Abstract: A printed circuit board having a substrate on which circuitry is formed, is spot-faced, by cutting at first the circuitry, and then by spot-facing the substrate up to a desired depth.

Abstract: A device for exchanging tools for use with a spindle has a tool holding device having a plurality of tool holding members disposed at predetermined intervals. Each tool holding member is supported for movement in its axial direction and is axially driven by a drive device so that a tool is transferred between the tool holding member and the spindle. The invention is also concerned with a tool exchanging method.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for supplying a printed circuit board to a printed circuit board drilling machine and for returning the printed circuit board after the drilling. A stocker stores a plurality of printed circuit boards in a tilted state, and a plurality of conveyor rollers provides a conveying path for the printed circuit boards. A conveyor device which includes conveyor rollers provides a conveying path connected to the first mentioned conveying path. The arrival of the printed circuit board is detected at a predetermined position, and the printed circuit board is then decelerated by braking in response to a signal from the detection. A device is provided on the printed circuit board drilling machine for delivering the printed circuit board to the printed circuit board drilling machine.

Abstract: A spindle and Z-axis unit comprises a spindle housing and a hollow rotor shaft rotatable and axially movable with respect to the spindle housing. The rotor shaft carries a collet at its lower end for chucking a machine tool such as a drill bit. The tool is changed in the collet by pneumatic actuation of a diaphragm which actuates a push rod within the rotor shaft to move the collet axially against a spring bias to clamp and unclamp the tool. The shaft is moved in the Z-direction along with a thrust bearing assembly by a screw nut which actuates a road to move the rotor shaft in the Z-direction to drill a workpiece after a pressure foot has first been moved to clamp the workpiece with respect to the spindle. Thus, the moving weight or mass previously attributable to parts such as a spindle saddle and spindle housing can be eliminated without impairing the reliability and chucking force of the collet mechanism.

Abstract: An apparatus for taking out printed circuit boards, comprises a pin extracting device for extracting a plurality of pins erectly provided on a workpiece including printed circuit boards and a lower plate both of which are laminated, a reversing device for reversing the workpiece, a lower plate discharging device for discharging the lower plate from the workpiece, and a printed circuit board recovering device for recovering the printed circuit boards. The apparatus is capable of automatically taking out the printed circuit boards from the workpiece discharged from a perforator.

Abstract: A figure retrieval method for storing memory addresses for figure data in an address data table which corresponds to positional coordinates of a multi-dimensional array. When retrieving end points, or node points, other points on a line and points on a surface, these points constituting the figure data, memory addresses for figure data for an object to be retrieved are stored in the address data table and then retrieved. Flags indicative of the kind of the constituent points are also stored in the address data table in combination with the memory addresses and are used for figure retrieval.

Abstract: A spot facing method and apparatus for processing a printed circuit board incorporates a sensing device having a sensor probe capable of sensing the level of the surface of a printed circuit board, another sensing device for sensing the position of the end of a tool, measuring circuits for measuring the distance between the sensing probe and the end of the tool and the distance between the surface of the printed circuit board and the end of the tool in accordance with the signals from the sensing devices, and a controller connected to the measuring circuits so as to control the feed of the tool thereby attaining a high dimensional precision in the depthwise direction in the spot facing.

Abstract: In a punching apparatus, a die set supports, in mutual opposition, an upper die part on which a plurality of punch pins upwardly urged by a plurality of springs are axially slidably disposed at predetermined intervals, and a lower die part formed with a plurality of holes opposing the punch pins. A device for driving the punch pins includes a plurality of drive shafts each having at least three shaft portions disposed adjacent to each other, part of the shaft portions being formed of a magnetic material and the remaining part thereof being formed of a non-magnetic material. At least two electromagnetic coils are fitted around the shaft portions of each drive shaft, and a clutch mechanism disposed on one end of each drive shaft separably couples the drive shaft with the punch pin. The driving device greatly reduces the amount of heat generated by the electromagnetic coils to allow the adoption of an air cooling system, and increases punching force to assure positive working.

Abstract: A printed circuit board boring machine bores printed circuit boards stacked on a table, by a drill while pressing the printed circuit boards with a pressure foot. A piece having a hole through which the drill may pass is detachably mounted on a tip end portion of the pressure foot with a center of the hole being aligned with an axis of the drill. The piece may be attached to the pressure foot before the boring work so that the boards and the piece may be simultaneously bored by the drill while the hole in the piece may be used as a guide for the boring work of the boards.

Abstract: A wire electric discharge machining apparatus wherein workpiece and a wire supported by a pair of guides are moved relative to each other in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction, one of the guides being moved relative to the other guide in two directions in a horizontal plane for performing a machining operation. The apparatus comprises the pair of guides, a frame, rails mounted on a column, a U-axis moving unit, and a V-axis moving unit. One of the guides is mounted on the frame. The V-axis moving unit on which the other guide is mounted is mounted movably on the U-axis moving unit in parallel with the Y-axis. The frame and the U-axis moving unit are arranged in alignment with the rails.

Abstract: A spindle and Z-axis unit comprises a spindle housing and a hollow rotor shaft rotatable and axially movable with respect to the spindle housing. The rotor shaft carries a collet at its lower end for chucking a machine tool such as a drill bit. The tool is changed in the collet by pneumatic actuation of a diaphragm which actuates a push rod within the rotor shaft to move the collect axially against a spring bias to clamp and unclamp the tool. The shaft is moved in the Z-direction along with a thrust bearing assembly by a screw nut which actuates a road to move the rotor shaft in the Z-direction to drill a workpiece after a pressure foot has first been moved to clamp the workpiece with respect to the spindle. Thus, the moving weight or mass previously attributable to parts such as a spindle saddle and spindle housing can be eliminated without impairing the reliability and chucking force of the collet mechanism.

Abstract: In a method of and an apparatus for drilling a hole in a workpiece, a pressure foot associated with a drill is moved into contact with the workpiece, and a drill bit associated with the drill is moved from a drill-starting position into the workpiece, toward the drill-starting position and again into the workpiece while maintaining the pressure foot in constant contact with the workpiece. The drill is reciprocally fed by a plurality of times under the pressure of the pressure foot acting upon the printed circuit board. In either of the method and the apparatus, a hole with a high aspect ratio can be formed in a workpiece made from a thin, flexible material.

Abstract: The method for controlling the withdrawal of the electrode in an NC electric-discharge machine permits a linear withdrawal of the electrode to a forward position at least two blocks preceding the present forward position from the workpiece according to a withdrawal command received by the NC unit and with a high efficiency while a workpiece is being machined with electric discharges made between the electrode and the workpiece with the former being forwarded in relation to the latter according to a control information including positioning commands given to the NC unit for each block.

Abstract: A tool detecting apparatus including a first detection part having a plurality of arrayed light-receiving elements receiving a beam of light passing around a tool placed in an optical path and a memory circuit for sequentially storing binary signals corresponding to the outputs of the light-receiving elements scanned at a predetermined time interval thereby updating its previous contents, and at least one of a second detection part, third detection part and a fourth detection part. The second detection part includes a state detection circuit and a timing circuit while the third detection part includes a holding circuit and an arithmetic circuit. The fourth detection part includes another arithmetic circuit.

Abstract: A pressure foot for a machine for drilling a printed circuit board is supported to be slidable in an axial direction of a rotor shaft and is connected to a vacuum suction source. The pressure foot is adapted to depress the printed circuit board during a drilling operation. A first air pathway is formed from a first supply port formed in a side wall of the pressure foot to a plurality of first blow-out ports formed in a contact surface of the pressure foot with the printed circuit board. The first supply port is connected with a pressure air source. A second air pathway extends from a second supply port formed in the side wall to a plurality of second blow-out ports opened toward an interior of the pressure foot. The second air pathway is in communication with a supply source of a pressure air. Thus, the working time and cost are reduced.

Abstract: A method of perforating a printed circuit board having a copper foil layer on one side thereof, at least one intermediate resin layer and a layer on the other side thereof, so as to form a connection hole for providing an electrical connection between the copper foil layer and the layer on the other side of the printed circuit board. The method employs a printed circuit board perforation apparatus which has a laser processing head capable of processing the printed circuit board by means of a laser beam and a drill head capable of driling the printed circuit board. After the apparatus is suitably located with respect to the printed circuit board, the drilling head operates to conduct drilling into the resin layer through the copper foil layer by the drilling head so as to form a pilot hole.

Abstract: An apparatus for drilling a hole in a workpiece such as, for example, a printed circuit board wherein a pressure foot, associated with a drill, is moved into a position to exert a pressure on the workpiece. A drill bit associated with the drill is moved with respect to the workpiece, and an arrangement is provided for controlling the operations of the pressure foot and the drill bit in such a manner so as to move the drill bit from a drill starting position into the workpiece, then toward the drill starting position and again into the workpiece while maintaining the pressure exerted on the workpiece by the pressure foot.

Abstract: A figure data display method and system in which the contents to be stored and constituting data are stored in the form of figure data divided into a plurality of partial areas, a file information table is prepared which registers therein figure area information, along with volume information of the figure data, in the sequence of serial numbers allocated to the partial areas dependent on their positions, and those partial areas, which are necessary for display of the figure data, are searched within a range of the registered serial numbers. By preparing the figure data represented in the compressed form by taking relative values between the coordinate values of respective features points in the figure data, or by retrieving file names in a manner involving direct searching the figure data from a storage medium, operation from the step of reading the figure data to the step of displaying the same can be speeded up.

Abstract: A drawing system in a wire-cut electrodischarge machine having two rectilinear motion devices arranged at right angles on a base for moving a workpiece and a wire relatively to each other, comprising a writing device, a cylindrical drawing mount supported rotatably, and a motion converter for converting linear movement into rotational movement, the drawing mount being connected via the motion converter to one of the rectilinear motion devices while the writing device is connected to the other of the rectilinear motion devices.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for supplying a printed circuit board to a printed circuit board drilling machine and for returning the printed circuit board after the drilling. A stocker stores a plurality of printed circuit boards in a tilted state, and a plurality of conveyor rollers provides a conveying path for the printed circuit boards. A conveyor device which includes conveyor rollers provides a conveying path connected to the first mentioned conveying path. The arrival of the printed circuit board is detected at a predetermined position, and the printed circuit board is then decelerated by braking in response to a signal from the detection. A device is provided on the printed circuit board drilling machine for delivering the printed circuit board to the printed circuit board drilling machine.