IP Library Granted Patent US 12707617
Granted Patent B2
US 12707617 · App. 17/980,206 · Granted Aug 11, 2026

Press-in machine for pressing components into a substrate, in particular into a printed circuit board or carrier plate, with substrate positioning

Inventors: Kathrin Englert (Marktheidenfeld, DE); Lothar Schwab (Bischbrunn, DE); Sebastian Becker (Erlenbach, DE); Kevin Friedrich (Wertheim, DE)
Assignee: ERSA GmbH
H05K13/04H05K3/306H05K13/0812H05K13/0815H05K2201/1059H05K2203/0195H05K2203/1509H05K2203/166
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12707617
App. No.
17/980,206
Granted
Aug 11, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A press-in machine for pressing electrical, electronic, mechanical and/or electromechanical components into a substrate, in particular into a printed circuit board or carrier plate, and method therefor, including a moving unit, which comprises a receptacle for a substrate and with which the substrate can be moved in a plane, which is spanned by an x-axis and a y-axis and can be placed in a press-in position in which one or more components are pressed into the substrate, a lower tool, which comes to rest against the underside of the substrate before or during the press-in, an upper tool, which can be moved against the component for pressing the component along the z axis toward the substrate, a control unit for controlling the moving unit, and a sensor for detecting at least one reference mark present on the substrate, wherein the control unit is configured and designed such that it controls the moving unit depending on the detected reference mark in such a way that the substrate is placed between the lower tool and the upper tool in the press-in position.

Claims (25)

1 . A press-in machine for pressing at least one of an electrical, electronic, mechanical and electromechanical component into a substrate, comprising:

a. a moving unit, which comprises a receptacle for the substrate and with which the substrate can be moved in a plane that is spanned by an x-axis and a y-axis and can be placed in a press-in position in which one or more components are pressed into the substrate,

b. a lower tool, which comes to rest against the underside of the substrate before or during the press-in,

c. an upper tool, which can be moved against the one or more components for pressing the one or more components along the z-axis toward the substrate,

d. a control unit for controlling the moving unit, and

e. a sensor for detecting at least one reference mark present on the substrate,

f. wherein the control unit is configured and designed such that it controls the moving unit depending on the detected reference mark in such a way that the substrate is placed between the lower tool and the upper tool in the press-in position.

2 . The press-in machine according to claim 1 , characterized in that the lower tool has recesses on its upper side facing the upper tool for receiving free ends of pins of the one or more components passing through the substrate when pressed in.

3 . The press-in machine according to claim 1 , characterized in that the reference mark detected by the sensor is a substrate edge.

4 . The press-in machine according to claim 1 , characterized in that the reference mark detected by the sensor is a fiducial mark present on the substrate.

5 . The press-in machine according to claim 1 , characterized in that the reference mark detected by the sensor is a reference bore present on the substrate.

6 . The press-in machine according to claim 5 , wherein the substrate has metallized through-holes, and wherein the reference bore in the substrate has been produced in a machining operation for the substrate in which holes for receiving pins of the one or more components have been introduced into the substrate.

7 . The press-in machine according to claim 1 , characterized in that the control unit is further configured and designed in such a way that the sensor detects a substrate edge of a substrate present in the receptacle during the movement of the receptacle along the x-axis, and in that, depending on the detected substrate edge, the moving unit is controlled further in such a way that the receptacle is moved in the plane of the substrate along the x-axis and/or the y-axis such that the reference mark is located in the detection region of the sensor.

8 . The press-in machine according to claim 1 , characterized in that the sensor is an optoelectronic sensor or a camera.

9 . The press-in machine according to claim 1 , characterized in that the moving unit and/or the control unit are configured such that an acceleration and/or braking of the receptacle takes place in such a way that the one or more components present on the substrate do not change their position on the substrate prior to the press-in during the acceleration and/or braking of the receptacle.

10 . A method for operating a press-in machine for pressing at least one of an electrical, electronic, mechanical and electromechanical component into a substrate, wherein the press-in machine comprises a moving unit, which comprises a receptacle for the substrate and with which the substrate can be moved in a plane, which is spanned by an x-axis and a y-axis and can be placed in a press-in position, a lower tool, which comes to rest against the underside of the substrate before or during the press-in, an upper tool, which can be moved against one or more components in order to press the one or more components along a z-axis toward the substrate, and a sensor for detecting at least one reference mark present on the substrate, the method comprising the steps of:

a. detecting at least one reference mark present on the substrate by the sensor, and

b. placing the moving unit in the press-in position depending on the detected reference mark between the lower tool and the upper tool.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , comprising the step of detecting a fiducial mark and/or a reference bore as a reference mark in a printed circuit board substrate.

12 . The method according to claim 10 , comprising the steps of:

a. detecting a substrate edge when the substrate is moved along the x-axis in the direction of travel,

b. depending on the detected substrate edge, moving the substrate in the plane such that the reference mark is located in the detection region of the sensor,

c. detecting the reference mark,

d. moving the substrate into the press-in position, and

e. pressing one or more components into the substrate.