Based in Torrington, CT, systems integrator Plastimation has been designing and building robotic automation systems for more than a decade. The company's portfolio ranges from simple projects, such as a machine-tending application in which a cobot unloads stacks of plastic lids from a molding machine, to complex ones, such as an automated line in which four robots assemble and test a medical device.

Wave washers, also known as wave springs or coiled wave springs, are used to absorb stress due to axial compressive loads, acting as a cushion. The waves of the wave washer provide three-, four- or six-point contact that results in greater load bearing capacity and a medium range of deflection.

A simple mechanical watch contains roughly 130 components. More complex watches contain hundreds of parts. A top-of-the-line model can have well over 1,000 parts.

Vibratory bowl feeders have long been the go-to device for supplying parts in automated assembly systems.

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.

Daimler Buses is using additive manufacturing to make spare parts for vehicles on demand. The company's Centre of Competence for 3D Printing is examining more than 300,000 bus parts to determine their suitability for additive manufacturing.

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.

With a fully-automatic assembly line and the ActiveMover linear motor transfer system from Bosch Rexroth, Wöhner GmbH is able to assemble 40,000 fuse holders in up to 94 different varieties each day.

Medical devices pose a special challenge to designers of parts feeding equipment. Parts for such devices can be tiny, sharp, clingy, floppy, tangly; or some combination of those properties.