Importance

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Abstract

A printed circuit board loader and unloader in which a printed circuit board carrier is horizontally translationally moved in a straight line along a first axis and a pick and place head unit is horizontally translationally moved above the carrier in a straight horizontal line along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. A device stager holds a tube containing integrated circuit devices fed to it by a tube transporter. In a straight path from the opening of the tube facing the carrier is a slideway operatively connected with the tube holder. The slideway has gating and device fixing vacuum ports. The device stager is pivotable to (i) a pivot down position to slide devices from the tube onto the slideway and vacuum arrest and gate them, (ii) a pivot level position in which the devices are picked up from over the forward ports on the slideway, and (iii) a pivot up position which devices slide from the forward portion of the slideway into a tube in the tube holder of the device stager. The pick and place system loads the printed circuit board by vertically picking up devices from the level slideway, traveling horizontally to a pre-calculated position, and placing the devices in sockets on the printed circuit board on the carrier positioned at that calculated position, employing in one aspect a special zero insertion force socket opener. The pick and place system unloads the board by vertically extracting the devices from the precisely positioned board, horizontally moving them to the slideway, and vertically depositing the devices on the level slideway, which then pivots up to deposit them in a tube being loaded.

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First Claim