Vibratory Feed Latch Printer

One of our customers is a local manufacturer that designs and builds switching and transmission equipment. This equipment often contains several integrated circuit assemblies mounted in a metal chassis. A latch is mounted on the end of each card assembly and is used to lock the card into the chassis. The manufacturer had a need to apply a part number to the latch prior to assembly. We were asked to develop a system to accomplish this.

The system we constructed for them is an automated system utilizing a "VideoJet" ink printer. We used a vibratory feeder to orient and deliver each latch to a conveyor. As the latch piece traveles down the conveyor it is sensed by an opposed-mode photoelectric sensor equiped with plastic fiber-optics. Because the conveyor moves the piece at a constant and known speed, we are able to position the sensor optics ahead of the VideoJet print head. Once the latch moves past the sensor, and after a predetermined delay, the latch is known to be precisley positioned below the print head and the printer is signaled to mark the piece.

After the device is marked it travels past a second set of sensor optics which increments a counter. The latch continues to the end of the conveyor and is dropped into a bag. After a set number of latches are processed the conveyor and vibratory feeder shut down, awaiting removal of a full bag of marked latch devices.

Features: Lockout-Tagout Safety Switch. Safety Ball-Valve to disconnect air supply and remove air pressure from system. Localized controls for air supply. Independent CONVEYOR OFF/ON switch and VIBRATOR OFF/ON switch. Annunciation for CONVEYOR ON, VIBRATOR ON, and POWER ON. Digital counter/readout display with reset. Option to disable BATCH COUNT. Adjustable controls for vibratory feeder intensity and conveyor speed. Light-weight extruded aluminum construction for strength and mobility. Entire structure can be leveled and bolted to floor. Custom painted to match other existing equipment. Conveyor belt can be removed and replaced in minutes.

Below - entire structure modeled in AutoCAD prior to ordering components. This has become a standard practice.

Last modified: April 07, 2010

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