Abstract
Part singulation and feeding is an integral part of the automated assembly process. This paper presents a singulator designed for part feeding in dynamic manufacturing environments characterised by frequent product changeovers, where conventional, part specific singulators are not effective. The presented singulator design is intended for use in a reconfigurable assembly system. The important design considerations during the development of the singulator are discussed. The stepped conveyor singulator exhibits flexibility, since in a given configuration allows the singulation of a family of parts with similar envelopes, and reconfigurability, since it can be configured for the singulation of families of parts with different envelopes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Causey, G.C.: Elements of Agility in Manufacturing. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western University (1999)
Maher, M.: The Design/Development of Automated Programmable Orientation Tools for Vibratory Bowl Feeders. M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Engineering Technology, Waterford Institute of Technology (2010)
Wiendahl, H.P., ElMaraghy, H.A., Nyhuis, P., Zäh, M.F., Wiendahl, H.H., Duffie, N., Brieke, M.: Changeable Manufacturing – Classification, Design and Operation. Annals of CIRP 55, 783–809 (2006)
Joneja, A., Lee, N.: A Modular, Parametric Vibratory Feeder: A Case Study for Flexible Assembly Tools for Mass Customization. IIE Transactions 30, 923–931 (1998)
Tay, M.L., Chua, P.S.K., Sim, S.K., Gao, Y.: Development of a Flexible and Programmable Parts Feeding System. International Journal of Production Economics 98, 227–237 (2005)
Sequeira, M.A.: Conceptual Design of a Fixture-Based Reconfigurable Spot Welding System. M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University (2008)
Cokayne, A.: The Way the World – a Review of Current Practice in Automatic Parts Recognition, Feeding and Orientation. Assembly Automation 11, 29–32 (1991)
Boothroyd, G., Poli, C.R., Murch, L.E.: Automated Assembly. Marcel Dekker, New York (1981)
Poletti, R.: Mechanical Design of a Stepped-Conveyor Singulation Unit, Internal Design Report, Mechatronics, Automation and Design Research Group, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University (2011)
Kruger, K.: Control of the Feeder for a Reconfigurable Assembly System. MSc Eng. Thesis, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University (2013)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this paper
Cite this paper
Kruger, K., Basson, A.H. (2014). A Stepped Conveyor Singulator Design for Reconfigurable Assembly. In: Zaeh, M. (eds) Enabling Manufacturing Competitiveness and Economic Sustainability. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02054-9_36
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02054-9_36
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-02053-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02054-9
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)