Patent ID: 7488283

Claim:
A method of, in an operation-performing-apparatus line including a plurality of operation performing apparatuses which perform respective predetermined operations related to a circuit substrate and a substrate conveyor which extends through each of the operation performing apparatuses and conveys the circuit substrate to said each operation performing apparatus, exchanging at least one first exchangeable constituent element of at least one operation performing apparatus of the plurality of operation performing apparatuses, with at least one second constituent element, said at least one operation performing apparatus including an element stocker, a transferring head movable relative to the element stocker, and at least one apparatus-side element-holding portion for holding said at least one first exchangeable constituent element, the method comprising the steps of causing an element carrier plate to hold said at least one second constituent element such that said at least one second constituent element is detachable from the element carrier plate, causing the substrate conveyor to convey the element carrier plate from one of opposite ends of the operation-performing- apparatus line toward an other end thereof, stopping the element carrier plate in said at least one operation performing apparatus, automatically transferring, with the transferring head of said at least one operation performing apparatus, said at least one second constituent element from the element carrier plate to the element stocker of said at least one operation performing apparatus, and automatically replacing said at least one first constituent element held by said at least one apparatus-side element-holding portion of said at least one operation performing apparatus, with said at least one second constituent element transferred to the element stocker.