Abstract: A storage system for housing parts such as product packaging parts. The system includes a modular plurality of housings and a drawer for each housing. Each housing includes a top wall and two parallel side walls. The top wall has a plurality of alignment slots adjacent its side walls and alignment tabs extending along the lower portion of the side walls and registering with alignment slots of a housing disposed thereabove. Further, each housing has a recess on its top wall extending through a major portion of its length, and a lateral rail extending opposite the recess from a side wall and arranged to fit the recess of a laterally adjacent housing. Alignment slots on the rail permit to interconnect lateral adjacent housing. Each drawer has a bottom wall and two side walls, as well as a front and rear wall. Each drawer has a downwardly extending front portion for readily holding the drawer and pulling it out. This portion of the drawer handle is also provided with a lock for locking the drawer to its housing.

Abstract: A pair of tweezers specifically designed for removing DIP (dual in-line pins) components or other electronic components from a circuit board. To this end, the tweezers include a pair of legs secured together at the top portion and having a sharply inwardly bent end portion formed with claws for engaging the pins of a DIP component. Near the curved ends of the tweezers there may be provided a bumper for each leg extending through an opening in the leg. The bumper serves the purpose to hold the DIP component between the curved end portions and the bumpers. A sliding clamp is provided which is of general U-shape and provided with an elongated slit. The clamp may be secured by a knurled nut extending through an opening in the legs of the tweezers. Hence, the clamp may be slid downwardly of the legs to squeeze them together. Thus, the opening between the jaws may be adjusted to the size of the component to be removed.

Abstract: A liquid dispenser includes a conventional syringe of the type having a piston, a piston rod, an actuating knob disposed in a cylinder, and a needle extending from the cylinder. The invention consists of a needle assembly therefor which includes a cap, a sleeve slidable on the needle and a retainer cap interconnecting the two. The cap is used for closing the needle to preserve the liquid and prevent spillage. The needle is provided with an inner coupler which may consist of two slightly spaced beads fixed to the needle near the end thereof. There is also provided an outer coupler into which may be fitted an extension tube by means of another inner coupler of the same construction as the first one. The inner coupler may be so mounted on the needle that its extension tube is housed in the inner needle, or it may be reversed so that the extension tube extends from the inner needle to extend the point at which the liquid is dispensed.

Abstract: A heavy duty, pneumatic or manually operable hand-held desoldering tool. The tool comprises a hollow cylindrical large size barrel. There is further provided a hollow plunger loading cylinder and a plunger assembly removably mounted on the plunger loading cylinder. A plunger loading member is concentric with the plunger loading cylinder and includes a hollow cylinder slidable within the loading cylinder. A plunger loading guide is disposed concentric with and partially surrounding the plunger loading cylinder. Spring means are disposed in the plunger loading cylinder for urging the loading member outwardly and away from the loading cylinder. Trigger means are connected to the barrel and externally actuable for locking the plunger loading cylinder in its cocked, loaded position and for releasing it. Heavy duty spring means are disposed in the barrel and are retained between the plunger and the rear end of the barrel for rapidly returning the plunger rearwards upon release of the trigger means.

Abstract: A desoldering system which operates in conjunction with a soldering instrument which may be of the temperature controlled type disclosed and claimed in applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,716. The desoldering tip is specifically designed for simultaneously desoldering dual-in-line integrated circuit packages, having for example 14 or 16 pins, multiple pins for transistors, 8 or 10 pin round integrated circuit packages and the like. Due to the large throughput of air required to the vacuum system the desoldering attachment features large inlet pipes. The desoldering tip is directly screwed onto the heating element of a soldering instrument surrounded by an air tight sleeve which includes a filter or trap for the solder. The sleeve of the desoldering instrument in turn is connected to another barrel which may include an additional filter and is provided with a three-way trigger valve.

Abstract: Plastic handles are provided for conventional metal pliers and the like. One of the handles has an outer portion which when put over one of the handles of the pliers has smooth consecutive indentations to fit the four fingers of the operator. The second handle has a smooth outwardly curved outer portion to fit the palm of the operator and an indentation close to the jaws of the pliers to fit the thumb of the operator. The handles consist of a moldable plastic material having electrical insulating properties and having a central opening thereto shaped to fit the plier handles. The insides of each of the handles facing each other when inserted over the plier handles have serrated portions to retain components and the like thereby to provide a holding fixture.

Abstract: A vacuum desoldering tool and tool cleaner system is disclosed. The desoldering tool is connectable at will to a vacuum source and features a venturi exhaust and separate muffler or end cap for the tool. The venturi throat is relatively short and preferably has a ratio of the input throat to the output throat of 4 to 1 or more. The muffler or end cap has a smooth rounded surface and is provided with radially extending openings to serve as an exhaust and muffler. The tool also has an end cap and nozzle tip therefor which are connected to a metallic sleeve of the main portion of the tool by a threaded adaptor ring into which the end cap connects by a snap connection.

Abstract: A holding fixture is operated by vacuum and consists of a plurality of suction assemblies mounted on a carrier. Each suction assembly forms an independent unit and operates as an automatic valve to disconnect itself from a common vacuum source when the vacuum is broken. To this end each suction assembly is mounted on a common carrier and disposed in a hollow chamber. It includes a flexible member capable of being sucked into the chamber by a pressure differential thereacross to disconnect the particular assembly from the vacuum. The sealing means may consist of a suction cup or O-rings. The movable member may consist of a flexible plastic or a movable disk.

Abstract: A replaceable tip assembly for desoldering tools includes an end cap and a nozzle tip in the end cap. The end cap has a frustoconical front portion and a rear cylindrical portion, both being concentric with the central axis thereof. The end cap has a central bore extending therethrough provided with an inwardly extending annular detent. An annular relief is provided between the cylindrical and frustoconical portions so that the inner core is flexible. The nozzle tip has a generally cylindrical outer surface and a central bore extending therethrough. The nozzle tip also has an annular recess cooperating with the annular detent of the end cap. Preferably the annular detent on the end cap and the annular recess on the nozzle tip are disposed about halfway between the two end planes of the end cap.

Abstract: A desoldering system which operates in conjunction with a soldering instrument which may be of the temperature controlled type disclosed and claimed in applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,716. The desoldering tip is specifically designed for simultaneously desoldering dual-in-line integrated circuit packages, having for example 14 or 16 pins, multiple pins for transistors, 8 or 10 pin round integrated circuit packages and the like. Due to the large throughput of air required to the vacuum system the desoldering attachment features large inlet pipes. The desoldering top is directly screwed onto the heating element of a soldering instrument surrounded by an air tight sleeve which includes a filter or trap for the solder. The sleeve of the desoldering instrument in turn is connected to another barrel which may include an additional filter and is provided with a three-way trigger valve.

Abstract: A desoldering attachment for a soldering instrument which may be the temperature controlled type disclosed and claimed in Applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,716. The desoldering attachment comprises an adjustable, inclined desoldering tip which is hollow for the application of a vacuum. It also includes a sleeve housing a filter screen and baffle device for preventing the solder from entering the remainder of the instrument. Extending through the sleeve is a heater element sleeve which contains a heating element for heating the desoldering tip. The heater element sleeve screws into the head of the desoldering tip until it meets a portion of the desoldering tip which can then be adjusted so that the vacuum pipe and the tip of the instrument are properly aligned with respect to the soldering instrument.

Abstract: A general purpose soldering tool holder which will fit most electrically-heated soldering instruments. The tool holder is provided with an external apertured grill to permit the circulation of air therethrough. The outer surface is maintained cool to the touch due to the provision of a heat shield spaced from the grill. The heat shield preferably consists of a material having low-heat transfer characteristics. The soldering instrument is guided by a tip alignment flap forming part of the heat shield. The instrument rests on an intermediate ledge forming part of the tool housing and on an upper rest shaped to accommodate the handle of the soldering instrument. The housing further includes trays for holding a solder spool and a desoldering braid spool which may also be mounted on a shaft. A well is provided in the housing upon which rests a non-wicking foam pad and an outer porous wicking pad for cleaning the tip of the instrument. This will reduce evaporation and subsequent cooling by the cleaning liquid.

Abstract: A vacuum pump having a mechanically operated plunger or piston which is so arranged as to either fully open or fully close a supply of compressed gas. The compressed gas flows through a venturi tube to create a vacuum. This vacuum in turn causes the atmospheric pressure to urge the plunger against a spring force to close the connection between the compressed gas and the venturi tube. This will maintain the vacuum pressure between two predetermined limits. As soon as the pressure in the vacuum chamber rises above a predetermined value the compressed gas supply is opened again to reduce the gas pressure in the vacuum chamber. There are also disclosed a new desoldering tool, a power cylinder, clamping fixtures and suction cups operable with the vacuum pump of the invention.

Abstract: An improved soldering-desoldering instrument is disclosed which includes a stainless steel, thin walled sheath having a front end which is both internally and externally threaded: internally for securing the electric heater cartridge, and externally for securing the soldering tip, all in very high thermal energy flow relation. The rear of the sheath is formed integrally with a hexagonal nut to facilitate the indicated threaded assembly and disassembly.

Abstract: A soldering iron holder system for a soldering station is disclosed which includes a protective, insulated chamber into which the working shaft and heated tip of the soldering tool may be inserted. A self locking cradle supports the tool from its handle portion and prevents its undesired removal from the holder system. For additional security, the system includes hold-down for fastening the entire system to the bench top. The holder also includes means for dispensing wire solder on demand. A built in reservoir and pump are also provided to supply cleansing fluid as for cleaning the soldering tip. To assist in the latter, a sponge is affixed to the body of the holder and is wetted from the reservoir by operation of the pump.

Abstract: A hand held, vacuum operated desoldering tool and a holder fixture therefor is disclosed in which the desoldering tool has a tubular, barrel body with a nozzle tip forward end and a vacuum line attachment fitting at its opposite, rear end. A trigger is disposed in a trigger housing formed contiguously to the rear end for connecting the vacuum line to the interior of the barrel body and forward tip end of the tool. Thus when the trigger is actuated by the fingertip of the operator, the body is evacuated and an impulse of air is drawn thereinto through the forward nozzle tip of the tool for a desoldering operation. A baffle and filter are disposed within the tubular body to prevent solder and other particles from entering the trigger mechanism and the vacuum supply line.Another component of the combination disclosed is a tool holder and power tip cleaner for the desoldering tool. The tool holder includes a short, large diameter cylindrical body which carries a power piston.