Automated equipment can install O-rings three to four times faster than people.
Installing an external O-ring by hand is a four-step process. The operator picks up a lubricated O-ring, slips it onto a tapered sleeve, places the sleeve over the part, and slides the O-ring down the sleeve until it snaps into a groove on the part. Depending on the ring and the part, a skilled operator might be able to install some 600 O-rings per hour.