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.

Multistation automated assembly systems are a wonder to behold. A well-designed system can mass-produce hundreds of assemblies per minute with minimal human intervention.

Today’s automobiles contain dozens of electric motors. They adjust the mirrors, position the seats, aim the headlights, provide heating and cooling, and raise and lower the windows. In fact, a luxury car might have as many as 120 electric motors of various sizes.

One of the most commonly seen and vital categories of assembly automation equipment is the feeder bowl.

As automated assembly increases, so does the need for flexible vibratory bowl feeders—and practical ways to optimize their performance.

A new servo-driven system could change how engineers think about continuous motion assembly.