A method of selectively transferring micro devices from a donor substrate to contact pads on a receiver substrate. Micro devices being attached to a donor substrate with a donor force. The donor substrate and receiver substrate are aligned and brought together so that selected micro devices meet corresponding contact pads. A receiver force is generated to hold selected micro devices to the contact pads on the receiver substrate. The donor force is weakened and the substrates are moved apart leaving selected micro devices on the receiver substrate. Several methods of generating the receiver force are disclosed, including adhesive, mechanical and electrostatic techniques.

A nozzle holding mechanism of the invention is capable of holding multiple types of nozzles to a head of a component mounting device and includes: a magnet provided in a holding section of the head; and a magnetic material, attracted to the magnet, provided in a held section of the nozzle on the side held by the holding section of the head, at a position facing the magnet. The magnetic material is provided so as to have a gap between the magnetic material and the magnet while the nozzle is held by the head. The gap is adjusted to be larger or smaller in accordance with the type of the nozzle held by the head.

A spindle for a pick-and-place machine includes a shaft including a length extending between a first end and a second end, the shaft including an outer body and a hollow interior, a nozzle tip disposed at the first end of the shaft, the nozzle tip configured to contact an electronic component for manipulation of the electronic component, and a theta gear disposed on the shaft, the theta gear configured to engage with a motor of a pick-and-place head. The spindle is configured to be removably attachable from the pick-and-place head. A dispensing head spindle module, spindle bank and assembly machine incorporating the spindle are disclosed.

A method of assembly comprising a pick-and-place spindle module having a modular body structure including a first receiving location configured to receive a spindle, a first z-axis motor configured to move a spindle received in the first receiving location in a z-axis, a first theta motor configured to rotate a spindle received in the receiving location, an air distribution system including an air distribution port, the air distribution system configured to deliver received air from the air distribution port to a spindle received in the first receiving location, an electrical distribution system including an electrical distribution port, and a mechanical attachment mechanism, the mechanical attachment mechanism configured to facilitate attachment of the modular body structure to a spindle bank such that the air distribution port is connected to receive air from the spindle bank and the electrical distribution port is configured to receive electricity from the spindle bank.

The component mounter includes a mounting control section that controls a mounting operation for a component by the mounting head based on a control program to execute a mounting process. In a recovery process of attempting to mount a component anew with a mounting position related to the mounting operation as a target position in a case where an error has occurred in the mounting operation, the mounting control section executes the mounting operation for the component by using a designated holder that is one of the multiple holders allocated to the target position in the mounting process as the designated holder.

A method of selectively transferring micro devices from a donor substrate to contact pads on a receiver substrate. Micro devices being attached to a donor substrate with a donor force. The donor substrate and receiver substrate are aligned and brought together so that selected micro devices meet corresponding contact pads. A receiver force is generated to hold selected micro devices to the contact pads on the receiver substrate. The donor force is weakened and the substrates are moved apart leaving selected micro devices on the receiver substrate. Several methods of generating the receiver force are disclosed, including adhesive, mechanical and electrostatic techniques.

A component mounting method includes independent mounting and cross lane alternate mounting. The independent mounting performs an operation of mounting a component on a first board carried in a first board transport lane from a first component supplier, and an operation of mounting a component on a second board carried in a second board transport lane from a second component supplier. The cross lane alternate mounting alternately performs an operation of mounting the component on the first board carried in the first board transport lane from the second component supplier, and an operation of mounting the component on the second board carried in the second board transport lane from the first component supplier.

A component mounting machine includes multiple component supplying devices, a head, a head moving device, and a nozzle lifting and lowering device. The component supplying device feeds out a component to a component supply position. The head includes multiple nozzles configured to suction a component. The head moving device moves the head to cause the nozzles to face the respective component supply positions with two or more thereof. The nozzle lifting and lowering device lifts and lowers the nozzle located to face the component supply positions. In positioning the nozzles to face the respective component supply positions, the head is moved so as to prioritize a positional correction of a nozzle facing a smallest sized component over positional corrections of the other nozzles, and in this state, the nozzles facing the respective component supply positions are lifted and lowered simultaneously to suction corresponding components.

A method of assembly comprising a spindle bank for a pick-and-pace machine, a base including a plurality of mount locations, each of the plurality of mount locations configured to receive a mountable spindle module including at least one pick-and-place spindle and nozzle, a bearing system attachable to a movement axis of a pick-and-place machine such that the spindle bank is movable along the movement axis, and a power delivery system configured to deliver electrical power to each of the plurality of mount locations, wherein each of the plurality of mount locations is configured to deliver the electrical power to each of the mountable spindle modules when mounted.

A method of selectively transferring micro devices from a donor substrate to contact pads on a receiver substrate. Micro devices being attached to a donor substrate with a donor force. The donor substrate and receiver substrate are aligned and brought together so that selected micro devices meet corresponding contact pads. A receiver force is generated to hold selected micro devices to the contact pads on the receiver substrate. The donor force is weakened and the substrates are moved apart leaving selected micro devices on the receiver substrate. Several methods of generating the receiver force are disclosed, including adhesive, mechanical and electrostatic techniques.