Patent ID: 7857195

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: an applicator configured to dispense fusible elements on at least a portion of a substrate; a placement mechanism configured to dispose a component onto the fusible elements on the substrate; a heat source configured to selectively melt the fusible elements in a controlled manner, thereby changing a displacement of the component relative to the substrate, wherein the displacement is adjustable according to an extent different ones of the fusible elements are melted differently; a detector configured to determine that a Z-axis displacement between the substrate and the component is less than a predefined threshold; and a reset mechanism configured to reset the Z-axis displacement between the substrate and the component, wherein the reset mechanism comprises a thermally controlled activator configured to separate the component from the substrate by applying a lifting force to increase the displacement between the component and the substrate, by being partially inserted between the component and the substrate and by pushing up on the component to lift the component from the substrate.