Method and apparatus for dip solder processing
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorsThomas Dale Dodge, Ronald Dale Gentry
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dip soldering process includes a reservoir of molten solder and a solder ladle for immersion therein to refresh the supply of ladled solder. The ladled solder is displaced by a displacement plunger to thereby overflow the ladle and carry with it surface contamination. Continued immersion of the plunger during the soldering operation of the workpiece accomplishes continual flow across the soldered workpiece thereby removing any contaminants which rise to the surface or are introduced by the workpiece.
Claims9
A dip solder apparatus comprising:
- a reservoir of molten solder;
- a solder ladle operatively coupled to a ladle positioning apparatus adapted to move said ladle between a submerged position in said reservoir of molten solder to provide a refreshed working volume of molten solder within the ladle and a retracted position generally above the reservoir of molten solder whereat dip soldering of a workpiece occurs;
- a displacement plunger operatively coupled to a plunger positioning apparatus adapted to move said displacement plunger between a retracted position generally above the ladle and an immersed position within said working volume of molten solder within the ladle;
- and
- a ladle position detection apparatus operatively coupled to said plunger positioning apparatus to cause said displacement plunger to move from the respective retracted position to the immersed position when said ladle is in the respective retracted position, and to move from the immersed position to the respective retracted position when said ladle is not in the respective retracted position.
A method of dip soldering a workpiece in a ladled volume of molten solder comprising the steps:
- providing a substantially full ladle of molten solder to a static soldering position;
- stroking a displacement plunger into the molten solder to thereby raise the level of molten solder over at least the lowest edge of the ladle until a predetermined volume of molten solder overflows the ladle;
- and
- immersing a solder workpiece into the molten solder.
A dip solder apparatus comprising:
- a reservoir of molten solder;
- a solder ladle controllably moved from a submerged position in said reservoir of molten solder to provide a refreshed working volume of molten solder within the ladle to a retracted position generally removed from the reservoir of molten solder whereat dip soldering of a workpiece occurs;
- and
- a displacement plunger controllably stroked from a retracted position remote from the working volume of molten solder when said solder ladle is substantially at said retracted position to an immersed position within said working volume of molten solder within the ladle to thereby expel a predetermined volume of molten solder from said ladle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.