System for automated mounting of electronic components to circuit boards

The apparatus of the present invention may be utilised for the automated bonding of electronic components to a circuit board (30). A placement and bonding head (28) is attached to a manipulatable robotic arm (20) and is utilised to select an electronic component having a plurality of conductive leads from a supply of such components and position that component adjacent a plurality of contact pads on a circuit board. While retaining the electronic component within the placement and bonding head, the component is then thermally bonded to the contact pads. In one embodiment of the present invention, an electronic component may be optically inspected while being retained within the placement and bonding head. In another embodiment, thermal bonding is accomplished utilising a plurality of thermally activatable blades (52) which each include a thermocouple (56) mounted adjacent thereto. Selective low current control signals are then coupled to the placement and bonding head where transformers are utilised to amplify the current prior to coupling the control signal to individually thermally activatable blades. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the placement and bonding head includes a plenum (76) for supplying inert gas to the bonding site so that the use of flux may be avoided.