The manufacturer needed to present thin steel blades down an assembly line in a specific orientation. However, the parts were essentially symmetrical, with the exception of a small notch that had to be presented on the right side. With no real differences in the part other than this notch, feeding them to an assembly mechanism with 100 percent accuracy was a challenge.
Fortville Feeders Inc. designed a vibratory feeder bowl that uses a vision system to check for correct orientation of the parts. The camera is programmed to detect whether the notch is on the leading or trailing edge of the part as it moves along the track. If the camera detects a misoriented part, it turns on an air jet to blow the part back into the bowl for recirculation.