PRESSING MACHINE FOR PRESSING COMPONENTS ON A SUBSTRATE, PARTICULARLY ON A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD OR SUPPORT BOARD, WITH CHANGING UNIT.

Abstract

Pressing machine (10) for pressing electrical, electronic, mechanical and / or electromechanical components onto a substrate (32), in particular onto a circuit board or carrier board, comprising: - a lower tool (16), which for pressing is in contact against the lower part of the substrate (32), - an upper tool (20), which with an upper pressing unit (22) for pressing the component can move against the component along the z-axis (18) towards the substrate (32), - a change unit (60) for automatically changing the lower or upper tool (16, 20), the change unit (60) comprising: either a reservoir (62) in which a plurality of tools (66) can be deposited, or one or more tool holders (68), a tool (66) located within or on each of the tool holders (68),or a displacement unit (64) with which the respective tool holder (68) can be moved along a displacement direction (82) out of the reservoir (62) and into a pressing receptacle (70) of a pressing unit (17, 22), and a locking device (98) with which the respective tool holder (68) can be locked in the pressing receptacle (70).

Description

The invention relates to a pressing machine for pressing electrical, electronic, mechanical and / or electromechanical components onto a substrate, in particular onto a printed circuit board or carrier board. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION These pressing machines are regularly used in the production of large numbers of identical circuit boards with electrical, electronic, mechanical, and / or electromechanical components. Pressing components onto printed circuit boards is, in particular, an alternative to soldering. Specifically, it has the advantage of eliminating the need to melt solder, the resulting process gas, and, overall, the joining process consumes comparatively less energy. The pins supplied with electrical, electronic, mechanical, and / or electromechanical components are pressed into the metallized holes punched in the substrate during pressing. Excessive pressure generated during pressing can be absorbed by deformation of the metallized hole or by deformation of the pin itself. Generally, the result is a very reliable and robust connection. Pressing can be performed, in particular, in such a way that the metal parts are joined by cold welding. The convenience of using pressing machines flexibly has been discovered, particularly for pressing different components on the same substrate or on different substrates. In particular, when different substrates with different components need to be joined in a pressing machine, it is necessary to use different tools to press the different components. The object of the present invention is to allow a simple tool change of the pressing tools. ACOC Ln / Zznz / E / YIAI BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The object is obtained by means of a pressing machine for pressing electrical, electronic, mechanical and / or electromechanical components onto a substrate having the characteristics of claim 1. This pressing machine comprises, in particular, a lower tool that can, during or before pressing, move together with a lower pressing unit along a z-axis against the underside of the substrate. The lower tool can also be provided in a static design, and the substrate with the components to be pressed can be placed in the lower tool. In addition, an upper tool is provided that can move along with an upper pressing unit along the z-axis toward the substrate and against the component to press it. The pressing is ultimately performed by the upper tool, which presses the component onto the substrate, against the underside of which the lower tool is in contact to deflect the pressing forces. In addition, a change unit is provided for automatically changing the lower and / or upper tool, wherein the change unit comprises a hopper in which a plurality of tools can be placed, one or more tool holders in which a tool is placed or fixed in each of them, a displacement unit with which the respective tool holder can be moved along a displacement direction out of the hopper to a pressing receptacle of a pressing unit, and a locking device with which the respective tool holder can be locked in the pressing receptacle. With this type of tool changer, automated and reliable tool changes are possible. The tools can be either the lower or upper tools. Depending on the component being pressed, it may be necessary to change both the lower and upper tools. By supplying a tool magazine with multiple tools, different tools can be kept readily available. The tool holders, which contain and / or hold the respective tool, can act as adapters between the tools and the magazine. Specifically, the interface between the tool holders and the respective tools can be adapted to the specific tool. Different tool holders can provide different interfaces. RCOC Lnzzznz / E / YIAI It is also conceivable that the tool holder and the tool are formed in a single piece and in a single part; the respective tool then comprises the associated tool holder. When the displacement unit is supplied, the corresponding tool holder, along with the tool, can be easily inserted into and removed from the pressing unit's crimping receptacle. This allows the tool holder with the crimping tool to be inserted into and removed from the pressing unit's crimping receptacle. The locking device is supplied to secure the tool holder and tool together in the crimping receptacle. This locking device precisely secures the tool holder and tool in the crimping receptacle. Conveniently, the displacement unit is designed to push the respective tool holder and the tool out of the magazine and into the pressing receptacle. To ensure reliable displacement, guides for the tool holder may be provided. For example, linear guides, such as guide slots, may be supplied. The displacement unit may comprise, for example, an electric motor, a pneumatic cylinder, or similar device to perform the sliding motion. Furthermore, it is convenient for the respective tool holder to have a coupling element and for the displacement unit to comprise a coupling head, in which the coupling head interacts with the coupling element in such a way that the coupling head removes the coupling element from the pressing receptacle and inserts it into the reservoir. The removal of the tool holder together with the tool from the pressing receptacle and its insertion into the reservoir can also be carried out relatively easily. In particular, the coupling element is magnetizable, and the coupling head comprises a magnetic element, preferably an electromagnet, which can be energized to activate the coupling head. Therefore, energization preferably occurs when the tool holder is to be extracted from the crimping receptacle by the magnetic element. If the tool holder is to be inserted into the crimping receptacle, the magnetic element can be deactivated or disconnected. RCQQI η / 77Π7 / Β / YILI The tool magazine preferably has a plurality of parallel sliding receptacles into which the respective tool holder can be inserted and removed. In this case, the sliding receptacles can be designed as grooves, and the tool holder can be T-shaped, so that the T-shaped section of the tool holder can be inserted into the groove of the respective sliding receptacle. This allows a large number of different tools to be stored side-by-side, saving space in the tool magazine. Furthermore, it is advantageous for the loader to be guided by a movable magazine drive along a magazine guide that extends transversely to the direction of travel. This configuration has the advantage that the drive unit can be static. By moving the magazine along the magazine guide, the tool holder with the pressing tool can be moved within the drive unit's travel range and then inserted into the pressing receptacle by the drive unit. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the pressing receptacle is provided with a rotating element mounted rotatably around a rotation axis, and that a rotary drive is provided to rotate the rotating element. This has the advantage that the tool holder, together with the tool, can be aligned by rotating it towards the component to be pressed. Consequently, the tool can be oriented according to the component being pressed. A further development of the invention provides that the locking device comprises a locking bolt that is axially displaceable between a locked position and a released position and that interacts on the toolholder side, opposite the tool, with the toolholder to lock the toolholder in the crimping receptacle. Then, when the locking bolt is in the released position, the toolholder can be retracted into the crimping receptacle or moved outward. If a toolholder is already present in the crimping receptacle, it can be secured there by moving the locking bolt to the locked position. On its side opposite the tool, the toolholder may contain a cavity, hole, cone, or similar feature with which the locking bolt interacts in the crimping receptacle to secure the toolholder's position and lock it in place.To move the locking bolt between the locking position and the release position, a bolt drive is preferably provided, which can be designed, for example, as an electric motor, a pneumatic cylinder, or a similar element. To allow rotation of the pressing receptacle around the axis of rotation despite the provision of the locking bolt, the locking bolt is preferably positioned along the axis of rotation of either the pressing receptacle or the rotating part. This allows the pressing receptacle to be rotated without obstructing the locking bolt. RCOC Lnzzznz / E / YIAI RCOC Ln / Zznz / E / YIAI Furthermore, it is advisable to provide a legible code on the tool holder to identify the tool and a reading unit to read the code on the displacement unit. This ensures that, before inserting the respective tool holder and tool into the pressing receptacle, it is possible to verify which tool is present. This prevents the insertion of an unsuitable tool for pressing the component. Furthermore, when multiple different tools are used, it is advantageous for the interfaces between the toolholders and the respective tools to have different designs. This is because tools from different manufacturers may be used; in particular, in the case of pressing, the tools are regularly supplied or specified by the manufacturers of the components to be pressed. The individual toolholders then serve as adapters between the tools and the tool changer. Furthermore, when multiple different tools are used, it is advisable that each toolholder has a different height along the z-axis. This allows the toolholders to provide height compensation if the tools require different heights. Height compensation is also necessary, in particular, when other components of a certain height are already present on the substrate alongside the components to be pressed. Furthermore, it is convenient to provide a movable unit comprising a substrate receptacle in which the substrate can be moved in a plane defined by an xy axis and a y axis, and can be positioned in a pressing position where one or more components are pressed into the substrate. The xy and y axes are arranged orthogonally to each other and lie, in particular, within a horizontal plane. Such a movable unit has the advantage that the tools can be arranged so that they are movable only in the z direction. Furthermore, it is advantageous to provide a control unit to manage individual units, such as the lower pressing unit, upper pressing unit, travel unit, locking device, loader drive, rotary drive, and / or mobile unit. With such a control unit, automated tool changes can be performed on the pressing machine. Further details and convenient embodiments of the invention can be found in the following description, which describes and explains in more detail an exemplary embodiment of the invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The drawings show: Fig. 1 a pressing machine; Figure 2 a changing device of the pressing machine in accordance with Fig. 1 having a reservoir in the idle position; Figure 3 the change device according to Fig. 2 which has the reservoir in the change position; Figure 4 is a symmetrical view of the reservoir and a displacement unit of the change device in accordance with Figures 2 and 3; Figure 5 shows the lower pressing unit of the pressing machine in accordance with Fig. 1; and Figure 6 A longitudinal section through the upper part of the pressing unit in accordance with Fig. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 shows a pressing machine 10 having a base body 12 and a gantry 14. On the base body 12 is a lower tool 16 which, with a lower pressing unit 17, is movably arranged along a vertical z-axis 18. On the gantry 14 is shown an upper tool 20 which interacts with the lower tool 16 during the pressing process, said upper tool 20, which together with an upper pressing unit 22 that is coupled to the gantry 14, is movable along the z-axis 18 towards a substrate 32 in the form of a printed circuit board or carrier board. The pressing machine 10 comprises a mobile unit 24 containing a receptacle 26 for the substrate 32 to be processed. RCOC Lnzzznz / E / YIAI I In substrate 32 there are, in particular, electrical, electronic, mechanical and / or electromechanical components (not shown in the figures) with pins that are pressed by the pressing machine 10 into substrate 32. The component pins can be connected or inserted slightly into the metallized through holes located in substrate 32. With the movable unit 24, the substrate 32 can be moved along an x-axis 34 and a y-axis 36, which are arranged perpendicular to the z-axis 18, to a pressing position. Once the pressing position is reached, the lower tool 16 moves along the z-axis against the underside of the substrate 32, so that the tool 16 comes into contact with the substrate 32. The pressing is then carried out by the upper tool 20, which presses the component onto the substrate 32, while on the underside of the substrate 32, the lower tool 16 diverts the pressing forces towards the base body 12. Therefore, one or more components placed on the substrate 32 can be pressed in different pressing layers by means of tools 16 and 20 simultaneously or sequentially by moving the substrate 32 into different pressing layers. In addition, a control unit 45, for example a PLC controller, is supplied, which is configured to drive the mobile unit 24 along the x-axis 34 and the y-axis 36. With the control unit 45, the upper tool 20 and the lower tool 16 can also move along the z-axis 18 independently of each other and away from each other. Figure 2 shows a tool change unit 60 for changing the lower tool 16. The tool change unit 60 is located in the base body 12 and comprises a magazine 62 and a displacement unit 64. A plurality of tools 66 are stored in the magazine 62. Each tool 66 is rigidly fixed to a tool holder 68. In Figure 2, the magazine 62 with the tools 66 is in the idle position. Tool 16 is located in a pressing receptacle 70 of the pressing unit 17, where it is secured by a locking device 98, which is shown in Figure 6 and described later. The reservoir 62 has a plurality of sliding receptacles 72 parallel to each other, where in Fig. 2 only one sliding receptacle 74 is free and the other sliding receptacles 72 are occupied by the tools 66. RCQQI η / 77Π7 / Β / YILI To replace tool 16 in the pressing receptacle 70 with one of the tools 66, the reservoir 62 can be moved by means of a reservoir drive 76, which q can be seen in Fig. 3, from the idle position shown in Fig. 2 along a reservoir guide 78 to a shift position shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, the reservoir 62 is therefore in the change position, in which the free-sliding receptacle 74 is oriented towards the pressing receptacle 70. To now move the tool 16 into the free-sliding receptacle 74, the displacement unit 64 can be actuated such that a coupling head 80 of the displacement unit 64, which can be clearly seen in Fig. 4, moves along a displacement direction 82 from a retracted position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to an extended position, so that the coupling head 80 acts against a coupling element 84 present in the tool holder 68. The coupling element 84 can be, for example, a magnetizable plate located in the respective tool holder 68.To move the coupling head 80 between the retracted position and the extended position, it is conceivable that the moving unit comprises a drive, for example, a pneumatic drive with a piston-cylinder unit. The coupling head 80 can switch between a magnetized and a non-magnetized state by means of a magnetic element (not shown), in particular an electromagnet. If the tool 16 is to be moved from the crimping receptacle 70 to the free-sliding receptacle 74, the coupling head 80 in the magnetized state will move against the magnetizable coupling element 80 provided in the tool holder 68. After releasing the locking device 98, which locks the tool holder 68 in the crimping receptacle 70, the tool holder 68 together with the tool 16 can be moved from the crimping receptacle 70 along the travel direction 82 to the sliding receptacle 74, moving the coupling head 80 from the extended position to the retracted position.The coupling head 80 or its magnetic element extracts the tool holder 68 from the pressing receptacle 70 and inserts it into the free-sliding receptacle 74. To introduce a different tool 66 into the pressing receptacle 70, the reservoir 62 can be moved by means of the reservoir drive 76 so that the tool 66 to be used is aligned along the travel direction 82 and along the pressing receptacle 70. In a subsequent step, the respective tool 66 or its tool holder 68 can be inserted into the pressing receptacle by means of the travel unit 64 along the travel direction 82. For this purpose, the coupling head 80 is moved in the travel direction against the coupling element 84 from the retracted position to the extended position until the respective tool holder 68 has assumed its position in the pressing receptacle 70. RCQQI η / 77Π7 / Β / YILI O To ensure that the correct tool 66 is inserted into the pressing receptacle 70, readable codes are provided on the tool holders 68 to identify the respective tool 66. In addition, a reading unit 86, clearly visible in Fig. 4, is provided on the displacement unit 64 and can be used to read the respective code. The readable code can be, in particular, a barcode, a QR code, an RFID code, or similar. As can be seen from Figs. 5 and 6, the pressing receptacle 70 is provided with a rotating element 90 rotatably mounted about a rotation axis 88. For this purpose, pivoting bearings 94 are provided between the rotating element 90 and an upper support 92 of the lower pressing unit 17. In addition, a rotary drive 96 is provided by which the rotating element 90, and therefore the tool 16, can be rotated about the rotation axis 88. As a result, the tool 16 or tools 60 can be oriented towards the components to be pressed. To lock the respective tool holder 68 in the pressing receptacle 70, as shown in the section according to Fig. 6, the locking device 98 is provided with a locking pin 100 that can be axially displaced between a locked position and a released position. In this case, the locking pin in the locked position interacts with a cavity 102 provided on the side of the tool holder 68 facing away from the tool 16. To displace the locking pin 100 between the locked and released positions, a pin drive (not shown in detail) is provided, which can drive the locking pin 100 rotaryly or axially for axial displacement. As can be seen from Fig. 6, the locking pin 100 is arranged along the rotation axis 88. This has the advantage that rotation of the tool 16 about the rotation axis 88 is possible regardless of the presence or position of the locking pin 100. As shown in Fig. 6, tool 16 is rigidly fixed to the respective tool holder 68 by means of fixing screws 104. However, it is also conceivable that the particular tool 16 is entirely formed with the respective tool holder 68. Depending on the components to be pressed, different tools can be used. The interfaces between tools 16, 20, 66 and the respective tool holders 68 can also be designed differently, specifically for each tool. However, the interfaces between the tool holders 68 and the reservoir 62 or the pressing receptacle 70 are preferably designed identically. In particular, the heights of tools 16, 66 that extend RCOC Ln / Zznz / E / YIAI on the z-axis 18 and also the tool holders 68 may be different, depending on the components to be pressed and depending on the given requirements. The lower change unit 60 for the respective lower tool 16 is shown in Figures 2 to 6 and described above. Based on the design of the lower change unit 60, as shown in Figure 1, an upper change unit 106, designed to match the lower change unit 60, can also be supplied. Consequently, the lower tools 16 and the upper tools 20 can be automatically replaced by means of the change units 60 and 106. In particular, different components placed successively on a substrate 32, i.e., in particular on a printed circuit board or carrier board, can also be pressed in using different tools 16, 20. In this case, the control unit 45 not only controls the movement of the pressing units 17 and 22 and the mobile unit 24, but also the locking device 98, the drive of the loader 76, the rotary drive 96 and / or the drive of the bolt.

Claims

1. A pressing machine (10) for pressing electrical, electronic, mechanical and / or electromechanical components onto a substrate (32), in particular onto a circuit board or carrier board, characterized in that it comprises: a lower tool (16), which rests against the lower part of the substrate (32) before or during pressing, an upper tool (20), which, with an upper pressing unit (22) for pressing the component, can be moved against the component along a z-axis (18) towards the substrate (32), a change unit (60) for automatically changing the lower or upper tool (16, 20), the change unit (60) comprising: either a reservoir (62) in which a plurality of tools (66) can be deposited, or one or more tool holders (68), a tool (66) located within or on each of the tool holders (68),or a displacement unit (64) with which the respective tool holder (68) can be moved along a displacement direction (82) from the reservoir (62) to a pressing receptacle (70) of a pressing unit (17, 22), and a locking device (98) with which the respective tool holder (68) can be locked in the pressing receptacle (70).

2. The pressing machine (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the displacement unit (64) is designed so as to push the respective tool holder (68) together with the tool (66) out of the reservoir and into the pressing receptacle (70).

3. The pressing machine (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the respective tool holder (68) has in each case a coupling element (84) and in that the displacement unit (64) comprises a coupling head (80), the coupling head (80) interacting with the coupling element (84) in such a way that the coupling head (80) pulls the coupling element (84) out of the pressing receptacle (70) and into the reservoir.

4. The pressing machine (10) according to claims 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the reservoir (62) has a plurality of sliding receptacles (72, 74), which extend parallel to each other and into which the respective tool holder (68) can be inserted and extracted.

5. The pressing machine (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hopper (62) is guided in a displaceable manner by means of a RCQQI η / 77Π7 / Β / YILI hopper drive (76) along a hopper guide (78) that runs transversely to the direction of displacement (82).

6. The pressing machine (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pressing receptacle (70) is provided in a rotating element (90) which is rotatably mounted about a rotation axis (88) and in that a rotary drive (96) is provided for rotating the rotating element (90).

7. The pressing machine (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking device (98) comprises a locking pin (100) that is axially displaceable between a locking position and a release position and interacts with the tool holder (68) on the side of the tool holder (68) that is applied to the tool to lock the tool holder (68) in the pressing receptacle (70).

8. The pressing machine (10) according to claim 7, characterized in that the locking bolt (100) is arranged along the axis of rotation (88).

9. The pressing machine (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tool holder (68) is provided with a readable code to identify the tool (66) and in that the displacement unit (64) is provided with a reading unit (86) to read the code.

10. The pressing machine (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, when there is a plurality of different tools (66, 16, 20), the interfaces between the tool holders (68) and the respective tools (66, 16, 20) will be of different designs.

11. The pressing machine (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, when there is a plurality of different tools (66, 16, 20), each of the tool holders (68) will have different heights extending along the z-axis.

12. The pressing machine (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a movable unit (24) is provided comprising a receptacle (26) for the substrate (32) with which the substrate (32) can be moved within a plane that is defined by an x-axis (34) and a y-axis (36) and can be placed in a pressing position, in which one or more components are pressed into the substrate (32).

13. The pressing machine (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a control unit (45) is provided for controlling the lower pressing unit (17), the upper pressing unit (22), the displacement unit (64) and the locking device.

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