Abstract: A braze preform is provided that includes a filler metal and a luminescent material that covers at least a portion of the filler metal and that can luminesce when exposed to a black light. The luminescent material may include a luminescent ink and a solvent that are mixed together before being applied to filler metal. Presence of the braze preform may be determined using automated equipment by detecting luminescence of the braze preform with a sensor. A decision may be made on whether to advance a parts assembly for brazing based on the determination of presence or absence of the braze preform on such parts assembly.

Abstract: A method of identifying and selecting welding electrodes and welding output parameters on a welding power source is provided. The method includes identifying electrodes and/or electrode packaging with distinct colors and/or patterns which correspond to properties of the electrode. The method also may include employing distinguishable identifying markings on a power supply which correspond to the electrodes to be used to allow for easy setting of output parameters.

Abstract: A system includes a host machine and a status projector. The host machine is in electrical communication with a collection of sensors and with a welding controller that generates control signals for controlling the welding horn. The host machine is configured to execute a method to thereby process the sensory and control signals, as well as predict a quality status of a weld that is formed using the welding horn, including identifying any suspect welds. The host machine then activates the status projector to illuminate the suspect welds. This may occur directly on the welds using a laser projector, or on a surface of the work piece in proximity to the welds. The system and method may be used in the ultrasonic welding of battery tabs of a multi-cell battery pack in a particular embodiment. The welding horn and welding controller may also be part of the system.

Abstract: A method includes loading a first package component on a concave boat, and placing a second package component over the first package component. A load clamp is placed over the second package component, wherein the load clamp is supported by a temperature-variable spacer of the concave boat. A reflow step is performed to bond the second package component to the first package component. During a temperature-elevation step of the reflow step, the temperature-variable spacer is softened in response to an increase in temperature, and a height of the softened temperature-variable spacer is reduced, until the load clamp is stopped by a rigid spacer of the concave boat.

Abstract: A soldering assistance device is used for soldering a multi-pin electronic element with a row of pins on a PCB. The row of pins includes an outer pin at two ends thereof. The soldering assistance device includes a holding portion and a soldering portion connected to the holding portion. The soldering portion is adjacent to the outer pin. An interval between the soldering portion and the outer pin is less than an interval between each two adjacent pins of the row of pins. The soldering portion is made of a metal which is easy to solder. A soldering method using the soldering assistance device is also provided.

Abstract: A welding alignment and spacing article is provided for forming a welding gap between two structures to be welded together. The article includes a body having first and second surfaces that are spaced from each other at a selected spacing distance to define a region of selected body thickness. The body is formed from a non-metallic degradable body material in the region that can be wholly or partially degraded by exposure to a degrading agent to reduce the body thickness. The body is also formed from a non-degradable body material in the region. The degradable body material and the non-degradable body material are sufficiently incompressible to be useable as a spacer that maintains a specified welding gap distance between the two structures to be welded.

Abstract: There are provided an apparatus for monitoring bonding surface bouncing, a wire bonding apparatus having the same, and a method for monitoring bonding surface bouncing. According to an aspect of the present invention, the apparatus for monitoring bonding surface bouncing includes a sensor measuring a capillary height in real time during bonding and a bouncing detector extracting a change rate of a capillary height from the capillary height measured in real time during a bonding performing period and detecting of whether bonding surface bouncing is present by comparing the extracted change rate with a set reference change rate.

Abstract: A fluxometer system and method is provided. The fluxometer comprises a frame, a simulated circuit board disposed in the frame and having a plurality of holes formed therein extending generally transverse to a plane of the board and a cover. The cover is received on the frame over the simulated circuit board and includes several protrusions simulating leads that extend into the holes of the simulated circuit board. The fluxometer further includes an indicator sheet disposed between the simulated circuit board and the cover, the protrusions extending through the indicator sheet.

Abstract: A method for soldering or welding components in a series production wherein: a fixing seam which connects the components (1, 2) is produced by melting a connecting material (3), which is supplied as an additional material or is formed by a base material of the components (1, 2), along a joint formed by the components (1, 2); and a volume-forming layer of connecting material is deposited onto the fixing seam by melting, or the fixing seam produced by means of the connecting material supplied as an additional material is re-melted.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for evaluating the size and/or quality of a spot weld. The apparatus includes a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers arranged with a delay line for positioning adjacent a surface of a weld. A layer of gel is placed between the delay line and the weld surface. The array of transducers emit ultrasonic waves that pass into the weld. The reflected waves are received by the transducers and relayed to a central processing unit that analyzes the time delay, amplitude, and amplitude attenuation to calculate the border of the weld nugget, the thickness of the welded material, the thickness of the gel layer, and other factors contributing to weld quality.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for evaluating the size and/or quality of a spot weld. The apparatus includes a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers arranged with a delay line for positioning adjacent a surface of a weld. A layer of gel is placed between the delay line and the weld surface. The array of transducers emit ultrasonic waves that pass into the weld. The reflected waves are received by the transducers and relayed to a central processing unit that analyzes the time delay, amplitude, and amplitude attenuation to calculate the border of the weld nugget, the thickness of the welded material, the thickness of the gel layer, and other factors contributing to weld quality.

Abstract: Disclosed are an apparatus for monitoring a process of joining components and for retracing quality, at least sections of an image which has been recorded by a camera and has been reproduced by a screen being able to be stored together with an identity number in a memory device, and a method for using such an apparatus.

Abstract: A welding spacer includes a spacer body having a first pipe-engaging face and a second socket-engaging face. The spacer may be formed from any suitable material, including a liquid-degradable or heat-degradable composition. A spacer thickness separates the first face and the second face. The spacer thickness may comprise solid material or it may have one or more hollow portions. A peripheral edge is provided on the spacer body. One or more deformable members may be provided on the peripheral edge for retaining the spacer in a structure. The welding spacer may be incorporated in a pipe assembly that includes a first pipe segment and a second pipe segment. The first pipe segment has a socket at a first pipe end with an interior shoulder to seat the welding spacer. The second pipe segment has a second pipe end that is received in the socket and seated against the welding spacer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for securing a first metallic target object to a further metallic target object. The apparatus includes a heating element for heating a bonding interface region between juxtaposed portions of a first and further metallic target object, at least one chamber body portion securable around the interface region to form a chamber region surrounding the interface region, a pump member for at least partially removing oxygen from the chamber region and a target object locating unit arranged to locate portions of the first and further target objects in a juxtaposed position.

Abstract: A soldering system includes a circuit board having first soldering terminals, a soldering object having second soldering terminals, soldering blocks disposed between the circuit board and the soldering object for electrically interconnecting the first soldering terminals and the second soldering terminals respectively, and a supporting structure supporting the soldering object and having a height that determines the height of the solder blocks. A related soldering method is also provided.

Abstract: In a bonding apparatus having an ultrasonic horn 3 coupled to an ultrasonic vibrator 5 and a bonding tool 4 coupled to the ultrasonic horn 3, and applying ultrasonic bonding to a work 11, by providing an ultrasonic detector 7 and an indicator 8 for displaying an output signal from the ultrasonic detector 7, there is obtained a bonding method that can easily make a good or bad judgment on the bonding state based on the output signal of the ultrasonic detector. With this arrangement, ultrasonic vibration of the bonding tool in the bonding apparatus using ultrasonic waves is constantly monitored, thereby reducing occurrence of bonding failure and making definite the time for replacing the bonding tool.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a sleeve-shaped printing form from a plate-shaped blank includes a circular shaping device for the blank, a welding system, by means of which the plate edges forming the start and end of the printing form can be cut to size, maintaining their dimensions, and welded, and a displaceable device for picking up and for transporting the blank to the circular shaping device. The displaceable device has a fixing frame which has two lifting elements which can be adjusted in accordance with the distance between the plate edges to be joined and can be set along the respective plate edge.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the nondestructive testing of a bond connection between a bond wire and a substrate or pad which utilizes an ultrasonic tool for bonding the bond wire to the substrate or pad. The test force is applied in the plane of the bond connection transversely to the bond wire through an ultrasonic welding tool.

Abstract: Articles to be brazed are preheated to an increased temperature in a preheating process and the temperature of the articles to be brazed is measured. Conversion data obtained and stored for different combinations of articles to be brazed is referred to on the basis of the measured temperature and a time for which brazing filler metal supply nozzles are kept in a wait state is set on the basis of the conversion data to define the timing for supplying the brazing filler metal wires (S40). A heating burner moves forward and then a timer starts counting the time for which the nozzles are kept in the wait state (S42). When the nozzle wait timer has counted the set time and expired, the brazing filler metal supply nozzles move forward and supply the wires to braze the articles (S43 to 45). In this way, the articles to be brazed, heated by the heating burner, are at an increased temperature suitable for brazing at the time when the brazing filler metal wires are supplied.

Abstract: In a method of soldering a work-piece in a state where the work-piece contacts a wave molten solder, a soldering process is performed while controlling an immersion depth of the work-piece into the wave molten solder to be constant. The immersion depth control is performed by changing one of a height position of the work-piece and a wave height of the wave molten solder based on a displacement amount of the work-piece in a height direction thereof. Accordingly, the soldering process can be performed with high quality even when the work-piece is thermally warped.

Abstract: A chip component is manufactured through a step of burning a unburned unit element made of ceramics having prism-shaped parts at its ends, a step of polishing the edges of the burned unit element, and a step of forming a resistor conductor, an electrode conductor and a armor on the polished unit element.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for operating reflow soldering in a mounting field whereby an abnormality in transfer of circuit boards can be detected with high reliability. Whether or not a circuit board is transferred by a transfer conveyor is judged. A discharge conveyor is started when a control device judges occurrence of transfer abnormality. After the discharge conveyor starts, the transfer abnormality is determined to be a drop of the circuit board if a discharge completion detector detects that a dropped circuit board is discharged. And then the control device continues the reflow soldering. The transfer abnormality in the reflow soldering apparatus can be detected with high reliability because it can be detected whether the transfer abnormality is either the drop or a clog of the circuit board.

Abstract: In a method of soldering a work-piece in a state where the work-piece contacts a wave molten solder, a soldering process is performed while controlling an immersion depth of the work-piece into the wave molten solder to be constant. The immersion depth control is performed by changing one of a height position of the work-piece and a wave height of the wave molten solder based on a displacement amount of the work-piece in a height direction thereof. Accordingly, the soldering process can be performed with high quality even when the work-piece is thermally warped.

Abstract: A base mainly includes a heating plate and a probe. The probe is attached to the surface of a heating plate which serves to place a substrate having an ball pad on a lower surface facing the probe of the heating plate. The probe contacts the ball pad of the lower surface of the substrate to form a closed loop for wire bond checking while the substrate is placed on the heating plate. When processing the wire bond, the wire connecting the chip and the ball pad of the substrate and the probe connecting to the wire bond checking system form a loop. Then a current is sent to the substrate from the wire bond checking system to check for wire lift bond or missed wire. When the wire bond checking system finds an occurrence of lift bond or missing wire, the wire bonding process stops immediately to avoid unnecessary wire bonding.