Systems integrator and bowl manufacturer Dial-X Automated Equipment Inc. (Albion, IN) recently designed and built an automated assembly system for a dental mirror. The system was built on a walking beam chassis.
Feeding the plastic handle for the mirror would be a challenge. Five inches long and 0.5 inch in diameter, the handle was shaped for ergonomics and utility-not for automated assembly. Dial-X designed a vibratory bowl and conveyor to feed the parts.
The handles are fed end to end, with the mirror end leading. The feeder supplies one handle every 3 seconds.
“The bowl was coated with urethane to prevent scratching and scuffs,” explains Curt Bonar, president of Dial-X. “Due to the shape of the handle, special tooling was installed to assist with the orientation.”
For more information on parts feeders and automated assembly systems, call Dial-X at 260-636-7588 or visit www.dial-x.com.
Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a regular series profiling parts feeders for automated assembly systems. Whether it’s a vibratory bowl, a tray feeder or a flexible robotic system, if you’ve solved a parts-feeding challenge, we’d like to hear about it. Send an e-mail to John Sprovieri, editor of ASSEMBLY, at sprovierij@bnpmedia.com, or call 630-694-4012.
