Feeding Systems for Automated Assembly of Fasteners
Automatic supply of nuts, screws, spacers and special fasteners
The A000 fastener feeding systems are an essential part of our automated assembly machines. They increase productivity and efficiency as they enable very fast transportation of the fastener to the assembly tool.
They are indispensable for various automated applications, such as in-die assembly, robot and operator workstations, and are a key component for integration into an assembly line.
A feeding system automatically sorts the fasteners, aligns them correctly and separates them so that they can be fed individually to the setting tool.
The feeding system is set up to be easily accessible and outside the danger zone of the assembly machine.
Advantages of the Feeding System
- High capacity of the system due to shorter cycle times
- Low space requirement
- Reduction of storage costs and internal logistics costs
- Flexible use of the feeding system for further applications with the same fasteners
Designs
Feeding systems for various applications
The feeding systems for A100 in-die installation system are available with one feed cart (1) or two feed carts (2). The feeding systems for the A220 operator workstation / A230 robotic end-of-arm tool / A240 robotic workstation can also combine two feed carts. A master feeder unit with control function (6) and a slave feeder (7).
FlexSys - system with step feeder (3)
A step feeder is more silent and more consistant in speed then any other feeding system. The step conveyor transports the fasteners onto the conveyor belt with the help of a cylinder and a sliding plate. Via the conveyor belt, the fasteners are further transported to a jam section. During transport, the fasteners are sorted and checked for correct position before entering the jam section.
ClassicSys - System with bowl feeder (4)
The bowl feeder is a high speed vibratory feeder and is used manily for special applications or fasteners that are not suitable for step feeders. The fasteners are conveyed and sorted by a vibratory conveyor. Afterwards, a baffle checks the correct position of the fasteners.
ClassicSys and FlexSys can also be combined into one system with two feed carts. This means you can feed up two different fastener types with one system at the same time. The feeding system is operated via the ALL IN ONE controller module (5).
Feeding system | X (mm) | Y (mm) | Z (mm) | Z1 (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
for A100 in-die system, one feeder (1) | 600 | 1600 | 1250 | 1850 |
for A100 in-die system, two feeders (2) | 1200 | 1600 | 1250 | 1850 |
| for A220/A230/A240 systems, one feeder (6) | 930 | 750 | 1130 | 1560 |
Control of Multiple Assembly Units
Feeding system for in-die fastener assembly
Up to four shot tubes can be connected to one feed cart and thus four setting heads can be controlled, with the same fastener on all setting heads (1).
Two coupled conveyor units can be connected with eight shot tubes. The control of up to eight setting heads is thus possible (2), with one fastener type per feed cart (3) and (4).
Feeding system for robot and operator workstations
One feeder can supply two setting units with the same fastener (1) and (2), i.e. one type of fastener per feed cart. A combination of two feed carts can thus drive up to four assembly systems (3). Both feeders are operated with a single controller.
One feeder functions as the master device and sends the commands to the second feeder, the slave device. Both feed carts must be located in the same cell or in the same safety circuit. With regard to the interface connection, Profinet, Profibus, DeviceNet and EtherNet/IP are available.
Feeding Process
Belt hopper
The feeder is filled with fasteners via the upper lid of a belt hopper. The belt hopper transports the fasteners towards the jam section. The belt is driven by an electric motor with gearbox. The conveying rate of the fasteners can be variably adjusted by a passage restriction. The drive motor of the conveyor belt is controlled by a jam sensor and switches off when the sensor is occupied.
Fill level
FlexSys system with step feeder - A fill level sensor ensures that the fill level is continuously checked. If the sensor is free, the belt hopper starts filling the step feeder. If the sensor remains unoccupied for a certain time, the machine reports a parts shortage.
ClassicSys system with bowl feeder - The fill level is checked via a pendulum query.
Jam section
The jam section is filled with fasteners aligned in the correct position. The fasteners pass through the jam section and are separated at the end. Depending on the feeding system, several jam sections can be installed. This means that several shot tubes can also be connected.
Separators
In the separation, the fastener is transported to the firing position by means of a cylinder. It is shot into the setting unit with compressed air via a shot tube.
Depending on the shape and condition of the fasteners, we have various separations in our program:
- Cross-separators for nuts and studs
- Ejection separators for nuts, bolts and blind rivets
- Alternating separators for special nuts and glide bearing bushings
- Proofing separation for blind rivet nuts
Optional sensor
A "fastener injected" sensor can be mounted directly on the shot tube. The sensor detects whether a fastener has been shot from the separator into the shot tube.
Hopper locking with barcode scanner (optional)
The feeder can be equipped with a scanner. The fasteners must be scanned before filling the hopper. The scanned barcode on the packaging is used to identify the correct fastener. Only then can the hopper lid be opened and the feeder loaded. In this way, errors due to incorrect filling of the feed system can be eliminated.
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