Soldering

• US 5,941,444 A
• Filed: 02/24/1997
• Issued: 08/24/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: VLT Incorporated (Vicor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: VTL Corporation
• Inventors: Vinciarelli, Patrizio, Sadler, Steven P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Heinrich, Samuel M.
• Application Number:
  US08/931,913
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 228/33, 228/43, 228/44.7, 228/49.5, 228/212, 118/500, 118/503, 118/729, 156/566, 269/903, 29/832, 29/840
• US Class Current: 228/33
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 1/0016 Brazing of electronic components
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 1/203 Fluxing, i.e. applying flux onto surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/42 Printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/34 by soldering

Abstract

The invention features soldering parts (e.g., printed circuit boards) by indexing the parts sequentially and continuously through a series of processing stations. Each of the series of processing stations includes at least one processing position, and the indexer indexes the parts from processing position to processing position. At different processing stations, the parts indexed into those processing stations are simultaneously processed.

Claims

1. A flux unit for applying flux to precise areas of printed circuit boards, comprising

a rough part locator that roughly locates a printed circuit board within the flux unit, and

a precise part locator that precisely locates the printed circuit board.

2. The flux unit of claim 1, wherein the rough part locator includes

a stopper arm having an end that provides a datum point, and

a pusher arm for pushing the part against the stopper arm.

3. The flux unit of claim 1, wherein the precise part locator includes

a datum bushing and a slotted bushing on the printed circuit board, and

a datum pin and an expansion pin for respectively engaging the datum bushing and the slotted bushing.

4. The flux unit of claim 1, further comprising

a guide rail for supporting the printed circuit board, and

a mechanism for raising and lowering the guide rail.