Inventors:
John A. Boyer - Allentown PA
Robert Cross - Allentown PA
Ernest Kovacs - Allentown PA
Ralph J. Valentino - Allentown PA
Assignee:
Western Electric Company, Inc. - New York NY
International Classification:
B65G 4724, B65G 4730, B65G 4791
Abstract:
Small articles, such as miniature ceramics having integrated circuits bonded thereon, are adjacently positioned with an initial row orientation in parallel first rows in guide tracks having a first row spacing. The first articles in each track are lifted from the tracks by a transfer arm, having rotatable vacuum pickups, along a line angular to the tracks such that the articles have a predetermined second row spacing measured along the transfer arm. The lifted articles are transferred to second rows of vacuum supports therefor by pivoting movement of the arm. The supports have pedestals in columns transverse to the second rows which are indexed into position for repeated transfer of articles thereto to form an array (or matrix) of articles having the second spacing between the second rows of the articles on the supports. A link mechanism is provided to rotate the vacuum pickups and re-establish the initial row orientation of the articles with respect to the second rows. The articles are bonded to lead frames in the inverted position.