3.WORKSTATION DESCRIPTION
3.1 BRACKET LOAD, FEED, ORIENTATE, SEQUENCE, SEPARATE, PICK-PLACE INTO CARRIER
3.1.1 Full-custom automated vibratory feeder bowl is designed and built to load, feed, orientate, sequence brackets and transport those sequenced brackets to linked feeding track.
3.1.2 Bracket feeding track that driven by linear vibration driver on the bottom is introduced to connect with tracking of vibration feeder bowl to transfer sequenced bracket to separate mechanism.
3.1.4 At the end of feeding track, one in-position sensor is mounted here to detect if one single piece of bracket enter into separate mechanism.
If one single piece of bracket detected that bracket enters into separate mechanism, then separate mechanism will be activated to push one single bracket from separate mechanism to separate bracket from the sequenced line into independent workpiece and so that allow the pick and place mechanism to pick up this separated workpiece.
3.1.5 After bracket separated, pick-place mechanism works to go down to open its two claws to hold bracket, then go up and move forward toward to carriers onto indexing table, place it into carrier at exact position. After placed, pick-place will return to repeat another cycle of pick -place movement.
3.2 BRACKET CHECK & DETECTION
3.2.1 After bracket pick-place mechanism complete the loading bracket into carriers on indexing table, the indexing table will rotate to shift the workstation from previous workstation to next workstation and appear under the bracket location check and detection station.
3.2.2 An optic through beam sensors will be introduced to detect if the bracket well located inside of carrier and it provide signal for continuous movement for next workstations. If bracket missing detected by optic through beam sensors, the PLC system will stop other movements from other stations.
3.3 PLUNGER LOAD, FEED, ORIENTATE, SEQUENCE, SEPARATE, PICK-PLACE, ASSEMBLED WITH BRACKET
3.3.1 Same as bracket loading and feeding method, a full-custom design and engineering vibratory feeder bowl will be introduced to provide an automatic parts handling system to load, feed, orientate, sequence those plungers into a sequenced line.
3.3.2 Connecting with feeding track of vibratory feeder bowl, plunger feeding track that driven by bottom located linear vibration driver to transport those sequenced plungers to the end of separate mechanism.
3.3.2 Feeding track that driven by linear vibration driver on the bottom or belt conveyor will be introduced to transfer sequenced rubber rings till to separate mechanism.
3.3.3 At the end of feeding track, in-position sensor is deployed to detect if plunger enters into separate mechanism. If plunger detected, the separate mechanism will separate plunger from sequenced line into single work piece and ready for pick-place movement.
3.3.4 Pick-place that driven by pneumatic cylinders enables a pick-place mechanism with two-claw fingers to move up/down and move forward/backward to complete plunger pick up after separated, and place it to assemble with bracket at exact position.
3.4 COMPRESSION SPRING LOAD, FEED, SPEARATE, PICK-PLACE, INSERT INTO PLUGER
3.4.1 A motor driven continuous rotary centrifugal compression spring feeder to load, feed, sequence springs and prevent that spring get involved to get feeding track get stuck.
3.4.2. Feeding track driven by bottom located linear vibration driver to connect with feeding track of spring feeder to transfer in-line compression springs to move forward.
3.4.3 Sequenced springs enters into separate mechanism, the spring is detected by in-position sensor, the separate mechanism works to separate sequenced spring into one single spring and ready for pick place.
3.4.5 Spring pick-place and hold mechanism that works to pick up the spring and hold spring and move to carrier onto indexing table and place it into plunger at exact position.
3.5 TENSION BUSHING LOAD, FEED, ORIENTATE, SEQUENCE, SEPARATE, PICK-PLACE, INSERT INTO PLUGER
3.5.1 Vibratory feeder bowl is taken into entire assembly system to load, feed, orientate, sequence tension bushings;
3.5.2 Linear vibration driver that drives feeding track that links with vibratory feeder bowl feeding track to transport the sequenced bushings to move forward till to separate mechanism;
3.5.3 An in-position sensor is set up at the end of separate mechanism to detect the plunger. Once one plunger is detected, the separate mechanism will work to separate bushing from sequenced line and ready for pick-place.
3.5.4 Bushing pick-place mechanism will pick up the separate bushing and move to a place above carriers onto indexing table and place bushing into plunger and enable the spring inserted into bushing to complete this assembly step.
3.6 SEMI FINISHED PRODUCT PICK, FLIP, HOLD AND PLACE INTO CARRIER
3.6.1 Pick and Place mechanism here located to pick up the semi-finished assemblies (include bracket, plunger, compression spring, compression bushing) from small indexing table;
3.6.2 After picked up the semi-finished assemblies, the pick-place will hold and rotate to change the direction of semi-assemblies and move to carriers onto big indexing table to assembled with switch/switches from previous workstation of big indexing table.
3.7 SWITCHES LOAD, FEED, ORIENTATE, SEQUENCE, SEPARATE, PICK-PLACE
3.7.1 Vibratory feeder bowl is also introduced with the popular vibratory feeder bowl to load, feed, orientate, sequence micro switches into a sequenced line;
3.7.2 Feeding track that driven by linear vibration driver located at the bottom to transfer sequenced switches to move forward till to separate mechanism;
3.7.3 In the separate mechanism, in-position sensor(s) is/are mounted at certain position to detect if the switch/switches enter into separate mechanism, then the separate mechanism will go up to separate the switch/switches from sequenced line into single/two work pieces to enable the pick and place mechanism to pick and place switch/switches;
3.7.4 Pick-place mechanism will pick up switch/switches from the end of separate mechanism and move forward to place switch/switches into carriers that mounted onto big indexing table.
3.8 SWITCHES PRESS TO FIT INTO CARRIER
3.8.1 When previous carriers from switch/switches feeding and loading workstation, a flexible press station is designed here to press switch/switches well located inside of carrier.
3.9 RIVET 1 LOAD, FEED, SEQUENCE, SEPARATE, PICK, ROTATE, INSERT THROUGH SWITC/H/SWITCHES AND BRACKET
3.9.1 Vibratory feeder bowl in full-custom design and engineering is developed to load, feed, orientate, sequence round rivet 1 into sequenced line;
3.9.2 Connecting with feeding track of vibratory feeder bowl, a feeding track driven by bottom linear vibration driver is introduced to transfer sequenced rivets to the end of separate mechanism;
3.9.3 At the end of feeding track, sequenced rivets will enter into separate mechanism and detected by in-position sensor, then the separate will work to separate rivet from sequenced line into one single work piece and ready for pick-and-place;
3.9.4 Pick and place mechanism pick up the separate rivet and rotate by 90 degree to change the direction of rivet and move forward to insert mechanism.
3.9.5 Rivet Insertion mechanism that driven by servo motor with push force control to detect if the rivet is inserted through the switch/switches and bracket to ensure that the rivet is well inserted and get through the holes of switches and bracket.
3.9.6 During the ball screw driven push mechanism that insert the rivet into switch and bracket, a step/servo motor with ball screw driven press and hold mechanism to press the pressing plate that to press and hold the semi-finished assemblies to enable that holes of switches and bracket fit to rivet insertion.
3.10 RIVET 2 LOAD, FEED, SEQUENCE, SEPARATE, PICK, ROTATE, INSERT THROUGH SWITCH/SWITCHES AND BRACKET
All mechanism same as workstation 3.9.
3.11 RIVETS HOLD AND PRESS TO RIVET
3.11.1 After two rivets are well inserted through the switch/switches and bracket, a rivet hold mechanism will works to hold and protect the two big cap ends of rivets before press-to-rivet and will release after riveting process.
3.11.2 After two end caps of two rivets are hold and protected, the press-to-riveting mechanism will works to press with heavy force to rivet the nail ends of two rivets to ensure that two rivets that well fixed semi-finished assemblies with switch/switches.
3.11.3 The riveting head that in full-custom and modified for riveting process will be made in accordance with the final requirement for rivet ends shaping and so that ensure the final riveting result complies with customer’s requirement.
3.12 COMPRESSION SPRING CHECK & FINAL NG SORT/UNLOAD
3.12.1 Final Pick and Place with two groups of gripper to pick up the final assembled products from carriers from big indexing table;
3.12.2 The first pick-place gripper will pick up the final product from carrier onto compression spring checking workstation;
3.12.3 The compression spring checking workstation with a press down mechanism to press the plunger and another sensor will check if the plunger will rebound from bottom to top, so that can ensure if spring, compressing bushing missing and then provide a signal to PLC to tell if this final product is OK or NG.
3.12.4 Another pick-place gripper will pick up the tested final products and drop it into the NG sort mechanism to enable the NG product slide into NG container while enable the final OK products enter into OK product container.
