The spark plug is an essential component of an internal combustion engine. A well-designed plug can maximize fuel economy, reduce emissions, increase engine performance and minimize maintenance.

How do you singulate and orient a conical washer made of soft metal only 0.005 inch thick and almost 1 inch in diameter?

Many engineers mistakenly believe that vibratory bowl feeders can only be designed to feed one specific part, but that's not quite right.

Consumers spend some $1 billion to buy 2 billion lightbulbs each year in the U.S. That’s more than 6 million every day. High-speed automated assembly is the only way to meet that kind of volume.

Thermoelectric coolers are great for day trips, tailgating, boating or even overnight camping trips. Instead of ice, these coolers rely on a thin, flat electronic assembly called a Peltier device.

A&H Meyer, a manufacturer of cable management systems for furniture, approached RNA Automation Ltd. to design a flexible automation system to sort, separate and feed busbars. The company wanted a system that could handle 12 different lengths of flat and crimped busbars with minimal changeover time.

An assembler wanted to automatically feed and orient synthetic corks at a feed rate of 200 parts per minute. These corks are difficult to feed due to the sticky film that remains on their surface after the manufacturing process.

Hearing loss is the third-most common chronic physical condition among adults after hypertension and arthritis.

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.