APPARATUS FOR ALIGNING AND DISPENSING SOLDER COLUMNS IN AN ARRAY

摘要

AN APPARATUS FOR ALIGNING AND DISPENSING (10) A PLURALITY OF SOLDER COLUMNS (18) IN AN ARRAY.THE APPARATUS INCLUDES A VIBRATOR (12) AND AN ELONGATED ALIGNMENT PLATE (14) SUPPORTED ON THE VIBRATOR (12). THE ALIGNMENT PLATE (14) INCLUDES A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINAL GUIDE GROOVES (26). A TRANSPARENT COVER IS SECURED ON THE ALIGNMENT PLATE (14) AND SHAPED TO COVER PART OF THE GUIDE GROOVES (26). A PARTS FEEDER IS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE ALIGNMENT PLATE (14) TO FEED SOLDER COLUMNS (18) OVER THE UPSTREAM END (14A) OF THE ALIGNMENT PLATE (14). THE SOLDER COLUMNS (18) ARE RECEIVED IN THE GUIDE GROOVES (26) AND FED TOWARD THE DOWNSTREAM END (14B) OF THE ALIGNMENT PLATE WHILE THE ALIGNMENT PLATE (14) IS VIBRATED BY THE VIBRATOR (12). THE SOLDER COLUMNS (18) ARE ARRANGED IN AN ARRAY WITHIN THE GUIDE GROOVES (26) SO THAT A VACUUM PICKUP TOOL MAY READILY CAPTURE THE CYLINDRICAL BODY OF THE SOLDER COLUMNS (18).(FIG 1)