Apparatus for mounting chip type circuit elements on a printed circuit board

An apparatus for mounting chip type circuit elements on a printed circuit board, said apparatus comprising

• printed circuit board support means for horizontally supporting a printed circuit board having a predetermined pattern of laminar conductors on the upper surface thereof;
• a magazine guide having a plurality of through-holes therein, said through-holes being located at positions corresponding to relative positions of circuit elements to be mounted on said printed circuit board;
• a plurality of hollow tubular magazines fitted in said through-holes in said magazine guide, and having top openings substantially in a common horizontal plane, each of said tubular magazines having a hollow interior adapted to hold a stack of a plurality of chip type circuit elements;
• circuit element push means adjacent said magazine for incrementally pushing each circuit element stack in said tubular magazines upwardly to a position where the top circuit element in each circuit element stack is positioned at said top opening of each tubular magazine;
• circuit element suction means including a flat suction plate having a plurality of suction holes at positions corresponding to relative positions of said tubular magazines fitted in said through-holes of said magazine guide for suctioning each said top circuit element positioned at said top opening in each circuit element stack of each tubular magazine and for mounting each circuit element suctioned on said flat suction plate on said printed circuit broad;
• and
• transfer means for (a) moving said flat suction plate between said suction position and an intermediate position where each respective circuit element suctioned on said flat suction plate overlies in precise vertical alignment a corresponding respective position on the upper surface of the printed circuit board at which said circuit element is to be mounted and (b) vertically moving at least one of said suction plate and printed circuit board until said circuit elements, still suctioned in said suction plate, are brought into contact with the printed circuit board, said transfer means including a suction plate supporting head supporting the flat suction plate for movement, and means for releasing said circuit elements from said suction plate after said circuit elements are brought into contact with the printed circuit board, so that each said circuit element is suctioned on said flat suction plate and mounted precisely under a uniform pressure on said upper surface of said printed circuit board.