Tube and Washer Machine for Automotive Industry
Pneumatic Lift Assist Arm and Post
Stapler Machine
Government Capability Statement
Past
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Tube and Washer Machine
This machine was constructed in 1996 and used to assemble steel tubes and washers for use on fuel filters. It incorporated two separate bowl feeders, two separate wire feeders, two press stations, a camera vision system, and a pick and place system to remove the parts. The purpose of this machine was to press a copper ring and a steel washer onto a steel tube at a predetermined dimension. The machine utilized pick and place units to set the tubes, washers, and to remove the finished parts. To determine if the part passed or failed, a vision system calculated the measurement from the top of the tube to the washer and sent a pass/fail signal to the PLC which then discarded the failed part using a trap door.
The controls for this machine utilized an Allen-Bradley SLC500 PLC and a Quick panel Jr. HMI touchpad display to assist in navigation through faults and manual controls.
Figure 1: Tube and Washer Machine, part exit.
Figure 2: Interior of panel. Figure3: Tube & Washer Machine Control Panel
Figure 4: Indexer and Camera system
Pneumatic Lift Assist Parallel Arm and Post
This device aids in the lifting of heavy objects for ergonomic relief of operators whose jobs require repeated lifting. The controls for this arm are all pneumatic utilizing pushbutton valves and selector switches. The arm can be set up to be strictly a pendent controlled up/down motion, or a zero gravity system that can balance several different parts and the fixture. This tool can be equipped with many different styles of grippers affixed to the endpoint making this a very versatile piece of equipment.
Figure 1: Parallel Arm and Post
Figure2: Gripper Example
Figure 3: Control Box & Gauge Cluster
Staple Machine
This machine was built to assemble two molded plastic parts using staples. The staplers were all pneumatically controlled and actuated by a valve. The machine first sensed that the parts were loaded and then the operator would use the two hand anti tie down buttons to begin the machine cycle. It would then move the staplers into position and fire them simultaneously. The controller used for this application was an Allen-Bradley Micrologix 1000.
Figure 1 Stapler Machine