Encapsulation molding equipment

Encapsulating mold equipment for use in a mold press having a base platen, an upper platen having an upper mold surface overlying said base platen, said base platen and said upper platen being relatively movable between an open position and a closed position, said equipment comprising:

• encapsulating fluid passage means on said base platen, said encapsulating fluid passage means including a surface raised relatively to said base platen and having runner passages formed therein for distribution of said encapsulating fluid to the mold under pressure;
• a mold base member;
• means for support of said mold base member on said base platen in adjacent relationship to said raised surface and to the runner passages in said raised surface of said encapsulation fluid delivery means, said mold base member having a substantially imperforate upwardly facing substantially planar support surface for support of strip material having an upper surface with a plurality of spaced apart devices to be encapsulated disposed thereon, said strip material having a substantially flat lower surface interfacing with said upwardly facing planar support surface;
• a substantially rectangular cavity insert disposed on the mold base member in overlying relationship to said strip material, said cavity insert having a plurality of cavities extending therethrough, said cavities being spaced in a plurality of rows, extended lengthwise of the cavity insert, there being a cavity for each of the devices on the upper surface of said piece of strip material, the cavities being dimensioned and positioned to receive said devices and a charge of encapsulating fluid sufficient to form an encapsulating layer covering each said device on said piece of strip material, said cavity insert having a lower sealing surface surrounding each cavity and cooperating with the upper surface of said strip material on said upwardly facing planar support surface to form with said strip material a seal surrounding each said device, said cavity insert further having an upper sealing surface cooperating with said mold surface of said upper mold platen to form a seal with said upper mold plate when the upper and lower platens are in the closed position;
• said cavity insert having first and second side edges and gate passage means comprising gate grooves formed exclusively in said upper sealing surface, said gate grooves extending from said runner passages adjacent one of said side edges to said cavities, said gate grooves and said runner passages in said raised surface being in fluid communication when the cavity insert is disposed on said mold base member for the delivery of a charge of encapsulating fluid from said runner passages through said gate passage to each of said cavities, said gate grooves extending from the cavities in one of said rows to a first of said side edges and from the cavities in the other of said rows to the second of said side edges, the runner passages extending along both of said side edges;
• vent grooves for each of said cavities, said vent grooves being formed exclusively in the upper surface of said insert extending from the cavities to at least one of the ends of said insert;
• means on said base platen for support of said cavity insert independently of said mold base member;
• and
• adjustable means acting on the mold base member and moving the mold base member relatively upwardly, whereby a carrier strip supported on said mold base member is maintained in sealing relationship with the lower surface of said cavity insert.