US 6,033,614 AGranted

Manual pellet loader for Boschman automolds

AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.

InventorsTodd O. Bolken, Mark S. Johnson

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A manual loader for use in bypassing an automatic pellet feeder for an automold machine used to encapsulate integrated circuit assemblies in plastic. The loader has a support mounted adjacent the mold section of the machine. The loader also has at least one pellet boat which moves relative to the support into and out of said mold section. The pellet boat includes one or more pellet pots which are adapted to receive and hold a solid pellet of material. The loader has a release mechanism which is movable between a blocking position and a release position. The release mechanism retains the pellets in the pellet pots in the blocking position and releases the pellets from the pots when manipulated to the release position for dropping the pellets into a mold of the machine's mold section.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A method of bypassing an automatic feeder system of a machine having a mold section for encapsulating electronic components, said method comprising:

mounting a support adjacent said mold section of said machine;
providing a pellet boat having a plurality of pellet pots each adapted to receive therein a material pellet and a release mechanism associated with said pellet pots, said release mechanism being movable between a blocking position and a release position;
attaching said pellet boat to said support such that said pellet boat is movable into and out of said mold section to bypass the automatic feeder system;
moving said release mechanism to said blocking position;
inserting a material pellet into each of said plurality of pellet pots;
moving said pellet boat into said mold section;
moving said release mechanism to said release position to release said material pellets from said pellet pots into said mold section;
and
moving said pellet boat out of said mold section.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/138,924Filed 24 Aug 1998 · division
Priority: 25 Apr 1997
Granted: 7 Mar 2000
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

B29C 31/066
Using volumetric measuring chambers moving between a charging station and a discharge station: using feed frames, e.g. for dry material
B29C 45/1808
Feeding the material into the injection moulding apparatus , i.e. feeding the non-plastified material into the injection unit: feeding measured doses
B29C 45/02
Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor: transfer…
B29C 45/14655
For obtaining an insulating effect, e.g. for electrical components: connected to or mounted on a carrier, e.g. lead frame