Component Feeder Holder Arrangement for Magazine Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current component mounting machines face challenges in efficiently handling and loading multiple component feeders due to the bulkiness and weight of magazines, leading to cumbersome and time-consuming processes for operators.
Innovation Solution
A holder arrangement with a first mechanical interface to attach multiple component feeders and a second mechanical interface for releasable attachment to a component tape magazine, allowing for simplified handling and loading of feeders as a unit, reducing the need to transport entire magazines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple component feeders are held in a magazine, then the number of components available for mounting increases, but the magazine becomes too heavy and bulky for an operator to handle
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional units: a magazine for storing component reels and a holder arrangement for holding component feeders. The holder arrangement can be detached from the magazine and handled separately, allowing operators to manage lighter components while the magazine remains stationary or is handled only when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder arrangement is extracted from the magazine structure, allowing it to be used independently. This separation enables the feeder-holding function to be decoupled from the storage function, so operators can handle only the necessary feeders rather than the entire heavy magazine assembly.
2Manufacturing precision
If component feeders are loaded one by one into the magazine, then each feeder can be positioned correctly, but the loading process becomes cumbersome and time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple component feeders are combined and attached to a common holder arrangement as a single unit. This allows operators to load multiple feeders simultaneously by attaching them together to the holder, which is then inserted into the magazine as one operation, significantly reducing loading time while maintaining proper positioning through the holder's design.
Solution Approach 2:
Component feeders are pre-assembled on the holder arrangement before being loaded into the magazine. This preliminary organization allows operators to prepare the feeder configuration outside the magazine, ensuring correct positioning is achieved during the assembly phase rather than requiring careful individual placement during the time-critical loading operation.
3Productivity
If the entire magazine is transported to load component feeders, then all feeders can be loaded together, but the weight and bulk make transportation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The holder arrangement with attached feeders is extracted from the magazine system for separate handling and transportation. Operators can move only the necessary feeders on the holder to the magazine location, avoiding the need to transport the entire heavy magazine, thus improving loading efficiency while minimizing the weight that must be moved.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder arrangement serves as an intermediary carrier between the storage location and the magazine. It provides a lightweight platform for transporting multiple feeders simultaneously without requiring the movement of the heavy magazine itself, acting as a mediator that decouples the transportation task from the storage structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A holder arrangement for releasably holding a plurality of component feeders, configured to feed a component tape towards a picking position of a component mounting machine, is disclosed. The arrangement comprises a first mechanical interface configured to releasably attach the plurality of component feeders to the holder arrangement, and a second mechanical interface configured to releasably attach the holder arrangement to a component tape magazine configured to be loaded into the component mounting machine, such that the component feeders are positioned to guide the component tape to the picking position. Furthermore, a method for handling at least one component feeder, is disclosed.