Abstract: For automatically mounting electronic components, such as tubular ceramic capacitors having no leads, in preassigned positions on a printed circuit board, there is employed a template having formed therein depressions arranged in mirror-image relationship to the arrangement of the preassigned mounting positions of the components on the circuit board. The depressions have a depth less than the diameter of each component. Removably mounted on the template is a guide plate having passages formed therethrough in register with the template depressions. The electronic components are chuted into the template depressions through the passages in the guide plate, and the positions or attitudes of the components in the template depressions are corrected by applying mechanical vibrations to the superposed template and guide plate, preferably while the latter are being tilted.

Abstract: An apparatus for particular use in delivering leadless, tubular ceramic capacitors or like electronic components from a receptacle, containing a random pile of such components, to templates for the prearrangement of the components, preparatory to their attachment to printed circuit boards. The apparatus includes a vacuum pickup assembly for repeatedly picking up the components, at least one at a time, in the receptacle and depositing them on an entrance guide of approximately V-shaped cross section extending from an inclined, rotatable, tubular chute. The entrance guide functions to direct the components into the chute in alignment, for delivery to a desired location. After the pickup assembly deposits a component or components on the entrance guide each time, the entrance guide and the chute are bidirectionally rotated through a preassigned angle in each direction to facilitate the entrance of the component or components into the chute.