Patent ID: 6357136
Filing Date: 2002-03-19
Classification: F26B,G01N

Abstract:
In a tray-fed scanning acoustic microscope, an improved tray-scanning station for handling trays of small, loosely held parts, comprising:an ultrasonic beam generator; a coupling fluid dispenser, the dispensed coupling fluid undesirably tending to dislodge the parts from the trays; and a stationary parts-hold-down channel situated between said ultrasonic beam generator and trays being conveyed through said station and closely contiguous to the trays, said device having at least one opening therein which is sized and positioned to pass an ultrasound beam from said ultrasonic beam generator, but not to pass the small parts from the trays, whereby the trays of small parts are insonified without the parts being dislodged from the trays by the coupling fluid as they traverse said scanning station.