AA Robotics in conjunction with Aylesbury Automation has helped Gripple Limited to solve a complex problem in the assembly of its new 'Gripple' design by providing a smart sensing Cognex Checker to orientate small parts being fed into their machine.

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Gripple Limited, established in 1988, is an award-winning company which has given its name to 'Gripples', the wire joining and tensioning devices with industrial agricultural and horticultural uses. Gripples are assembled at the company's manufacturing base in the Lower Don Valley, in Sheffield.

"We required a solution that didn't interrupt the manufacturing and assembly process and which would have the sensitivity to recognise product parts in order to achieve the best machine cycle times," said John Joyce, Technical Director, Gripple Limited. The solution had to ensure that small gripple parts are fed at the correct orientation from the step feeder. There were several difficulties that needed to be overcome in order for the Gripple parts to be presented in one of four acceptable orientations. AA Robotics specified a Cognex Checker whoich not only solves the problems, but allows flexibilty in the assembly process if changes are made in future to the design of Gripples. Changes in design will now have no effect on the tooling of the feeding system which operates at 30 parts per minute.

The Gripple parts leave the Schindler step feeder onto a linear vibrating track, which carries them to the machine. Parts which are of wrong orientation are recycled back into the step feeder by an air jet which blows the parts off the linear track. To add to the problem of detecting incorrectly orientated parts, the gripples are on a vibrating linear track which precludes the use of ordinary sensors.

The Cognex Checker, a single unit vision multi-sensor with built in lighting and optics, recognises images of the gripple parts and simultaneously detects several of the products' features while taking into account that there may be changes in orientation due to the vibrating track. A solenoid valve is directly powered by the output signal from the Checker. The step feeder solution provided by Aylesbury Automation ensures continuity of the assembly process without the need to stop the Gripple part, test its orientation and reject it by mechanical means or static sensors.

"The addition of the Checker to our production line has solved a complex problem. We will now be considering fitting the system to our exsting lines," said John Joyce. There usually are solutions to most assembly problems but it's finding the right one that is time-consuming. Aylesbury Automation had the experience we required and futhermore has delivered a solution that is also future-proof and which will in time bring us even greater benefits."

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