Workpiece Feeder with Periodic Impacts for Clean Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing workpiece feeders using vibration bowls fail to prevent parts from hitting and rubbing, resulting in dust and contaminants, which are problematic in manufacturing high-density magnetic disk drives where cleanliness is critical.
Innovation Solution
A workpiece feeder employing an adjustment-and-separation unit with a movable stage and drive parts applying separate impacts to separate and orient workpieces correctly, and an alignment-and-feed unit that individually holds and aligns workpieces to prevent collisions and contaminants, using vertical and horizontal impacts without continuous vibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If continuous vibration is applied to separate and align workpieces, then separation and alignment functions are achieved, but workpieces hit and rub one another producing particles and contaminants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic impact forces instead of continuous vibration. The drive unit delivers discrete impacts at predetermined intervals to the movable part, which transfers these periodic impacts to the workpieces. This periodic action sufficient for separation and alignment while avoiding the continuous mechanical contact that generates particles and contaminants in conventional vibration bowls.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the conventional continuous mechanical vibration system with a periodic impact system. Instead of using a vibration bowl that continuously vibrates workpieces, the invention uses a movable part actuated by periodic impacts from a drive unit, achieving the same separation and alignment functions through a different mechanical mechanism that does not generate harmful particles.
2Productivity
If vibration bowl is used to feed workpieces, then workpieces can be separated and conveyed, but parts hit and rub one another causing dust and contaminants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic impacts delivered at predetermined intervals to the movable part, which then transfers these impacts to the workpieces. This periodic action maintains workpiece separation and feeding efficiency while avoiding the continuous mechanical contact that generates dust and contaminants in traditional vibration bowl systems.
3Manufacturing precision
If separate impacts are applied to movable part to separate workpieces, then workpiece separation and orientation adjustment are achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable part serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the stage surface for workpiece placement, the transmission medium for impact forces, and the separation surface for workpiece division. The drive unit's periodic impacts are transmitted through this single movable part to achieve both separation and orientation adjustment, reducing the need for multiple separate mechanisms and thereby reducing overall device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively separates and aligns workpieces to prevent collisions, significantly reducing the production of particles and contaminants, ensuring cleaner conditions in manufacturing processes like those for magnetic disk drives.
Implementation Method 1
a drive part that applies separate impacts to the movable part so that the movable part moves to produce a bouncing force and a shifting force orthogonal to the bouncing force due to the separate impacts to the workpieces
Data Source
AI summary
A workpiece feeder includes a forward stage that separates base plates from one another and adjusts the base plates into correct top-bottom orientation and a pickup unit that individually holds the separated and adjusted base plates and horizontally aligns the held base plate into correct planar posture while feeding the held base plate to a destination. The forward stage includes a stage body that has a stage surface on which the base plates are placed and is movably supported so as to shift the stage surface and a drive unit that applies separate impacts to the stage body so that the stage body moves to apply a bouncing force and a shifting force orthogonal to the bouncing force due to the separate impacts to the base plates.