Means and method for processing miniature electronic components such as capacitors or resistors

Means to handle miniature electronic parts such as capacitors, resistors or the like, comprising:

• (a) part pushing means having support means and having a bank of juxtaposed pushers secured together to move as a unit and said pushers facing said support means, and said pushing means having means operative to force said bank of pushers toward said support means,
• (b) a part handling plate having a plate-like body having a multiplicity of juxtaposed passageways extending from face to face of said body, said passageways having resilient walls whereby when said passageways are slightly smaller in cross-section than the cross-section of the parts to be supported thereby, the passageways will resiliently grip the parts, said plate being disposed between said bank of pushers and said support means and said passageways being aligned with said pushers, whereby said pushers may be forced into said passageways to force parts disposed in said passageways into locations with the ends of the parts oriented relative to a face of said plate-like body in position to be operated upon,
• (c) a part unloading plate disposed on said support means between said part handling plate and said support means and said part unloading plate having a multiplicity of recesses in its face toward said part handling plate matching the locations of said passageways whereby parts can be unloaded from said passageways by forcing said parts with said pushers out of said passageways and into said recesses whereupon said part unloading plate can be removed from said support means to dump said parts, and
• (d) a limiting stop that can be selectively used to limit movement of said pushers in said passageways to part locations in which the parts are disposed in said passageways with one end of each part extending beyond the corresponding face of said plate-like body and into a corresponding recess of said part unloading plate so that the ends of said parts exposed out of said passageways can be coated when said part handling plate is removed from said part pushing means.

Means to handle miniature electronic parts such as capacitors, resistors or the like, comprising:

• (a) part pushing means having support means and having a bank of juxtaposed pushers secured together to move as a unit and said pushers facing said support means, and said pushing means having means operative to force said bank of pushers toward said support means,
• (b) a part handling plate having a plate-like body having a multiplicity of juxtaposed passageways extending from face to face of said body, said passageways having resilient walls whereby when said passageways are slightly smaller in cross-section than the cross-section of the parts to be supported thereby, the passageways will resiliently grip the parts, said plate being disposed between said bank of pushers and said support means and said passageways being aligned with said pushers, whereby said pushers may be forced into said passageways to force parts disposed in said passageways into locations with the ends of the parts oriented relative to a face of said plate-like body in position to be operated upon,
• (c) a limiting stop that can be selectively used to limit movement of said pushers in said passageways to part locations in which the parts are disposed in said passageways with one end of said part extending beyond the corresponding face of said plate-like body toward said support means so that the ends of said parts exposed out of said passageways can be coated when said part handling plate is removed from said part pushing means, and
• (d) a part loading plate disposed between said bank of pushers and said part handling plate and having a multiplicity of openings therethrough corresponding to the locations of said passageways, whereby said bank of pushers can be used to force parts in said openings of said part loading plate into said passageways, and a second limiting stop that can be selectively used to limit movement of said pushers to part locations in which all but one end of each part is disposed in said passageways whereby the ends of said parts exposed out of said passageways and remaining in said openings of said part loading plate can be coated when said part handling plate is removed from said part pushing means.

Means handling a multiplicity of identical miniature electronic parts such as capacitors, resistors or the like, comprising:

• (a) a part-handling plate having a plate-like body with a multiplicity of juxtaposed through passageways extending from face to face of said body and each passageway having one of said parts disposed therein,
• (b) each passageway having a dimension smaller than the corresponding dimension of the part disposed therein and each passageway having walls formed of resilient material, the resilient material extending substantially from face to face of said body so that each part is continuously resiliently gripped by said resilient walls of the passageway containing the same in all of the various positions of the part including a first position in which one surface of the part therein is exposed to be coated at one face of said body and including a second position in which an opposite surface of the part is exposed to be coated at the other face of said body, and
• (c) part pushing means having a bank of juxtaposed pushers secured together and means supporting said body facing said bank of pushers, one pusher being aligned with each of said passageways, and said bank of pushers and said body being relatively movable to push said parts in said passageways to said first and second positions and to push said parts completely out of said passageways to unload the parts, and operating means operative to relatively move said bank of pushers and said body.

Means for handling a multiplicity of identical miniature electronic parts such as capacitors, resistors or the like, comprising:

• (a) a part-handling plate having a plate-like body with a multiplicity of juxtaposed through passageways extending from face to face of said body and each passageway being adapted to receive of said parts therein,
• (b) each passageway having walls formed of resilient material, the resilient material extending substantially from face to face of said body so that if each part has a larger dimension than the corresponding dimension of the associated passageway then each part will be continuously resiliently gripped by said resilient walls of the passageway containing the same in all of the various positions of the part therein including a first position in which one surface of the part is exposed to be coated at one face of said body and including a second position in which an opposite surface of the part is exposed to be coated at the other face of said body, and
• (c) part pushing means having a bank of juxtaposed pushers secured together and means supporting said body facing each bank of pushers, one pusher being aligned with each of said passageways, and said bank of pushers and said body being relatively movable to push said parts in said passageways to said first and second positions and to push said parts completely out of said passageways to unload the parts, and operating means operative to relatively move said bank of pushers and said body.