First results on vibration feeding of small parts in the presence of adhesive forces

In this paper, a flexible solution for part feeding in assembly is analysed for its suitability to feed small parts with typical dimensions between 0.5 and 5.0 mm. The feeding concept is based on a tooling plate, which vibrates to separate and reorient the parts. A vision system is used to determine the position of parts in a correct orientation. A robot picks these parts and assembles them. The conditions for a successful reorientation of parts are studied. The influence of adhesive forces on the ability to re‐orientate is investigated. A prototype is built to determine empirically the magnitude of the adhesive forces and the influence of these forces on the feeding process.