Position adjustment in laser-assisted pressing

Details Position adjustment in laser-assisted pressing Position adjustment in laser-assisted pressing

2001-07-17

2003-11-18

Yu, Mickey (Department: 3728)

Presses

With alarm, signal, indicator, or test means

C100S102000, C100S211000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06647868

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to position adjustment in laser-assisted pressing, and more particularly to a pressing position adjustment method for rapidly and accurately adjusting the pressing position with a laser projector and an impressible element while pressing an opaque object.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditionally, pressing position adjustment is a necessary step in the pressing process. In a pressing process with a press machine, for example, the press machine comprises a press unit having a press head, and a platform to support the object to be pressed. In this case, the relative adjustment of the press head's position and the object area to be pressed on the platform is a necessary step. If the pressing is not accurately positioned, the object may be damaged or incompletely pressed. Consequently, it is important to ensure an accurate pressing position.
In a traditional method of pressing position adjustment, a manual adjustment process is commonly performed on a desired object to be pressed. First, the object, such as a printed circuit board, is disposed on the platform, with the area to be pressed roughly matching the position of the press head. The press machine is then engaged so the press head is deployed onto the circuit board, and deviation between the pressing position and the area to be pressed can be visually observed. The press head is raised, and the platform position is adjusted. If any deviation still exists, the press head is repeatedly deployed and raised, until the pressing position is correct.
The traditional pressing position adjustment method, however, has obvious drawbacks. In the above-mentioned press machine, the press head is generally inside the press machine (such as a soldering machine), and the space between the press head and the object is limited, thus creating difficulty in observing any deviation in the pressing position. In addition, the repeated deployment and raising in the adjustment process requires increased time. Further, because objects such as printed circuit boards are repeatedly adjusted during the pressing position adjustment, the press head may contact elements on the circuit board outside of the area to be pressed, or the board may be pressed beyond its pressure endurance. Both of them may result in damage to the board.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a pressing position method that avoids the drawbacks in the method of the prior art.
The present invention discloses an apparatus and a pressing position adjustment method of laser-assisted pressing. In the apparatus of this invention, a laser projector for projecting a light area is provided on a pressing unit that has at least one press head. While adjusting the pressing position, an impressible element such as a piece of impressible paper is used instead of directly using the object to be pressed.
The special property of the above-mentioned element is that a pressure mark registers thereon. As a result, the pressure mark acts as an indicator of the position of the press head, and the light area projected by the laser projector can be a further indication of the pressing position when the light area matches the pressure mark. The impressible element can be removed, the object to be pressed can be placed on the platform, and the light area can be used to match the pressing position with the area to be pressed on the object.
The advantage of the present invention follows. First, in cases where the object to be pressed is made of opaque material, it is easier to observe the pressing position with the assistance of the laser light area, thus simplifying the adjustment procedure. In addition, the pressure mark on the impressible element can be created in one pressing step, thus eliminating the repeated deployment and raising of the press head. Further, the pressing motion in the traditional adjustment method is omitted; thus, any possibility of contacting elements outside of the area to be pressed is significantly reduced.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2806492 (1957-09-01), Becker
patent: 4102568 (1978-07-01), Miyagi
patent: 5285708 (1994-02-01), Bosten et al.
patent: 5299515 (1994-04-01), Baba et al.
patent: 5663885 (1997-09-01), Stahl

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