Method of forming a tool assembly

• US 4,419,803 A
• Filed: 11/26/1982
• Issued: 12/13/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ashcombe Products Company
• Original Assignee: Ashcombe Products Company
• Inventors: Thornton, Henry M., Thornton, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Briggs, William R.
• Application Number:
  US06/444,671
• Time in Patent Office: 382 Days
• Field of Search: 29/557, 29/558, 29/33 R, 29/428, 29/564, 29/563, 408/1 R, 408/3, 408/31, 408/34, 408/42, 408/43, 408/44, 408/50
• US Class Current: 29/428
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 39/161 with parallel work spindles
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 35/02 Copying discrete points from the pattern, e.g. for determining the position of holes to be drilled
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 5/06 driven essentially by fluid pressure or pneumatic power
• CPC Class Codes: B26F 1/16 Perforating by tool or tools of the drill type
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1536 Temporarily stacked PCBs
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0047 Drilling of holes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5136 Separate tool stations for selective or successive operation on work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 408/03 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 408/38 Plural, simultaneously operational tools

Abstract

A gang tool assembly for drilling a precise pattern of holes in a workpiece or otherwise cutting surfaces and the like on such workpiece and including a mounting panel of rigid sheet material having a pattern of holes formed therein to receive supports for powered tool heads to detachably support the same to form a gang pattern of either drills or cutters for simultaneously drilling a pattern of holes in a workpiece or forming a contoured surface thereon. The mounting panel is formed by at least pricking with pins a pattern of holes upon a sheet-like pattern of all holes to be drilled and forming partial patterns of the entire pattern separately upon said sheet-like pattern and digitizing the same upon a tape for use in a numerically controlled machine operable to successively drill a series of rigid sheet-like support plates for holding powered drill heads in partial patterns of said entire pattern and comprising a set thereof for use to drill patterns of holes in sets of test and base plates respectively requiring holes of different diameters for use in ultimately drilling holes in product sheet material having the entire required pattern of holes therein.

Claims

1. A method of drilling or cutting a predetermined pattern of holes or cuts in a product sheet of material comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting from a diagram sheet of an entire pattern of holes to be drilled in said product sheet of material desired partial patterns of holes of said entire pattern of holes to be drilled therein,

(b) digitizing said partial pattern of holes upon a tape for a numerically controlled drilling machine,

(c) operating a numerically controlled drilling machine as controlled by said digitized tape to drill said partial pattern of holes of predetermined diameter in a rigid sheet of material to form a rigid support plate having said partial pattern of holes for supporting respectively therein powered tool heads,

(d) successively forming additional complementary digitized partial patterns of holes in related and complementary tape recordals,

(e) successively forming related and complementary partial patterns of holes in additional rigid support plates to provide a set of said plates collectively embracing all holes to be drilled in said rigid support plates,

(f) mounting powered tool heads respectively in the holes in said set of rigid support plates to form gang tool assemblies, and

(g) drilling using said set of gang tools said partial patterns of holes successively in one or a stack of limited number of product sheets of material to achieve the entire desired pattern of holes therein.

2. The method according to claim 1 in which the powered tool heads are of a predetermined diameter larger than the holes to be drilled thereby in said similar product sheets and selection of said partial pattern of holes in each support plate of said set thereof includes the further step of arranging for accommodation of said powered tool heads on each support plate of said set thereof by placing upon an entire pattern of holes a plurality of similar pin-like members with heads equal in diameter to said powered tool heads in such manner that said heads of said pin-like members do not overlap and pricks made in said pattern indicate which of the holes to be drilled have been selected to form a partial pattern of hole indications for each individual support plate, and digitizing on a tape the location of each hole pricked by said pin-like members respectively for each support plate of said set thereof to be formed to support said powered tool heads.

3. The method according to claim 2 including the further steps of utilizing said sets of support plates with powered tool heads mounted thereon sequentially to drill in a set of base plates for one or more similar stacked product sheets of material a set of holes corresponding respectively to the partial pattern of the entire pattern of holes for said similar product sheets and drilling said holes to a depth sufficient to accommodate the tip portions of test probes arranged in a partial pattern corresponding respectively to each support plate for said entire set thereof.

4. The method according to claim 3 including the further step of utilizing said sets of support plates with powered tool heads mounted therein to drill in a further set of testing support plates a set of holes for test probes having heads of larger diameter than the probes, said set of holes being the size of the holes for said similar product sheets, and utilizing said sets of holes in said another set of support plates as guide holes for individually drilling holes of larger diameter therein to accommodate said larger diameter heads of said probes for reciprocable testing movements.

5. The method according to claim 3 including the further step of providing said base plates with a limited number of positioning pins in strategic locations not interfering with the pattern of holes to be drilled in said circuit boards, and initially forming in said similar product sheets identical patterns of positioning holes of the same diameter as said guide pins and corresponding in exact location to said pattern of guide pins.

6. The method according to claim 1 including the further step of mounting upon each support plate of said set thereof for powered tool heads a limited number of spring pressed plungers having presser feet extending toward the similar product sheets to be drilled and located on said support plates in areas not interfering with said tool heads.