Claims
- 1. A method of filling a ball grid array with solder balls in a first work cell including a tooling plate, a ball grid array, a riser cylinder and reservoir, said method comprising the steps of aligning said ball grid array with said tooling plate, said tooling plate having an array of holes for receiving solder balls, rotating said ball grid array, said tooling plate and a reservoir of solder balls through a first range of orientations such that loose solder balls spread over said tooling plate for populating said array of holes therein, activating said riser cylinder for moving said ball grid array into juxtaposition with said tooling plate during a second range of orientations in which loose solder balls are recaptured in said reservoir and rotating said ball grid array and said tooling plate through a third range of orientations during which gravity is operative to transfer the solder balls to a like array of holes in said ball grid array.
- 2. A method as in claim 1, said method including the steps of attaching said first work cell and a like second work cell to opposite ends of a gantry, rotating said gantry such that said first and second work cell reorient through first, second, and third ranges of orientations at different times, activating a riser cylinder of said first and second work cells during the associated and different second ranges for affecting gravity transfer of solder balls from each tooling plate to the associated ball grid array during the associated and different third range of orientations.
- 3. Apparatus for filling a ball grid array, said apparatus comprising a reservoir for solder balls and a tooling plate with an array of holes for receiving solder balls, said apparatus including a gantry rotatable about an axis, said tooling plate and said reservoir being attached to said gantry and rotatable with the gantry about said axis, said reservoir being of a geometry to hold loose solder balls during said rotation and to spill said solder balls across said tooling plate during a first range of orientations of said gantry, said apparatus also including a fixture for securing a ball grid array to said gantry, said fixture being aligned with said tooling plate, said fixture including a riser cylinder for moving said ball grid array into juxtaposition with said tooling plate during a second range of orientations of said gantry for later transfer of said solder balls from said tooling plate to said juxtaposed ball grid array when said gantry later moves through a third range of orientation.
- 4. Apparatus is in claim 1 wherein said reservoir has a geometry to contain said solder balls over about a 200 degree rotation of said gantry.
- 5. Apparatus as in claim 4 wherein said tooling plate is affixed to said reservoir in a position exposed to the movement of solder balls in said reservoir during said 200 degree rotating of said gantry.
- 6. Apparatus as in claim 5 including a controller for rotating said gantry from a reference orientation to between 185 degrees and 200 degrees in a first direction and back to said reference orientation.
- 7. Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said controller is operative to activate said riser cylinder during said third range of orientations when said gantry is being rotating back to said reference position.
- 8. Apparatus as in claim 7 including first and second work cells affixed to said gantry, each of said work cells including a reservoir, a ball grid array and a tooling plate, said first and second work cell also including first and second riser cylinders respectively, said controller being operative to activate said first and second riser cylinders during a third range for each of said first and second work cells.
- 9. Apparatus as in claim 8 wherein said tooling plate for each of said work cells is nested into the bottom of the reservoir of the respective work cell.
- 10. Apparatus as in claim 9 wherein said reservoir of each of said work cell includes an aperture for receiving and positioning a tooling plate.
- 11. A work cell for transferring solder balls from a reservoir of solder balls to a ball grid array, said work cell comprising a gantry rotatable about an axis, a solder ball reservoir said reservoir being adapted for holding loose solder balls and also being affixed to said gantry and rotatable therewith through first, second, and third ranges of orientations of said gantry, said work cell also including a tooling plate also affixed to said gantry and rotatable therewith, said apparatus also including a ball grid array also affixed to said gantry, said ball grid array being spaced apart from and aligned with said tooling plate and rotatable with said gantry, said tooling plate and said reservoir being positioned for spreading solder balls from said reservoir onto said tooling plate during said first range of orientations, said apparatus also including a riser cylinder for moving said ball grid array into juxtaposition with said tooling plate during said second range of orientations, said ball grid array and said tooling plate bring positioned for gravity transfer of solder balls to said ball grid array during said third range of orientations of said gantry.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation in part of copending application Ser. No. 08/306,144 filed Sep. 14, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,487, for the inventor of the present application and assigned to the assignee of the present application.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
306144 |
Sep 1994 |
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