Abstract: An apparatus for automatically making a laminated electrical or electronic device has a series of processing stations including an inspection station for inspecting the quality of printing at a series of indexed segments on a ceramic coated, continuous tape, a stack and tack station at which sequential segments of the tape are cut and stacked on top of each other to form a stack having a selected number of layers, a lamination station in which the stacked layers are laminated together, and a cutting station at which the stack is cut into a plurality of individual chips, a tape feed mechanism for indexing the tape segments sequentially through the inspection station and stack and tack station, and a drive mechanism for moving a stack from the stack and tack station through the lamination station and cutting station.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming edge terminations in multi-layer electrical component chips, such as capacitor chips, is arranged to cut holes through a laminated printed circuit pad at locations corresponding to the boundaries between adjacent chips when the pad is subsequently cut into individual chips. The holes are then filled with conductive ink to form plugs spanning the boundaries. The pad is then cut along a grid of perpendicular cutting lines defining the individual chip areas, simultaneously cutting through each of the ink plugs so that the cut ink plugs form the appropriate edge terminations along each side edge of a chip. The cutting device is suitably programmed to cut holes over the areas corresponding to the desired edge termination sizes and positions.

Abstract: Apparatus and a method for production of laminated electronic or electrical devices are described which enables one thin patterned or unpatterned substrate to be easily and accurately incorporated into a previous stack of substrates by registration of a coated tape from which the substrate is excised. In the present invention the tape is indexed to a fixed position and then a platen with the previously stacked substrates is brought into registration with the stationary tape, following which the substrate is excised from the coated tape and added to the stack of substrates. Since the tape always is positioned in the equipment as indexed at the same location with each indexing step, and since once indexed the tape does not move, the platen can be brought into accurate alignment and registration with the tape.

Abstract: In an apparatus for forming filled via holes in ceramic substrates or wafers, upper and lower masks or dies each having at least one hole are clamped between opposing injection and base members with a wafer placed between the masks. The injection member has an injection chamber containing conductive ink material which is connected with the or each hole in the upper mask. An injection device such as a piston is used to force ink out of the chamber through the or each hole in the adjacent mask, punching one or more plugs of wafer material out of the wafer and replacing each punched-out plug with ink material, the plugs being pushed into the or each aligned hole in the other mask, which acts as a stripper. In one version, each die has a single hole and filled holes are formed sequentially at successive points on the wafer. In an alternative, each die or mask has a plurality of holes and the filled holes are formed simultaneously.

Abstract: A pressure chamber apparatus comprises a pressure chamber having an opening at one end and a plug member with a self locking sealing design telescopically mounted in the chamber for sliding movement between a retracted position in which it is inside the chamber and an extended position in which it projects at least partially out of the chamber opening. The plug member has a transverse through slot for containing one or more workpieces to be pressurized, and substantially fills the pressure chamber in the retracted position. The slot in the plug member and the pressure chamber surrounding the plug member are filled with liquid, and connected to a pressure booster for pressurizing the liquid to a selected level.