Abstract: A label placement machine used for placing labels on articles, the label placement machine including a label supply having one or more labels, a label shuttle assembly capable of retrieving a label from the label supply and transporting the label from the label supply to a pickup zone and a label placement head retrieving the label from the label shuttle at the pickup zone and transporting the label from the pick up zone to the article to be labeled, the label placement head then attaching the label to the article while the label shuttle returns to the label supply to retrieve another label.

Abstract: A surface mount placement system with one or more carriages includes, on each carriage, multiple groups of quills, each group being adjustable on one of two principal orthogonal directions of a plane containing a component mounting zone. The quills of each group are independently rotatable with respect to the quills of the other group and are further independently moveable in a third direction orthogonal to the two principal directions. A carriage is moved to the component mounting zone where the two groups are adjusted with respect to each other for placement of at least two components, one from each group, in a single place step.

Abstract: A belt drive tube feeder for use in a surface mount placement system (SMPS) reliably advances a sequence of parts fed from a tube at a determinable sequential rate to a pick location on a belt assembly that includes one or more intermittently driven endless belts. Intermittent movement of the belts moves the parts along a track past a foot to the pick location. One part at a time is advanced to the pick location, with its immediate adjacent neighbor being clamped by the foot prior to the part being picked.

Abstract: A surface mount placement system with one or more carriages includes, on each carriage, multiple groups of quills, each group being adjustable on one of two principal orthogonal directions of a plane containing a component mounting zone. The quills of each group are independently rotatable with respect to the quills of the other group and are further independently moveable in a third direction orthogonal to the two principal directions. A carriage is moved to the component mounting zone where the two groups are adjusted with respect to each other for placement of at least two components, one from each group, in a single place step.

Abstract: A tape feeder for advancing a carrier tape with pockets containing parts in a surface mount placement system enhances the precision and reliability with which the tape is advanced and reduces the risk of loss of parts in uncovered pockets due to vibration by provision of a sprocket wheel to advance the tape, a reciprocating shutter to retain parts in uncovered pockets, and a retaining member disposed above an edge of the tape for contacting a portion of a top surface of the tape to retain the top surface portion in a plane when the tape is engaged by the sprocket wheel. The operation of the retaining member is assisted by a guide member including front and rear guides that contact the top surface of the tape and a support block that is pressed by a support spring against the bottom surface of a portion of tape between the front and rear guides. The operation of the tape feeder is adjusted to accommodate different pitches.

Abstract: A machine used to populate printed circuit boards (PCB) with surface mount electrical components, wherein an elongated PCB-carrying Y table intersects an elongated turret-carrying X oriented carriage structure intermediate a Y table component placement zone. Left and right vacuum quill-carrying turrets are independently movable along the carriage structure, the quills being movable in a Z direction, and the quills in each respective turret being adapted to pick-up selected components from respective left and right multiple feeder stations while the quills in the other turret simultaneously deposits components on a PCB supported on the Y table in the placement zone.

Abstract: There is herein described an improved surface mounted component placement mechanism head structure which automatically accepts a very wide size range of such components.

Abstract: There is herein described an improved surface mounted component (SMC) transport mechanism which accepts a multiple number of such components from a plurality of carrier media and transports them to a desired location, for example, adjacent a printed circuit board (PCB) prior to the mounting of the SMC onto the PCB.

Abstract: There is herein described a pneumatic feed or transport system for moving axial lead electronic components from one work station to another, such as from a lead cutting mechanism to a component inserting mechanism, for example.

Abstract: A system for precisely positioning a printed circuit board relative to a component insertion tool, the system including a circuit board-holding frame movable with two degrees of freedom in a plane by a servomechanism coupled to a photo detector assembly positioned on the opposite side of the printed circuit board from a light beam generator producing a single beam or a pair of parallel light beams spaced a distance equal to the distance between a pair of holes in the circuit board. Light pipes or a pair of orthogonally oriented wedge-shaped beam splitting members are positioned between the photo detector assembly and the circuit board for splitting each of the beams and thereby illuminating orthogonally oriented pairs of photo cells equally when the board is in a desired position relative to the light beams and providing to the servomechanism with an error signal to correct the position of the board when it is not in such alignment.

Abstract: There is herein disclosed a cartridge feed mechanism that is used with an axial lead component inserter, the mechanism including an indexed cartridge having an outlet port communicating with a gravity slide leading to the inserter's insertion head, the cartridge having a plurality of radially extending compartments adapted to temporarily house axial lead components until the cartridge is indexed registering a compartment with the outlet port.