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US 4,909,681 AGranted
Router for component mounted printed circuit boards
AssigneeCybernetics Products, Inc.
InventorJoseph P. Drier, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A router for separating individual component mounted printed circuit boards from a panel consists of a routing machine and programmed control console which controls movement of a spindle assemblage in the routing machine in the Z direction and a table carrying the panel in the X and Y directions. A pressure foot housing, which encompasses the rotatable spindle nose of the spindle assemblage, has a rectangular brush at its end which presses against the panel to be cut by a routing bit. A vacuum exhaust system is attached to an angled port in the housing. The geometry of the housing area causes a vortex to be produced which sucks up all debris cut by the routing bit to the port to be exhausted from the housing.
Claims38
A router for separating individual component mounted printed circuit boards from a printed circuit board panel containing two or more printed circuit boards comprising:
- (A) a routing machine having table support means adapted to move in the X and Y directions for supporting a printed circuit board panel to be cut into separate printed circuit boards;
- (B) said routing machine also having a carrier plate adapted to move in the Z direction;
- (C) a control console connected to said routing machine for controlling the movement of said table support means in the X and Y directions and the movement of said carrier plate in the Z direction;
- (D) pressure foot assemblage means mounted on said carrier plate;
- (E) spindle assemblage means mounted on said carrier plate;
- (F) a spindle nose included in said spindle assemblage means;
- (G) motor means for rotating said spindle nose at a predetermined speed;
- (H) routing bit means connected to said spindle nose and adapted when rotated to cut a printed circuit board panel along a cutting path controlled by said control console;
- (I) said pressure foot assemblage means further comprising
- (1) a pressure foot housing encompassing said spindle nose,
- (2) pressure foot brush means connected to the bottom of said pressure foot housing for pressing against the top surface of a printed circuit board panel to be cut,
- (3) a vacuum exhaust port connected to the side of said pressure foot housing at an angle of substantially 30 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane through the bottom surface of said spindle nose at its outer radial edge, and with its lower edge extension at substantially 0.125 inch below the closest outer radial edge of said spindle nose, and with said horizontal plane of said bottom surface of said spindle nose substantially 0.900 to 1.300 inches above the surface of a printed circuit board panel to be cut, and
- (4) vacuum exhaust means connected to said vacuum exhaust port;
- (J) whereby, when said spindle nose is rotated at a rotational speed of substantially 24,000 revolutions per minute, a vortex is created in said pressure foot housing by virtue of said rotational speed, said substantially 30 degrees angle, said substantially 0.125 inch and said substantially 0.900 to 1.300 inches which sucks upwardly all of the dust, ground by said routing bit means from the printed circuit board panel, to said vacuum exhaust port to be removed from said pressure foot housing by said vacuum exhaust means.
11 more elements
A router for separating individual circuit boards from a printed circuit board panel containing two or more printed circuit boards comprising:
- (A) a routing machine having table support means adapted to move in the X and Y directions for supporting a printed circuit board panel to be cut into separate printed circuit boards;
- (B) said routing machine also having a carrier plate adapted to move in the Z direction;
- (C) a control console connected to said routing machine for controlling the movement of said table support means in the X and Y directions and the movement of said carrier plate in the Z direction;
- (D) pressure foot assemblage means mounted on said carrier plate;
- (E) spindle assemblage means mounted on said carrier plate, with its bottom surface at a first predetermined distance above the surface of a printed circuit board panel to be cut;
- (F) a spindle nose included in said spindle assemblage means;
- (G) motor means for rotating said spindle nose at a predetermined speed;
- (H) routing bit means connected to said spindle nose and adapted when rotated to cut a printed circuit board panel along a cutting path controlled by said control console;
- (I) said pressure foot assemblage means further comprising
- (1) a pressure foot housing encompassing said spindle nose, with the difference of radial distance between the outside diameter of said spindle nose and the inside diameter of said pressure foot housing being a second predetermined distance;
- (2) pressure foot brush means connected to the bottom of said pressure foot housing for pressing against the top surface of a printed circuit board panel to be cut,
- (3) a vacuum exhaust port connected to the side of said pressure foot housing at an angle within the range from substantially 25 degrees to substantially 35 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane passing through the bottom surface of said spindle nose, and with the lower edge extension of said vacuum exhaust port at a third predetermined distance below the closest outer radial edge of said spindle nose, and
- (J) vacuum exhaust means connected to said vacuum exhaust port;
- (K) said first, second and third predetermined distances being chosen so that when said spindle nose is rotated at a speed above 5000 revolutions per minute, a vortex is created in said pressure foot housing which sucks upwardly all of the dust, ground by said routing bit means from the printed circuit board panel, with the top of said vortex within said third predetermined distance below said spindle nose;
- (L) whereby said vacuum exhaust port connected to the side of said pressure foot housing at an angle, because its lower edge extension is thus alleged with said top of said vortex, causes all of said dust to be removed from said pressure foot housing by said vacuum exhaust means.
12 more elements
A router for separating individual component mounted printed circuit boards from a printed circuit board panel containing two or more printed circuit boards comprising:
- (A) a routing machine having table support means adapted to move in the X and Y directions for supporting a printed circuit board panel to be cut into separate printed circuit boards;
- (B) said routing machine also having a carrier plate adapted to move in the Z direction;
- (C) a control console connected to said routing machine for controlling the movement of said table support means in the X and Y directions and the movement of said carrier plate in the Z direction;
- (D) spindle and pressure foot assemblage means mounted on said carrier plate;
- (E) said spindle and pressure foot assemblage means further comprising
- (1) a dust ring surrounding said spindle assemblage means portion of said spindle and pressure foot assemblage means,
- (2) a spindle nose,
- (3) a pressure foot housing encompassing said spindle nose and slidably abutting said dust ring,
- (4) pressure foot brush means connected to the bottom of said pressure foot housing for pressing against the top surface of a printed circuit board panel to be cut;
- (F) routing bit means connected to said spindle nose and adapted when rotated to cut a printed circuit board panel along a cutting path controlled by said control console;
- (G) motor means for rotating said spindle nose at a predetermined speed whereby because of the physical relationship of the portions of said spindle and pressure foot assemblage a vortex is created;
- (H) said pressure foot and spindle assemblage means further comprising height-adjustable pressure foot brush assemblage means for pressing against the top surface of a printed circuit board panel to be cut;
- and
- (I) vacuum exhaust means connected to said pressure foot housing for creating a vacuum in said pressure foot housing which slidably holds said pressure foot housing against the bottom surface of said dust ring, whereby if said pressure foot brush means encounters a component mounted on said printed circuit board as it descends towards said printed circuit board, said pressure foot housing may move a limited amount laterally to avoid unduly stressing the encountered component, and which also exhausts dust from the routed printed circuit panel sucked up by said vortex.
11 more elements
A router for separating individual component mounted printed circuit boards from a printed circuit board panel containing two or more printed circuit boards comprising:
- (A) a routing machine having table support means adapted to move in the X and Y directions for supporting a printed circuit board panel to be cut into separate printed circuit boards;
- (B) said routing machine also having a carrier plate adapted to move in the Z direction;
- (C) a control console connected to said routing machine for controlling the movement of said table support means in the X and Y directions and the movement of said carrier plate in the Z direction;
- (D) spindle assemblage means connected to said carrier plate;
- (E) routing bit means connected to said spindle assemblage means and adapted when rotated to cut a printed circuit board panel along a cutting path controlled by said control console;
- (F) motor means connected to said carrier plate for rotating said routing bit means at a predetermined speed;
- (G) pressure foot housing means connected to said carrier plate;
- (H) brush means connected to said pressure foot housing means for pressing against the top surface of a printed circuit board panel to be cut;
- and
- (I) vortex means for creating a vortex in said pressure foot housing means which sucks up all of the dust ground by said routing bit means from the printed circuit board panel.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.