Abstract: The present invention provides for the accurate placement of an object having a surface pattern by relating the perimeter of the object to the surface pattern, such as a circuit pattern of a semiconductor die. This includes illuminating the object at its front and rear faces and viewing the object with a machine vision system. Front-side illumination of the surface pattern enables the machine vision system to obtain an image of the actual position of the circuit pattern or other pattern of interest on the front of the component. Rear illumination provides a silhouette of the perimeter edges of the component enabling the machine vision system to obtain the actual position of the perimeter edges of the component. A corrective offset from a normative feature location, such as the centroid defined by the perimeter edges of the component, is then calculated.

Abstract: A class of bearing plate structures for slidable engagement with a reference bar include a plurality of plates each having a precision machined surface for sliding engagement with a corresponding precision machined surface of the reference bar. The use of a curable hardening bonding material to attach adjacent portions of the plates together allows angles between adjacent plates and the operating gap between the bearing plate structure and the reference bar to be easily set and fixed with reference to the reference bar.

Abstract: An "on-the-fly" component registration system comprises a two-dimensional imaging camera carried by a component placement nozzle platform in turn carried by a positioning gantry. A reflective surface located on or adjacent to a workpiece on which a component is to be placed allows the camera to image by reflection therefrom the component held by the component placement nozzle and an associated machine vision system to determine position correction information (e.g., .DELTA.x, .DELTA.y and .DELTA..theta.) therefrom while the component placement nozzle platform is traveling on the positioning gantry from a component supply station, by the reflective surface, on the way to a component placement target position on the workpiece.

Abstract: A thermode solder blade for soldering small components in industrial soldering equipment comprises a shaped body formed from an electrically-insulating and heat-conducting material having an electrically-conductive heating element formed thereon and spaced away from a solder contacting surface thereof. The electrically-conductive heating element has an electrical resistance greater than about 4 ohms and preferably greater than about 5 ohms.