Abstract: A solder reflow oven with horizontal cyclonic convection air flow for enhancing equalized heating of printed circuit boards conveyed therethrough. Air circulation apparatus can include a first air movement fan for urging air to move horizontally laterally from the first side wall of the oven toward the second side wall of the oven across and above printed circuit boards being conveyed therethrough. A second air fan is positioned below and laterally displaced from the conveying means for directing a second air stream below the first air stream and oppositely oriented in order to urge movement of heated air across the undersurface of the conveyor for enhancing equalization of heating of the printed circuits boards thereupon. Preferably, both blowers are oriented to move air approximately perpendicularly with respect to the direction of movement of the conveyed printed circuit boards in opposite respective directions thereabove and therebelow.

Abstract: A pick and place device for populating a circuit board is operated manually. One or more pickup heads in a carriage is lowered to engage a component by vacuum, raised for carrying the component to a desired position over the circuit board and lowered to set the component. The component can be rotated, and the vacuum is operated automatically during pick and place movements, accomplished with one hand via a rotatable handle arrangement. A hand rest places the user's fingers in range of the handle and assists in coarse positioning of the carriage. The handle and hand rest are mountable on opposite lateral sides of the carriage head assembly. Finger controlled fine positioning guides also support the carriage for movement relative to the coarse guide. Coarse guidance is by a telescoping arm and lateral rail or the like. Fine guidance is by a short span two-axis slide block coupling the carriage to the telescoping arm. The handle lifts or lowers a control plate and is coupled to convey rotation.

Abstract: An apparatus for bending leads axially protruding from a component includes a pair of spaced apart discs mounted on a shaft. Each disc has a plurality of generally V-shaped cutouts that are axially in registry with the cutouts on the other disc such that the component is retained in a registered pair of cutouts. The span between opposing leading and lagging surfaces defining each cutout, is related to the radius of curvature of a partially conically shaped lagging outboard edge of the cutout by a predetermined function. In other words, due to the V-shape of the cutout, the head is held at a certain radial position in the cutout between the leading and lagging surfaces of the cutout. At this radially coincidental point, the span of the cutout of course equals the diameter of the lead. The radius of curvature of the lagging outboard edge of the cutout at that radially coincidental point is made a predetermined function of the diameter of the lead, for example equal thereto.

Abstract: A machine for cutting, bending and forming axial lead components is disclosed which includes a frame having sidewalls within which are journalled a drive shaft, a tooling shaft and a bender shaft. A plurality of toothed feed wheels and a first forming die are rotated by the drive shaft to carry the components through a rotary path. The tooling shaft is eccentrically adjustable and carries a prebend washer, a cutting wheel and a second forming die into the rotary path to prebend the axial leads, to trim the leads to size and to impress kinks or bows in the prebent and trimmed leads. The bender shaft is mounted in the sidewalls in eccentric bushings and supports a bend wheel in operative position in the rotary path to impose a final bend in the axial lead with the kink facing outwardly. Suitable component feed guides and stripping apparatus are employed to facilitate automatic operation of the machine.

Abstract: An adjustable electrical component feeder is disclosed which includes adjustable blades for controlling the gravity movement of the components, as feed wheel receiving the components from the adjustable blades, and an adjustable stop assembly positioned to be contacted by the component leads as the components exit from the adjustable blades, the stop assembly including an adjustable finger adapted to limit the space available to receive component leads between feed wheel teeth so that the leads of only a single electronic component can be fed at one time to the space between adjacent feed wheel teeth.