Method and apparatus for securing articles in place on a substrate

摘要

A spring clip (30) for holding chip carriers in place on a pallet (20) serves to urge a case (12) seated in each of a plurality of pallet cavities (22) against an underlying lid (14) therein during fabrication of the chip carrier (10). The spring clip (30) comprises a central shaft (32) which extends vertically through the center of a metal plate (31). The plate (31) has a plurality of radially outstretched resilient arms (36), each sloping downwardly from a separate side thereof and having an upturned end (37). The lower end (38) of the shaft (32) is sized for lockable engagement with a corresponding one of a plurality of receiving passages (24) in the pallet (20). Each passage (24) is surrounded by a group of pallet cavities (22). When the first end of each shaft (32) of the spring clip (30) is lockably engaged with the pallet (20), the chip carriers (10) are held on the pallet (20) by the ends (37) of the arms (36).