from the bath to lift the objects from the dipping contact with the bath, while the nonselected holders remain under sole control of the conveyor to effect touch soldering of the objects carried thereon.

Claim 22

Apparatus for automatically soldering objects, comprising: a bath of molten solder holders for supporting objects to be soldered, a conveyor to carry the holders along a path to a position above and adjacent the bath of molten solder, for dragging the objects through the bath to effect touch soldering, a guide rail along the solder bath, means to transfer at least partial motive control only of selected ones of the holders from the conveyor to the guide rail while also controlling movement of the holder along the path with the conveyor, and means to move a portion of the guide rail relatively toward the bath and thereby change the height of at least a part of the selected holders so as to contact the bath with the objects to effect dip soldering and to move at least a portion of the guide rail relatively away from the bath to lift the objects from the dipping contact with the bath, while the nonselected holders remain under sole control of the conveyor to effect touch soldering of the objects carried thereon.

Claim 23

An automatic soldering apparatus for soldering objects held in holders, by means of a soldering bath, saId apparatus comprising: a. a conveyor for moving the holders along a path a portion of which is proximate the soldering bath where the objects are brought together and then moved apart, the path established by the conveyor causing the objects to be dragged substantially horizontally through the bath to effect touch soldering operations thereon, b. a pair of guide rails extending longitudinally in the direction of the path adjacent the bath and spaced laterally apart with respect to the path, c. support means connected to the guide rails for controllably adjusting the orientation of the guide rails relative to the path, and d. guide elements attached to a portion of the holders and engageable with the guide rails as the holders move along the path to cause interception by the guide rails of only those holders having the guide elements to enable at least partial subsequent control of movement of the intercepted holders in accordance with the controlled orientation of the guide rails for dipping the objects in the bath to effect dip soldering operations on only the objects held on the intercepted holders, while the nonintercepted holders are controlled solely by the conveyor to effect touch soldering of the objects held thereon.

Claim 24

An automatic soldering apparatus for soldering objects held in holders, by means of a soldering bath, saId apparatus comprising: a. a conveyor for moving the holders along a path a portion of which is proximate the soldering bath where the objects are brought together and then moved apart, the path established by the conveyor causing the objects to be dragged substantially horizontally through the bath to effect touch soldering operations thereon, b. a pair of guide rails extending longitudinally in the direction of the path adjacent the bath and spaced laterally apart with respect to the path, c. support means connected to the guide rails for controllably adjusting the orientation of the guide rails relative to the path, and d. guide elements attached to a portion of the holders and engageable with the guide rails as the holders move along the path to cause interception by the guide rails of only those holders having the guide elements to enable at least partial subsequent control of movement of the intercepted holders in accordance with the controlled orientation of the guide rails for dipping the objects in the bath to effect dip soldering operations on only the objects held on the intercepted holders, while the nonintercepted holders are controlled solely by the conveyor to effect touch soldering of the objects held thereon.

Claim 25

Soldering apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein said conveyor includes drive bars extending transversely of the direction of conveyance adjacent the front and rear of each holder, and each holder has support surfaces and drive surfaces at its front and rear portions considered relative to its motion along the carrying path, that are engageable by the drive bars and removable relative thereto in a direction transverse to the direction of conveyance, at least one of said drive surfaces extending in said transverse direction a distance to maintain contact with a drive bar if the conveyor and holder move apart in said transverse direction.