COMPONENT SOURCE INTERCHANGE GANTRY

摘要

The present invention is a method and apparatus for automatically storing and replenishing expandable wafers used in component feeders used in automated printed circuit board assembly systems, for example the Hover-Davis Direct Die Feeder (DDF). In the mass production of printed circuit boards automated pick-and-place equipment accepts die from "chip feeders* and then mounts them at predetermined location on the circuit board. The present invention includes a wafer or tape reel storage by and a gripping assembly that is moved by a gantry robot to retrieve a wafer or reel from the storage bay and automatically deposit in into a component feeder.