Tape automated bonding feeder and lead forming apparatus

A shuttle for transporting an electronic circuit chip carrier comprising:

• an electronic circuit chip carrier gripper mechanism having first and second horizontally extending and horizontally translatable gripper fingers, and a gripper finger displacement unit which is operative to controllably horizontally translate said gripper fingers toward and away from each other, each horizontally extending gripper finger having a horizontally extending support ledge upon which said carrier is supportable, and an overhang portion that partially overlaps said support portion, so as to allow said carrier that has been vertically presented to said horizontally extending gripper fingers, for a first horizontal separation therebetween, to pass by the overhang portions of said horizontally extending gripper fingers and come to rest upon and be supported by said ledges thereof and, for a second horizontal separation between said gripper fingers, wider than said first horizontal separation therebetween, to allow said carrier that is resting upon said ledges of said horizontally extending gripper fingers, to be vertically translated past said ledges and be discarded;
• a shuttle base which is controllably translated along a shuttle transport path from a first station, at which said carrier is presented to said gripper mechanism, to a second station, at which a chip excising unit excises an electronic chip from said carrier;
• and
• a gripper mechanism displacement unit which supports and vertically translates said gripper mechanism with respect to said shuttle base.

A method of operating a transport shuttle for transporting an electronic circuit chip carrier, said transport shuttle having an electronic circuit chip carrier gripper mechanism that includes first and second horizontally extending and horizontally translatable gripper fingers, each horizontally extending gripper finger having a horizontally extending support ledge upon which said carrier is supportable, and an overhang portion that partially overlaps said support portion, a shuttle base which is controllably translated along a shuttle transport path from a first station, at which said carrier is presented to said gripper mechanism, to a second station, at which a chip excising unit excises an electronic chip from said carrier, and a gripper mechanism displacement unit which supports and is operative to controllably vertically translate said gripper mechanism with respect to said shuttle base, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) horizontally positioning said gripper fingers at a first separation therebetween so as to cause said carrier that is vertically presented to said gripper fingers at said first station to pass by said overhang portions thereof and come to rest upon and be supported by said ledges;
• (b) horizontally translating said gripper fingers from said first separation to a second horizontal separation therebetween, less than said first horizontal separation, so that said overhang portions extend over edges of said carrier, and said carrier, resting upon said ledges of said horizontally extending gripper fingers, is thereby captured between the overhang portions and the ledges of said gripper fingers;
• (c) transporting said shuttle base along said shuttle transport path from said first station to said second station;
• (d) at said second station, causing said gripper mechanism displacement unit to vertically translate said gripper mechanism with respect to said shuttle base and bring said carrier into engagement with said chip excising unit which excises said electronic chip from said carrier;
• (e) transporting said shuttle base along said shuttle transport path from said second station to said first station;
• and;
• (f) at said first station, horizontally translating said gripper fingers from said second separation to a third horizontal separation therebetween, wider than said first horizontal separation therebetween, so that said carrier from which said electronic chip has been excised is vertically translated past said ledges and discarded.