Feeding of small parts is a challenge, especially ones like collets which have a very small different in either side and plus require to be fed at a high speed with utmost reliability and accuracy.

Elscint recently manufactured two sets of collet feeding equipment for a major automobile company. The requirement was for two collets to come out side by side in the opposite orientation. Further each pair needed to be transferred to two separate places for assembly. These were 150 mm on the right hand side and 450 mm further forward in a perpendicular direction.

A single bowl feeder used to feed the two collets, in opposite orientations. A pneumatic escapement stopped the collets while one pair was taken forward to the first dispensing point and released into the fixture. Thereafter, the slide went back to the pick up position, took the next pair of collets and dispensed it at the second fixture. The complete cycle time was 8 seconds for both the pair of collets.

Additionally, a camera was mounted on the linear track to check whether any collet came in the wrong orientation and it was removed into a bin in such an eventuality.

Two sets of equipment were manufactured. One for a collet which was 4 mm x 3 mm while the second for one which was 5 mm x 4 mm. Poka yoke was provided in the respective bowls to ensure that the wrong type of collet, in case fed by mistake does not come out of the bowl. The same was confirmed by the use of the above camera too.

The equipment was controlled with a Mitsubhishi PLC and was completed, installed and commissioned at the customer site.

You can watch the video of the equipment.